By Shelby Deering and Amanda Garrity

When you think of October, Halloween is often the first thing that comes to mind — and understandably so.

The last day of the month is a real treat (pun very much intended), but don’t let the excitement surrounding the spooky season’s standout trick you into thinking it’s the only October holiday worth celebrating. In fact, there are tons of official (and unofficial) holidays, observance and awareness months from now through October 31.

Embrace all the food and fun that the season has to offer with holidays like National Pumpkin Day and National Apple Day. Or satisfy your sweet tooth before you get your candy fix on National Homemade Cookies Day, National Cinnamon Roll Day and National Dessert Day. (But since life is all about balance, don’t forget to celebrate National Kale Day and National Oatmeal Day, too.)

It’s not just about the treats, though: October is also a time to pick up some healthy habits that you can carry with you in the months ahead, whether it’s clearing out your inbox (Inbox Zero Day) or finding an organization to volunteer for (Make a Difference Day).

Speaking of health, carve out time to raise awareness for important causes, ranging from mental health (World Mental Health Day) to menopause (World Menopause Day). All month long, wear your pink ribbon with pride and encourage loved ones to book their mammogram appointments in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The list goes on — and on!

Lucky for you, a list of some important dates in October, so you won’t miss a thing.

October 11

• National Sausage Pizza Day
• National Coming Out Day
• International Day of the Girl Child

October 12

• National Farmer’s Day
• National Gumbo Day
• National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day
• World Arthritis Day

October 13

• National M&M Day
• Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
• World Sight Day
• Ada Lovelace Day

October 14

• National Dessert Day
• National Fossil Day
• National I Love You Day
• World Egg Day

October 15

• National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
• National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day
• Global Handwashing Day
• Hoshana Rabbah (evening of Oct. 15 to evening of Oct. 16)
• International African Penguin Awareness Day
• National Cheese Curd Day
• National Mushroom Day
• Sweetest Day

October 16

• Boss’ Day
• Dictionary Day
• Global Cat Day
• National Sports Day
• World Food Day
• World Spine Day

October 17

• Black Poetry Day
• National Pasta Day
• Wear Something Gaudy Day

October 18

• National Chocolate Cupcake Day
• National Pharmacy Technician Day
• World Menopause Day

October 19

• National Medical Assistants Day
• National New Friends Day
• National Seafood Bisque Day

October 20

• International Sloth Day
• World Osteoporosis Day
• National Day on Writing

October 21

• National Mammography Day
• National Reptile Awareness Day
• National Pets for Veterans Day
• National Apple Day
• National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

October 22

• International Stuttering Awareness Day
• Make a Difference Day
• National Nut Day

October 23

• National Paralegal Day
• National Boston Cream Pie Day
• National iPod Day 

October 24

• Diwali
• National Food Day
• National Kangaroo Awareness Day
• United Nations Day

October 25

• International Artist’s Day
• National Greasy Foods Day
• National I Care About You Day
• World Opera Day

October 26

• National Pumpkin Day
• National Day of the Deployed
• National Chicken Fried Steak Day 
• National Pit Bull Awareness Day

October 27

• National Mentoring Day
• National American Beer Day
• Navy Day

October 28

• Bandanna Day
• Plush Animal Lover’s Day
• International Animation Day
• National Breadstick Day
• National First Responders Day
• Frankenstein Friday

October 29

• National Oatmeal Day
• National Cat Day
• World Stroke Day
• World Psoriasis Day

October 30

• National Candy Corn Day
• National Checklist Day
• National Treat Your Pet Day
• Mischief Night

October 31

• Halloween
• National Magic Day
• Girl Scout Founder’s Day
• National Caramel Apple Day
• National Knock Knock Joke Day

So, while we do experience and celebrate Heritage Months… Celebrate your Heritage every day!

-Nativegrl77

1740 – Maria Theresa became the ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia with the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.

1774 – The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America’s colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies “discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment.” 

1803 – The U.S. Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase. 

1818 – The U.S. and Great Britain established the boundary between the U.S. and Canada to be the 49th parallel.

1827 – The Battle of Navarino took place during the Greek War for Independence.

1873 – A Hippodrome was opened in New York City by showman Phineus T. (P.T.) Barnum.

1892 – The city of Chicago dedicated the World’s Columbian Exposition.

1903 – A joint commission ruled in favor of the U.S. concerning a dispute over the boundary between Canada and the District of Alaska.

1935 – Mao Zedong arrived in Hanoi after his Long March that took just over a year. He then set up the Chinese Communist Headquarters.

1942 – Pierre Laval told the French labor that they must serve in Germany.

1944 – Allied forces invaded the Philippines.

1944 – During World War II, the Yugoslav cities of Belgrade and Dubrovnik were liberated.

1947 – Hollywood came under scrutiny as the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence within the motion picture industry.

1952 – The Mau Mau uprising against white settlers began in Kenya.

1955 – “No Time for Sergeants” opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre. The show starred Andy Griffith and Don Knotts made his Broadway debut. The last show was on September 14, 1957.

1957 – Walter Cronkite began hosting “The 20th Century.” The show aired until January 4, 1970.

1968 – Jackie Lee Bouvier Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis.

1979 – The John F. Kennedy Library in Boston was dedicated.

1984 – The U.S. State Department reduced the number of Americans assigned to the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

1994 – The website WhiteHouse.gov was launched.

1995 – Britain, France and the U.S. announced a treaty that banned atomic blasts in the South Pacific.

2003 – A 40-year-old man went over Niagara Falls without safety devices and survived. He was charged with illegally performing a stunt.

2009 – European astronomers discover 32 exoplanets.

I went through old posts and found hints of an increase in data centers, at least in the early 2000s. A big, huge glaring warning, if you will.

One company tried to tell a story of why we need them and created a mural project; they also bought a 1960s power plant.

In 2010, Greenpeace posted a warning and petition re: The Internet is how we connect, learn new things, and share what we love. But right now, much of our Internet is also dirty, no matter how we use it.

Data centers are where Internet companies store our photos, messages, and music, and many are powered by coal and dirty energy sources that pollute our environment and harm our climate.

What’s worse — the Internet’s demand for energy is only growing. If the Internet were a country, its electricity use would already rank sixth in the world.

Source: Greenpeace petition

In this 21st Century, I, like most, use the Internet daily for research and other purposes, like blogging or sharing information that might help someone. It’s truly embarrassing to realize that warnings about Data Centers were in the news years ago! Clearly, in the early 90s and 2000s, this topic wasn’t given enough airtime or a proper platform to inform the public. Now, it is 2026; some parts of our country are suffering from droughts, while others have seen their land devastated not only by historic floods, but also by the fact that building data centers requires not only a lot of land but also an enormous amount of energy and water.

~ Nativegrly77

Continental Congress, in the period of the American Revolution, the body of delegates who spoke and acted collectively for the people of the colony-states that later became the United States of America. The term most specifically refers to the bodies that met in 1774 and 1775–81 and respectively designated as the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress.

In October 1774 the Congress petitioned the crown for a redress of grievances accumulated since 1763. In an effort to force compliance, it called for a general boycott of British goods and eventual nonexportation of American products, except rice, to Britain or the British West Indies. Its last act was to set a date for another Congress to meet on May 10, 1775, to consider further steps.

Source: britannica.com for the complete article