National Nothing Day
Observed
annually on January 16th (since 1973)
Dates
Founded by
Harold Pullman Coffin in 1972
Tags
Weird & Obscure
Hashtags
Sources
First held in 1973, National Nothing Day was thought up by San Francisco Examiner columnist Harold Pullman Coffin, "to provide Americans with one national holiday when they can just sit without celebrating, observing, or honoring anything." It is ironic that it was created "to protest the proliferation of special days," as another holiday was started by its creation. Although it is meant to be a day when people do nothing, there are various other holidays that are observed on January 16 which undermine its message. Additionally, new holidays continue to be added on any given day of the year. Coffin also created the National Nothing Foundation, although it appears this no longer exists. Coffin himself passed away in 1981, but his holiday of nothing has continued to be celebrated—we think. It's a little hard to measure the popularity of a holiday where you do nothing.
How to Observe National Nothing Day
Celebrate the day by doing nothing. Don't celebrate, don't observe, and don't honor anything. Yes, this means you can't have a drink today or eat any fig newtons, but its the price you have to pay to celebrate nothing.