Celebrate Every Day

Celebrate Every Day


December 28, 2021 - National Short Film Day | National Card Playing Day

December 27, 2021

Welcome to December 28, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the humble beginnings of some of our favorite pastimes. 

When you watch the Academy Awards, are you tempted to go grab some popcorn as they announce the winners in the Short Film category? Then perhaps you'll be interested to know that we owe a huge thanks to a short film called “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory,” which made its debut in 1895 at the Grand Cafe in Paris. The movie was only a few minutes long and showed workers going home at the end of their shift. The 33 people in the audience that day became the first ever to view a motion picture in a theater and right then and there, our fascination for the movies was born. On National Short Film Day, we celebrate this one small clip and the giant leap forward for the movie making industry. 

A standard pack of cards may be used for playing a variety of games, some of which are played for money. It’s said that the game of poker, which originated in Louisiana, is a derivative of the game of dominos which dates back a few thousand years. What’s common to both games is the art of bluffing. Even the best poker players in the world only have a 5 percent advantage over other players and thus bluffing is what makes the game more interesting. The earliest games like Texas Hold’em were played for gold nuggets and while it's hard to calculate the winnings of those hands, the most lucrative tournament in modern times was won by Antonio Esfandari who took home a record $18.35 million. On National Card Playing Day you may wanna bone up on the skill of bluffing.  

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

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