National Crayon Day
March 31
Yearly Date: Always March 31st
When I was a kid, my mom insisted on buying my brother and me and biggest box of crayons that we could find. I guess she figured we needed all the help we could get. And, help me it did. On the second day of first grade I met my childhood “bestie” because I was the only one in the class that had a gray crayon, and she needed to borrow it to color her elephant. Susan and I have been friends for life, and it all started with a crayon.
So you bet I’m celebrating National Crayon Day.
Crayons have a colorful history that began in 1903 when Binney & Smith introduced their famous 8-pack of crayons that included Black, Brown, Orange, Violet, Blue Green, Red and Yellow. Pretty basic, huh? But this mix, along with their names remained unchanged for 45 years!
Since then there have been oodles of colors added, and retired. Normally Crayola does the adding and axing on, you guessed it, March 31st.
Here are a few trivia facts I think are interesting about this creative icon:
• Crayola crayons were one of the original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999.
• It is estimated that by the time a child reaches his/her 10th birthday, he/she will have used 730 crayons.
• Crayola makes over 3 billion crayons a year. Other manufacturers combined are just a small fraction of total annual production.
• The world’s largest crayon was made by Crayola. It was 15’6″ and weighed 1,352 pounds.
• The smell of crayons is the most recognizable scent for adults.
• Over the years, Crayola has made over 237 billion crayons.
If you are a sap for nostalgia and Americana, like me, crayons will always have a special place in your heart.
After all, life is about using the WHOLE box of crayons. Thank you Mama. Thank you Susan. And, thank you Crayola.
Now get out your old coloring books and create a masterpiece!
Quote for the Day
“Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8 color boxes, but what you’re really looking for are the 64 color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64 color box, though I’ve got a few missing. It’s okay though, because I’ve got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8 color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation. So when I meet someone who’s an 8 color type… I’m like, hey girl, Magenta! and she’s like, oh, you mean purple! and she goes off on her purple thing, and I’m like, no I want Magenta!”
Famous People Born in March
March 1, 1994 – Justin Bieber, Canadian singer-songwriter, dancer
March 2, 1779- Joel Roberts Poinsett, American Ambassador to Mexico brought Poinsettias to America.
March 2, 1904 – Theodore Seuss Geisel, “Dr. Seuss”
March 2, 1917- Desi Arnaz, “Ricky Ricardo” on “I Love Lucy”
March 2, 1931- Mikhail Gorbachev, Leader of USSR
March 2, 1950- Karen Carpenter, singer “We’ve Only Just Begun”
March 2, 1962- Jon Bon Jovi, singer, actor
March 3, 1847- Alexander Graham Bell, invented the telephone
March 3, 1920 – James Doohan, actor, “Scotty” on TV Series and movies “Star Trek”
March 3, 1962- Jackie Joiner-Kersee, Olympic gold medalist
March 4, 1888- Knute Rockne, Notre Dame’s “Fighting Irish” football coach
March 5, 1908- Rex Harrison, actor
March 5, 1936- Dean Stockwell, actor
March 5, 1958- Andy Gibb, member of “Beegees” band
March 5, 1989- Jake Lloyd, actor “Anakin Skywalker” in “Star Wars: Phantom Menace”
March 6, 1475- Michelangelo, Renaissance painter
March 6, 1906- Lou Costello, comedian, of Abbott and Costello
March 6, 1923- Ed McMahon, “Johnny Carson Tonight Show”
March 6, 1926- Alan Greenspan, Chairman of Federal Reserve
March 6, 1945- Rob Reiner, actor, director
March 6, 1959- Tom Arnold, actor
March 6, 1972- Shaquille O’Neal, NBA star
March 7, 1934- Willard Scott, NBC weatherman
March 8, 1945- Mickey Dolenz, singer, actor, “Mickey” of the “Monkees”
March 9, 1934- Yuri Gagarin, Russian astronaut, first man in space
March 9, 1943- Bobby Fischer, World Chess champion
March 10, 1928- James Earl Ray, assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.
March 10, 1940 Chuck Norris, , martial arts, “Walker” in TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger”
March 10, 1957- Osama Bin Laden, , Al Queda terrorist leader
March 10, 1958- Sharon Stone, , actress, “Basic Instinct”
March 10, 1983- Carrie Underwood, , American Idol winner
March 11, 1903- Lawrence Welk, , bandleader
March 11, 1934- Sam Donaldson, TV Journalist
March 12, 1923- Wally Schirra, astronaut
March 12, 1941- Barbara Feldon, actress
March 12, 1946- Liza Minnelli, actress, singer
March 12, 1948- James Taylor, American singer-songwriter
March 12, 1962- Darryl Strawberry, baseball player
March 13, 1855- Percival Lowell, astronomer
March 13, 1911- L. Ron Hubbard, science fiction writer
March 13, 1939- Neil Sedaka, singer, songwriter
March 14, 1864- Casey Jones, railroad engineer
March 14, 1879- Albert Einstein, physicist
March 14, 1912- Les Brown, and his “Band of Renown”
March 14, 1920- Hank Ketcham, cartoonist, created “Dennis the Menace”
March 14, 1928- Frank Borman, astronaut, airline executive
March 14, 1933- Michael Caine, actor
March 14, 1947- Billy Crystal, actor, comedian
March 15, 1767 – Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President(1829-1837), hero of the War of 1812
March 15, 1933- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice
March 15, 1935- Judd Hirsch, actor, TV series “Taxi”
March 15, 1941- Mike Love, singer, musician, Beach Boys
March 15, 1961- Fabio, actor, model
March 15, 1975- Eva Longoria, actress, TV series “Desperate Housewives”
March 16, 1751 – James Madison, 4th U.S President(1809-1817)
March 16, 1822- Rosa Bonheur, French painter
March 16, 1906- Henny Youngman, comedian
March 16, 1912- Pat Nixon, Wife of Richard M. Nixon, First Lady
March 16, 1926- Jerry Lewis, actor, comedian
March 16, 1949- Erik Estrada, actor
March 17, 1902- Bobby Jones, golfer
March 17, 1919- Nat “King” Cole, singer
March 17, 1938- Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer
March 17, 1945- Tony Dow, actor, brother “Wallie” on TV series “Leave it to Beaver”
March 17, 1949- Patrick Duffy, actor “Bobby Ewing” on TV Series “Dallas”
March 17, 1951- Kurt Russell, actor
March 17, 1964- Rob Lowe, actor
March 18, 1782- John C. Calhoun, statesman, vice president
March 18, 1837- Grover Cleveland, 22d and 24th U.S. President(1885-1889, 1893-1897)
March 18, 1869- Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister
March 18, 1926- Peter Graves, actor
March 18, 1939- Charley Pride, singer
March 18, 1941- Wilson Pickett, singer, songwriter
March 18, 1963- Vanessa Williams, singer, actress
March 18, 1964- Bonnie Blair, Olympic speed skating champion
March 18, 1970- Queen Latifah, rap singer, actress
March 19, 1589- William Bradford, , Pilgrim/Governor of Plymouth Colony
March 19, 1813- David Livingstone, , physician, explorer
March 19, 1848- Wyatt Earp, , Wild West lawman
March 19, 1891- Earl Warren, chief justice of the Supreme Court
March 19, 1906- Adolf Eichmann, Nazi leader
March 19, 1936- Ursula Andress, actress
March 19, 1947- Glenn Close, actress
March 19, 1955- Bruce Willis, actor
March 20, 1811- Napoleon Bonaparte II, Emperor of France and King of Rome
March 20, 1906- Ozzie Nelson, Actor, “The Nelsons”
March 20, 1922- Carl Reiner, actor, comedian
March 20, 1928- Fred Rogers, actor Children’s show “Mr. Rogers”
March 20, 1931- Hal Linden, actor, singer
March 20, 1939- Brian Mulroney, Canadian Prime Minister
March 20, 1948- Bobby Orr, hockey player
March 20, 1957- Spike Lee, director, filmmaker
March 21, 1685- Johann Sebastian Bach, , German musical composer
March 21, 1910- Julio Gallo, , California wine vintner
March 21, 1944- Timothy Dalton, , actor
March 21, 1962- Matthew Broderick, actor
March 21, 1962- Rosie O’Donnell, TV personality, actress
March 22, 1887- Chico Marx , of Marx Brothers
March 22, 1913- Karl Malden, actor
March 22, 1919- Werner Klemperner, actor
March 22, 1923- Marcel Marceau, French mime
March 22, 1930- Pat Robertson, , evangelist, presidential candidate
March 22, 1931- William Shatner, , actor James T. Kirk, on Star Trek
March 22, 1934- Orrin Hatch, , senator
March 22, 1943- George Benson, , singer, musician
March 22, 1948- Andrew Lloyd Webber, , English composer
March 22, 1952- Bob Costas, sportscaster
March 22, 1959- Matthew Modine, actor
March 23, 1904- Joan Crawford, Oscar winning actress
March 23, 1900- Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst
March 23, 1912- Werner von Braun, rocket pioneer, scientist
March 23, 1929- Roger Bannister, runner, first person to break 4-minute mile
March 23, 1953- Louie Anderson, comedian, actor
March 23, 1953- Chaka Khan, singer
March 24, 1855- Andrew Mellon, financier, industrialist
March 24, 1874- Harry Houdini, magician
March 24, 1893- George Sisler, baseball player
March 24, 1930- Steve McQueen, actor
March 24, 1970- Lara Flynn Boyle, actress
March 24, 1973- Jim Parsons, American actor, “Sheldon” on TV show “Big Bang Theory”
March 24, 1976- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts All Star Quarterback
March 25, 1871- Gutzon Borglum, sculpted Mt. Rushmore
March 25, 1918- Howard Cosell, American Sportscaster
March 25, 1934- Gloria Steinem, author
March 25, 1942- Aretha Franklin, singer
March 25, 1922- Paul Michael Glaser, actor, director
March 25, 1947- Elton John, English singer, songwriter, musician
March 25, 1965- Sarah Jessica Parker, actress
March 25, 1982- Danica Patrick, American NASCAR race car driver
March 26, 1874- Robert Frost, poet
March 26, 1911- Tennessee Williams, playwright
March 26, 1930- Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court justice
March 26, 1931- Leonard Nimoy, actor, director, “Spock” in “Star Trek”
March 26, 1934- Alan Arkin, actor
March 26, 1939- James Caan, actor
March 26, 1940- Nancy Pelosi, American Democratic party congresswoman, Speaker of the House
March 26, 1944- Diana Ross, singer, actress
March 26, 1950- Martin Short, actor, comedian
March 26, 1960- Marcus Allen, NFL running back, sportscaster
March 26, 1962- John Stockton, basketball player
March 27, 1845- Wilhelm Roentgen, scientist, discovered X-rays
March 27, 1899- Gloria Swanson, actress
March 27, 1931- David Janssen, actor, “The Fugitive”
March 27, 1940- Cale Yarborough, auto racer
March 27, 1963- Randall Cunningham, NFL Quarterback
March 27, 1963- Quentin Tarantino, actor, director
March 27, 1970- Mariah Carey, American singer and actress
March 28, 1899- August Anheuser Busch Jr.,Beer baron
March 28, 1921- Dirk Bogarde, actor
March 28, 1944- Ken Howard, actor
March 28, 1955- Reba McEntire, country western singer
March 28, 1981- Julia Stiles, actress
March 28, 1986- Lady Gaga, American singer, songwriter, actress
March 29, 1790- John Tyler, 10th U.S. President (1841-1845)
March 29, 1867- Cy Young, baseball pitcher
March 29, 1916- Eugene McCarthy, senator, presidential nominee
March 29, 1918- Pearl Bailey, singer, entertainer
March 29, 1918- Sam Walton, founded Wal-Mart
March 29, 1945- Walt Frazier, basketball player
March 29, 1955- Earl Campbell, football player
March 29, 1963- M. C. Hammer, rap singer
March 29, 1964- Elle MacPherson, Australian actress, super model
March 29, 1968- Lucy Lawless, actress
March 29, 1976- Jennifer Capriati, tennis player
March 30, 1853- Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter
March 30, 1929- Richard Dysart, actor
March 30, 1930- John Astin, actor
March 30, 1937- Warren Beatty, actor, director
March 30, 1945- Eric Clapton, musician, singer, songwriter
March 30, 1957- Paul Reiser, actor
March 30, 1962- M.C. Hammer, rapper
March 30, 1968- Celine Dion, singer
March 31, 1596- René Descartes, philosopher, mathematician
March 31, 1732- Franz Joseph Haydn, composer
March 31, 1811- Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, invented the Bunsen Burner
March 31, 1878- Jack Johnson, first Afro-American boxer to win heavyweight crown
March 31, 1927- Cesar Chavez, labor leader
March 31, 1928- Gordie Howe, hockey player
March 31, 1929- Liz Claiborne, fashion designer
March 31, 1932- John Jakes, author
March 31, 1934- Shirley Jones, actress, singer
March 31, 1935- Herb Albert, musician
March 31, 1935- Richard Chamberlain, actor
March 31, 1943- Christopher Walken, actor
March 31, 1948- Al Gore Jr., vice president , presidential candidate
March 31, 1948- Rhea Perlman, actress