October 6, 2022 - National Mad Hatter Day | National Coaches Day

Welcome to October 6, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate going batty and reaching great heights. In the middle of Alice’s trip through Wonderland, she stopped for a tea party that was hosted by the Hatter. Yes, that’s right, the character’s name isn’t the Mad Hatter, though that’s how we all know him. The phrase “mad as a hatter” was popular at the time that Lewis Carrol wrote his book, and since the character was a bit crazy, the name stuck. As for the phrase itself, hat makers in the 1800s used mercury to manufacture felt hats. Prolonged exposure to this chemical led to mercury poisoning, which caused irritability, memory loss and slurred speech. Sounds like the fictional host of the tea party in Wonderland! On National Mad Hatter Day, celebrate with a spot of tea and your silliest hat. No matter how amazing their inherent skills, every athlete needs someone to help them achieve greater success. This is where a great coach can make all the difference. Michael Jordan was already one of the NBA’s most dynamic players before Phil Jackson became coach of the Chicago Bulls. Jordan was not initially a fan of his new coach, who wanted the team to spread the ball around—rather than make Jordan the focus of the game plan. But Jordan played along. And Jackson’s leadership took the team to six championships over the span of eight seasons, including 2 three-peats. On National Coaches Day, celebrate the people who help us elevate our game to a whole new level. 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