July 2: Holidays and Celebrations Today

Happy July 2nd!

July 2nd is a special holiday. In fact, every day's a holiday for someone and for some reason.

Although we may not know the origins of many of these holidays, avid celebrants will participate eagerly in marking July 2nd as a most special day for so many different reasons.

Here are several of the most popular holidays celebrated on July 2nd (arranged alphabetically):

Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

As the Dog Days of Summer begin, July 2nd offers a respite. It's Air Conditioning Appreciation Day.

As the mercury tops 80 (F) degrees or more, folks may head for climate-controlled cinemas, shopping malls, museums and other indoor diversions.

July 2nd is a wonderful day to cool off or chill out. It's Air Conditioning Appreciation Day.

Be Nice to People You Don't Like Day

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."

The words of wisdom from Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865), America's 16^th President, ring particularly true on July 2^nd. It's Be Nice to People You Don't Like Day.

Does someone drive you up a tree? Perhaps a certain individual has an uncanny ability to get your goat, get under your skin or simply get on your nerves.

July 2nd is your turn to kill them with kindness. Who knows? You may be surprised to see the bothersome one metamorphosize, right before your very eyes.

American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968), put it this way: "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."

Eat Beans Day

No gas crisis today! It's July 2nd, Eat Beans Day. In fact, the entire month of July is National Baked Beans Month in the U.S.

Make no beans about it, this health-conscious holiday is a culinary challenge, but a legume-lover's delight. Take your pick from chickpeas, faba beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, soy beans, string beans or another favorite. Cook up a batch of baked beans, bean soup or chili.

Eat Beans Day is your chance to fill up on fiber and pack in the protein.

According to lore, a most fortuitious product reached the marketplace on July 2, 1850, when Cambridge, Massachusetts, inventor B. J. Lane patented the first gas mask.