If you read this blog regularly you know I often recognize National Days and dive into what it means to me. Every day there are several different national days, often up to a dozen. After all there are only 365 (or this year 366) days each year and thousands of special days recognized each year. Sometimes a particular day hosts interesting groupings recognizing different products or events. I’ve recognized this previously when I realized that the National Day for oatmeal cookies and the National Day for raisins shared the same day and voila – a perfect and natural pairing. I realized an usual pairing for today, January 9.

It is the National Balloon Ascension Day (such as for hobbyist and tourist hot air balloons).

It is the National Static Electricity Day (you know, the phenomenon that makes your hair do this:)

Those history buffs like me may see where this is leading. On May 6, 1937 the Zeppelin Hindenburg (a commercial rigid passenger carrying airship – a big blimp) exploded as it tried to dock in New Jersey is well known incident. The cause of the tragedy was never fully understood but the leading theory was that a spark of static electricity ignited the hydrogen that filled the balloon. The Germans were using the highly explosive hydrogen because the United States had sanctioned the Nazi government by declining to sell them helium which was primarily mined in the US. We may never know the answer but I thought this was an odd alignment of National Days. If you have never heard it, it is worth searching the internet for the Newsreel recording of the famous narration of the incident.