Celebrate Every Day

Celebrate Every Day


June 13, 2021 – National Weed Your Garden Day | National Sewing Machine Day

June 12, 2021

Did You Know There's A Weed That Can Grow 12 Inches In One Day?

Welcome to June 13th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the weeds that are always greener and a revolutionary invention. 

In the early 1900s, farmers in the Southeast United States found a plant that seemed to be an inexpensive way to combat soil erosion. It was called kudzu. It does do that, but it also kills other plants by smothering them and cutting off any nutrients. And it grows like wildfire. Kudzu can grow a whole foot in one day and in just a few decades it has covered the landscape from Florida up to New Jersey and as far west as Texas. And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Yikes. So when you’re in your backyard complaining about dandelions and crabgrass on National Weed Your Garden Day, remember that it could be a lot worse.

Before the invention of the sewing machine, fabric was stitched by hand.  While most people saw the value of this practical device, French tailors took to rioting in the streets. Due to their loss of income, they even destroyed the machines themselves. But elsewhere in the world, sewing machines were making some inventors very rich. Four manufacturers created a patent pool in 1850, which allowed inventors to receive royalties for every machine that was built from their design.  When the demand for uniforms spiked during the Civil War, both Howe and Singer became the very first millionaire inventors. On National Sewing Machine Day, we celebrate the invention that’s kept us in stitches for over 150 years.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day