Welcome to March 25th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate strange new worlds and acts of bravery. To say that JRR Tolkien had an impact on popular culture is an understatement. Without The Lord of the Rings, we might never have experienced Harry Potter or played Dungeons & Dragons. Before he wrote anything about a Hobbit, Tolkien was a professor of Old English literature and a student of language. So when he created Middle Earth, he came up with an entire history for his fictional world. And wrote not one, but FIVE different languages exclusively for the books. Quite the perfection. On National Tolkien Reading Day, celebrate your favorite escape into a perfectly curated world. The Medal of Honor is bestowed upon our military for extraordinary acts of service. In the case of Teddy Roosevelt it was awarded for his acts of apparent defiance during the Spanish American War. But not until many decades later. Colonel Roosevelt grew impatient as progress was stalled on a charge of the San Juan hill. He managed to convince his immediate supervisor to allow his Rough Riders to push ahead. With only four or five men, Teddy was the first American to arrive in the Spanish trenches. This brave act turned the tide of the entire battle. Roosevelt was nominated for a Medal of Honor during his life, but wasn’t awarded it until 2001, 82 years after his death. On National Medal of Honor Day we remember the more than 3500 souls who have received this award by going above and beyond the call of duty. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices