February 18, 2021 – National Drink Wine Day | National Battery Day

Welcome to February 18th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate mature wines and smart batteries.

Everyone goes through an awkward phase as they age, when they do a lot of dumb things. And the same applies to wine. Before a wine hits maturity, it can go through what’s known as a dumb phase. This means that its flavor and aroma are dulled, making for a very boring glass of vino. And, like people, you really have no idea when this phase is going to end—or if it will at all. These gawky, teenage years can sometimes transition into a bold, expressive bottle. And other times, it’ll turn out to be a loser whose glory days are long behind it—kinda like that guy that bullied you in high school and never amounted to anything. On National Drink Wine Day, raise a glass to making it through your awkward phase, even if you didn’t.

Have you ever noticed that smoke alarm batteries go dead in the middle of the night? This happens because batteries slow down when it’s cold, setting off that annoying sound.  As convenient as they are, batteries are far from perfect.  But there are reasons to celebrate these portable power sources by seeing just how far they have come!  A two thousand year old battery was discovered in a Baghdad museum, which combined a ceramic pot, a copper coil and a rod of iron. Alessandro Volta’s invention in 1800 seems light years better compared to that. Great minds are still making improvements and today smart batteries are even able to detect when they need changing. Maybe in the future they can wake themselves up in the middle of the night so you can spend National Battery Day recharging yourself!  

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.


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