Geeky Holidays Party excuses for the geek in everyone.

Standard Holiday: National Freedom Day (United States)

Established in 1948 by President Harry Truman in honor of the anniversary of the abolition of slavery. It’s interesting that most American calendars don’t list this as a holiday, but do list the folklore-based Groundhog Day on February 2. Doesn’t seem right. Neither are federal holidays, though, so everyone is in business.

Geek events to celebrate on February 2:

1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.

1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.

1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar.

Geek events to celebrate on January 31:

1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape. Geeks and nerds everywhere could finally make their broken glasses last a little longer.

1958 – The first successful launch of an American satellite (Explorer 1) into orbit.

Geek events to celebrate on January 30:

1982 – Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”. (This is more of an anniversary than something to celebrate, unless you’re one of those ass-hats who writes computer virii for your own demonic pleasure. Just to be clear: the ability to write a crippling virus is a very geeky trait, but launching it on purpose is an ass-hat trait.)

Geek events to celebrate on January 29:

1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced. Sports statisticians snort in approval.

Technology Holiday: Data Privacy Day

Data Privacy Day was officially established in 2009 to raise awareness and promote data privacy education. Take a few minutes to update your privacy settings on social networking sites and learn about why it matters.

Geek events to celebrate on January 28:

1855 – The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway.

1887 – In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world’s largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.

1958 – The LEGO company patents the design of its Lego bricks, which are still compatible with bricks produced today.

Geek events to celebrate on January 27:

1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C..

1967 – More than sixty nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space. “Outer Space Treaty” becomes the coolest name for anything, ever.

2010 – Apple launches the iPad

January 27 birthdays of geeky note:

1912 – Francis Rogallo, American aeronautical engineer who is credited with the invention of the Rogallo wing, also known as the “flexible wing”, which is a precursor to the modern hang glider and paraglider. (d. September 1, 2009)

Standard Holiday: Australia Day

It’s Australia Day, mate! Do a search for Australian Geek and see what fun links come up.

Geek events to celebrate on January 26:

1911 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.

Geek Events to celebrate on January 25:

1947 – The first commercially available video game, called the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device, was patented by Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann. Dedicate your day to worshipping CRT and all that has come after this incredible invention! Or learn more about the history of video games.

Geek events to celebrate on January 24:

1984 – The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.

January 24 birthdays of geeky note:

1754 – Andrew Ellicott, a U.S. surveyor who surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia, continued and completed Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant‘s work on the plan for Washington, D.C., and mentored Meriwether Lewis (future co-leader of the “Lewis and Clark” expedition). Ellicott’s life and accomplishments are indicative of how important math and engineering geeks are to the formation of cities and nations.

Geek events to celebrate on January 23:

1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members. This is an important step in the validation of music geeks’ obsession.