How popcorn and trivia grew into a national novelty all from a small North Dakota town
Author’s Note: Research is credited to the National Day Calendar and North Dakota Living magazine
For the past few months, I have been writing each week in honor of a national holiday. I plan to continue this trend for the foreseeable future, but I would also like to recognize the mastermind behind my main resource for this column: the National Day Calendar.
I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say very few readers of this column will know who the founder and CEO of this website is, and that its origins are local.
Marlo Anderson, mastermind of the National Day Calendar, was born in Pierre, South Dakota. He currently resides in Mandan, North Dakota, which is also the residence of the National Day Calendar headquarters. He is also a tech expert, entrepreneur, and talk show host.
Anderson had a fascination with national holidays for years before he formed the company. He kept track of national holidays on his own and elected National Popcorn Day as his favorite.
National Popcorn Day was the first national holiday Anderson researched, and this led him to a deeper dive into the subject.
With his passion and a list of accomplishments in the tech industry, Anderson decided to give the world a reason to celebrate every day along with him. In 2013, he launched the National Day webpage, compiling every national holiday he could find into one place.
The page originally began as a blog, where Anderson could share his interest. After only six months, in July of the same year, his website had gained over one million views for that single month and was well on its way to fame.
The real breakthrough came two years after its debut. In 2015, FOX News interviewed with Marlo Anderson, permanently placing the National Day Calendar into its celebrity status.
National Day Calendar headquarters is set in Mandan, North Dakota, Anderson’s hometown. Anderson wants the world to celebrate every day, the reason for seemingly meaningless holidays. The bright red letters outside say as much.
The employees were able to uncover over a thousand hidden U.S. national holidays, and for fun, added a few of their own, growing the database for fans of all ages.
In these articles, I’ve covered everything from National Poinsettia Day to National Uncle Sam Day. These can seem meaningless, but they prove that there really is a reason to celebrate every day and learn something while you’re at it. With each holiday one can uncover history or trivia that you never knew before, and maybe, if you find a holiday that resonates with someone close to you, it can bring a little light into their life, too.
In addition, National Popcorn Day, the day that Marlo Anderson launched his business eleven years ago, is observed on January 19th. This is your excuse to celebrate!