January 17, 2023 - National Classy Day | National Bootlegger's Day

Welcome to January 17th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate class acts and the real McCoy. Born on January 17, 1922, Betty’s White’s talent was legendary. The Guinness World Records named her the female entertainer with the longest career in 2018. She first appeared in a 1939 radio broadcast at the age of 17, and for the next 82 years she never stopped. Her grace and charisma touched the world, while her endearing wit was featured in countless television shows and movies, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. Last year National Day Calendar created National Classy Day in her honor. While it’s been a whole year since her passing at age 99, we hope that her light never goes out. Before Prohibition, Bill McCoy used to build yachts for people like the Carnegies and Vanderbilts. But once alcohol became illegal, he moved into another business. Smuggling. He built himself a ship with a motor fast enough to outrun the Coast Guard and with plenty of storage for carrying liquor into the United States. It even had a hidden machine gun just in case he needed to get out of trouble. A lot of the alcohol being served at the time was homemade and not very good. But if you were lucky enough to get your hands on some of the genuine alcohol that Bill smuggled in, then you knew you had the Real McCoy. Which is where we got the phrase. National Bootlegger’s Day is celebrated on the day that Prohibition went into effect. It’s also the birthday of legendary bootlegger, Al Capone. 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