Greetings,
Whether you are finishing a degree or just finally finishing that bag of walnuts in the pantry, today is about celebration and clearing out the clutter.
Your May 17th "Commencement" Schedule:
The Big Flip: It is National Graduation Tassel Day! This is the day to celebrate the symbolic move of the tassel from right to left. It represents a journey finished and a future begun. To everyone "graduating" to a new stage of life today: we salute you!
The "Spud" State: Happy National Idaho Day! From the depths of Hells Canyon to the peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains, we are celebrating the Gem State. And yes, we will definitely be eating some potatoes in your honor today.
The Spring Cleaning: It is National Pack Rat Day. We all have that one "junk drawer" or the box of "stuff I might need eventually" in the garage. Today is your permission slip to let it go. If you haven't touched it in a year, it’s time to say goodbye!
The Inner Child: Grab the kids (or just act like one) for Take Your Parents to the Playground Day. It’s a great reminder that you’re never too old for the swings or a trip down the slide.
The Kitchen Duo: We are rounding out the day with National Walnut Day and National Cherry Cobbler Day. Pro-tip: A handful of walnuts on top of a warm cherry cobbler is the ultimate May 17th power move.
The May 17th Challenge: Toss out three things you’ve been "pack-ratting" for too long, and then reward your hard work with a slice of cherry cobbler.
Coming on May 18, 2026
National Days
NATIONAL NO DIRTY DISHES DAY
NATIONAL VISIT YOUR RELATIVES DAY
NATIONAL CHEESE SOUFFLE DAY
NATIONAL HIV VACCINE AWARENESS DAY
Notable Birthdays for May 17
Ezra Otis Kendall (1818-1899) - Professor, astronomer and mathematician.
Charlotte Barnum (1860-1934) - The first woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale.
Horace Elgin Dodge (1868 1920) - Co-founder of Dodge.
Dorothy Gibson (1889-1946) - Actress who survived the sinking of the Titanic and starred in the first motion picture based on the disaster.
Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961) - American inventor and innovator for the developments in refrigeration.
Maurice Kusell (1902-1992) - Film choreographer for Puttin' On the Ritz.
Cool Papa Bell (1903-1951) - Center fielder and pitcher in Negro league baseball and the Mexican League who is considered to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game.
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (1912-2006) - Inventor who created an adjustable sanitary belt to help keep menstrual pads securely in place.
Ronald Wayne (1934-Still Living) - Computer scientist who co-founded the Apple Computer.
Gary Paulsen (1939 -2021) - Children's and young adult fiction writer.
David Cope (1941-2025) - Composer known his pioneering work using artificial intelligence to create music.
Mary Shane (1945-1987) - The first woman play-by-play sports broadcaster for a Major League Baseball team.
Bill Paxton (1955-2017) - Multi-award winning actor with leading roles in Tombstone, Twister, and Big Love.
Sugar Ray Leonard (1956-Still Living) - Considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Bob Saget (1956 -2022) - Actor fondly remembered for his role as Danny Tanner in the sitcom Full House.
Memorable Events for May 17
1792 - The New York Stock Exchange is formed at 70 Wall Street.
1876 - The 7th US Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer leaves Fort Lincoln that would end at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
1877 - Edwin T. Holmes installs the first telephone switchboard burglar alarm.
1881 - Frederick Douglass is appointed recorder of deeds for the District of Columbia.
1884 - Alaska becomes a US territory.
1897 - John Philip Holland launches the first successful submarine that can run submerged for a long distance and combines electric and gasoline engines.
1900 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum) is published in the U.S.
1932- Congress changes name "Porto Rico" to "Puerto Rico".
1944 - General Dwight Eisenhower sets D-Day for June 5.
1954 - The Supreme Court outlaws racial segregation in public schools (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas).
1960 - J. W. Flora patents the first atomic reactor system.
1973 - The Watergate hearings are televised from the U.S. Senate.
1993 - Intel unveils the new Pentium processor.
2004 - Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.
2009 - Minecraft is released to the public while still in development.
2023 - Montana becomes the first state to ban TikTok to protect against alleged Chinese intelligence gathering.
A Final Thought: In honor of National Graduation Tassel Day, we’ve officially "flipped the tassel" on our old email format. We know some of you are still "pack-ratting" those 10-year-old templates in your memories, but we promise this new chapter is going to be the best one yet!
Best,
Team NDC
