What's so special about the 17th July?

When we plan our blog articles for the month, we like to take a look and see if there are any significant awareness days or charity campaigns that we would like to share with you. As we go through the possibilities, we have a little chuckle at all the silly days that appear on the calendar. For instance, did you know that there’s a Winnie The Pooh Day? How about a National Doodle Day, or a Vanilla Ice Cream Day??

So when I saw that there are four different awareness days that all fall on the 17th July, I thought it was the perfect chance to not only look at what makes this day special, but what makes human beings pretty special too.

Yep, there really is a World Emoji Day. In fact, 2023 will be the 11th annual World Emoji Day! The date of 17th July isn’t just picked at random either, apparently that is the date that is shown on the calendar emoji. If you want to know more (and why wouldn’t you?), visit worldemojiday.com, where there is even an Emoji Day Anthem video to watch!

Also known as the Day of International Criminal Justice, this day marks the anniversary of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC website says that the 17th July is a day to unite “all those who wish to support justice, promote victims' rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.”

Did you know that there is a ‘National Hot Dog and Sausage Council’ over in the good old USA? In their glorious wisdom, they designated the third Wednesday in July as National Hotdog Day, which this year falls on the 17th. Finding its roots in Alfred, New York, the day celebrates the humble hotdog while raising money for charity. In fact, the Council designated the whole of July as National Hot Dog Month, with festivals and picnics happening up and down the country.

Black Leaders Awareness Day (BLAD) exists to amplify the voices of black leaders, as well as to ensure that the history of influential black leaders is known worldwide. This is accomplished through the sharing of quotes, speeches and videos, showcasing not only the greats of the past, but the next generation too. Black Leaders Awareness Day has happened on 18th July in the past, but is due to take place on the 17th in 2024.

And there you have it!

It just goes to show that even on a seemingly random Wednesday in July, there are people out there celebrating criminal justice, black voices, hotdogs, and even emojis! Maybe a couple of these things stick out to you as being a little silly, but to some people it will genuinely be the biggest day of the year, and we should all celebrate their enthusiasm if nothing else.

Take a look at the Interest section of our blog to find more articles about awareness days, or our Charity page for some articles about various annual campaigns.