National Spumoni Day
If you've never taken the opportunity to try spumoni - an Italian ice cream - there's no better time than now. Today is "National Spumoni Day!" Spumoni is considered to be the ancestor of Neapolitan ice cream, although many consider spumoni to be much better. It consists of multiple layers (usually three) of different flavors of gelato, with little bits of fruit and nuts mixed in.
Spumoni originated in Naples, Italy, and was introduced to America in the 1870s by Italian immigrants. Traditionally, spumoni would include chocolate, cherry and pistachio gelato. Once in America, Italian ice cream shop owners eliminated the fruit and nuts to keep costs down, and the flavors eventually became chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. But don't be fooled -- American ice cream does not taste like Italian spumoni. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Poet's Day
We've all tried our hand at poetry at one time or another -- some stuck with it, some (thankfully) did not. Today is "Poet's Day" and a time for us to acknowledge and honor all those truly talented bards whose inner pain and personal sorrow has given us volumes of prose to recite and contemplate.
Do you have a favorite poem or poet? One of John F. Kennedy's favorite poems was "I Have a Rendezvous with Death," by Alan Seeger, and one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite poets is Maya Angelou. Why not celebrate Poet's Day by dusting off that old literature text you've tucked away and enjoy an evening with Tennyson or Thomas?
Christopher Robin's Birthday
Did you know that Christopher Robin was a real person? That lovable little boy from "Winnie the Pooh" was actually inspired by author Alan Alexander Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne. When he was 1 year old, Christopher received a stuffed bear as a gift. That started a growing collection of other stuffed animals that Milne used as inspiration for his "Winnie the Pooh" classics.
Aug. 21, 1920 was the day Christopher Robin was born, and story time will reap the benefits for decades to come. Why not celebrate with a little bit of fun trivia from the Winnie the Pooh stories?
* Who is Roo's best friend? (Tigger)
* What does Pooh do in his thoughtful spot? (Think, think, think, think)
* What is Eeyore's favorite food? (Thistles)
You might also want to check out Disney's 2011 full-length animated movie, "Winnie the Pooh" on Yahoo! Movies.
