April 22, 2022 - National Earth Day | National Jelly Bean Day

Welcome to April 22, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate our natural world and the beans that everyone adores. Scientists refer to Earth’s location in our solar system as a “Goldilocks Zone.” In other words, it’s just right. Any closer or farther from the sun and the temperature on Earth wouldn’t be able to host life. No other planet we know of has this exact combination of factors that make a prime place for humans. We are living on a bonafide miracle. Clean water, breathable air, and animals of every shape and size. All perfect. National Earth Day is a time to better appreciate the natural world around us and to take steps to keep it as bright and vibrant as it can be. Lots of innovations have come about during wartime. Jet engines, duct tape, digital cameras, even candy. During the early days of the United States Civil War, William Schrafft was working on creating a new type of sweet. He wanted to make something chewy that could be easily shipped and stored. Jellied candy such as Turkish Delights had been popular for centuries but it was sticky and didn’t travel well. Then he got the idea to add a hard coating, similar to the one used on Marcona almonds. And voila, the jelly bean was born. This new candy soon became a popular treat to send to Union soldiers. And civilians were pretty excited about them too. On National Jelly Bean Day, enjoy a handful of these colorful, all American sweets. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices