February 28 - National Public Sleeping Day

Happy National Public Sleeping Day! If you’re tired on February 28th, it might be because today encourages a mid-day nap right where you are.   

Today is a day for anyone and everyone to take a nap on a blanket at the beach, at the park, in the movie theater, on a bus, train, or subway or any other public place that may work for you. However, it may not be a good idea to take that nap at your desk during work! 

Types of Naps 

There are different types of naps. The Power Nap is approximately ten to twenty minutes long and can give a boost of energy to get us through the rest of the day. It also doesn’t leave us drowsy like some longer naps might and will also allow us to fall asleep at a decent time at night. 

The Hangover is about thirty minutes long, ten too many, leaving us loopy and wanting just to stay asleep. We will snap out of it and feel much like we had a Power Nap, but it may take a bit of effort before we feel those benefits. 

The Brainiac lasts about sixty minutes and includes the deepest sleep. While we may feel a little grogginess upon waking, much like the Hangover, our ability to recall facts, names, and faces, will be improved. This type of nap may be the best nap after a round of studying or before a big test. 

The California King lasts about ninety minutes and is typically a full cycle of sleep. It will also include REM or a dream stage. This nap avoids the hangover like the power nap does and improves creative thinking and motor memory, but nighttime sleep may become elusive. 

Good husbands have been keen on these benefits long since the invention of the shopping mall. They are not strangers to public sleeping or the power nap. It may be something the modern non-napping woman should consider. 

Some employers have begun to recognize the value of a nap. Studies have shown certain types of naps fuel the brain and recharge our batteries. Naps can improve productivity, decrease health risks and improve morale. 

Employers such as Google, HuffPost/AOL, and Nike offer sleep pods or sleep rooms to their employees to reap these benefits. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Top 5 Places for Public Sleeping (National Day Calendar® recommends leaving all valuables at home to avoid any theft during your slumber.) 

5. Under a tree in a park 

4. The mall in the middle of the work week 

3. Reference aisle of the library 

2. Last pew in church during services 

1. A theater showing old silent movies 

Use #PublicSleepingDay to post on social media. 

HISTORY 

Within the research of National Day Calendar®, they were unable to identify the creator of National Public Sleeping Day.  However, their research did show that it appears this holiday has been celebrated since 2011. 

What is your favorite type of nap? 

#PublicSleepingDay 

@nichecinema 

February 28 - National Black History Month

In closing the month of February, the month also observes National Black History Month. 

Known as National African-American History Month, this is a time for any and all Americans to celebrate the achievements of African-Americans and recognize their central role in American history. 

Other countries, including Canada and Great Britain, have also set aside months to honor black history. 

The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and noted civil rights advocate, African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass.  

The first record of Africans arriving in North America is dated 1619, when a privateer ship carrying “twenty and odd” Africans landed at Point Comfort, Virginia, which is now modern-day Hampton, Virginia. The Africans were traded as slaves in exchange for provisions. 

African-American’s impact our society throughout history and in numerous ways. This even includes filmmakers as well, although there are only a handful. Here are just a few prominent individuals that we can honor this month:

• George Washington Carver developed over three hundred products from peanuts. Celebrate Carver and his contributions to the peanut industry on National Peanut Day. 

• Louis Armstrong is widely known as a jazz pioneer. Information about Louis Armstrong can be found in November on National Louisiana Day. 

• Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court. National Day Calendar recognizes Marshall every year on National Maryland Day. 

• Rosa Parks helped initiate the Civil Rights Movement by refusing to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Celebrate Rosa Park on Rosa Parks Day and learn more about her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.  

• Shirley Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to U.S. House of Representatives.  

• Colin Powell is a four-star General who became Secretary of State. Powell dedicated the Buffalo Soldier monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, establishing the first Buffalo Soldiers Day.  

• 44th U.S. President Barack Obama was elected the first Black President of the United States.  

HOW TO OBSERVE  

Learn more about African-American history. Here are a few books we suggest reading during Black History Month:

• The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1897)
• Native Son by Richard Wright (1940) 

• Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) 

• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (1963)
• Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) 

Use #BlackHistoryMonth on social media and start a book discussion. 

HISTORY 

National Black History Month was created by twentieth-century African-American historian, author and journalist Carter G. Woodson, who believed black Americans were not adequately represented in the study of American history.  

Woodson hoped for the day when black history would be accepted as a part of American history. Formerly known as Negro History Week, Black History Month was officially declared by 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1976. 

How can you observe National Black History Month? 

#BlachHistoryMonth 
#BlackHistoryMatters 
#BlackDirectorsMatter 
@NAACP 
@nichecinema