Healthy Literacy Month
October is International Health Literacy Month, a time to recognize the importance of making health information easy to understand and the health care system easier to navigate. The primary target is for those in the health industry to be mindful of the jargon they use, it's also a call to learn what might be important in conversations about your health. Be sure you are informed about the health language that impacts you and your family.
Mental Illness Awareness
The week of October 2--8 is Mental Illness Awareness week. It is intended to raise awareness of mental illness, fight discrimination and provide support for those affected by mental illness directly or indirectly through family, friends, or coworkers.
Bilingual Child Month
Children who speak two or more languages are celebrated this month. Toutes nos félicitations ! Gratulacje! Herzliche Glückwünsche! Felicidades! Congratulations!
Long-Term Care Planning Month
This month is dedicated to encouraging seniors to take a practical look at their potential need for services in the future and explore options should the need arise. Long-term care incorporates services outside of medical care, including everyday and basic personal care needs that are typically not covered by medical insurance, so planning is key to being prepared. Planning is not limited to seniors only — prepare for the future today.
National Dessert Month
Have a sweet day by celebrating National Dessert Month with a special treat. Do you have a favorite dessert recipe? Share it with your Royal Arcanum family by sending it into the Bulletin.
Squirrel Awareness Month
This month is an annual celebration of the cute furry creatures that scamper around our neighborhoods and local parks. Now is the time when they are preparing for winter. Experts estimate they store up to three years’ worth of food to help them make it through the cold winter months. Why not provide a few extra high-nutrient nuts for them before the bitter cold sets in?
Holidays and Observances
There are many other days of observance in October, here are just a few:
National German-American Day is October 6. Celebrate your heritage!
Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day are both observed on the second Monday of October.
United Nations Day on October 24 celebrates the day the UN Charter went into effect.
National First Responders Day honors those heroic men and women who spring into action when disaster strikes. We celebrate them on October 28.
Halloween is October 31. It's a holiday you can celebrate from beyond the grave!
Fun Days
October 4 is National Taco Day and National Cinnamon Roll Day. Time to eat!
October 15 is Sweetest Day. Celebrated on the third Saturday of October, it was originally started in 1922 by Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland candy store employee who felt that the city's orphans and shut-ins were often being overlooked and neglected.
October 17 is Wear Something Gaudy Day. Some of us seem to celebrate it more often than once a year.
October 22 is National Nut Day. Do you think the squirrels know this already?
Historical Events
October 1, 1908: The Model T went on sale for the first time
October 4, 1582: The Gregorian Calendar took effect, with the next day declared as October 15, 1582
October 6, 1927: The first "talkie", The Jazz Singer, opened in New York
October 8, 1871: The beginning of the Great Chicago Fire
October 13, 1775: The United States Navy was founded by the Second Continental Congress
October 19, 1987: "Black Monday", when the stock market fell 22.6%, the largest one-day drop in history
October 21, 1879: Thomas Edison successfully tested an electric incandescent lamp for 13 hours
October 28, 1881: The shoot-out at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona
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