For the most part, we really don’t think much about paper bags, even though millions of them are produced and used each year. Not only are they used for packing lunches for schoolchildren, but they’re also used for art projects, to cover books, as gift bags, and probably a hundred other uses we haven’t even thought of yet.

We think that this simple invention has been an important one ever since it was first created during the mid-19th century. That’s why we believe it’s a product that deserves its own holiday, and fortunately, it does have its own holiday. A holiday known as Paper Bag Day is celebrated every year on the 12th of July.

The History Of Paper Bag Day

To fully understand the history of Paper Bag Day, we first have to dig into the history of the paper bag itself. The first person to have created the machine that produced the first paper bags was Francis Wolle—an American inventor who patented the first paper bag machine in 1852.

However, the date on which the patent was issued isn’t the date on which this holiday is celebrated. No, the date of this holiday can be traced to the patent received by William Goodale when he received a patent for his paper bag machine on July 12, 1859. What was unique about Goodale’s machine? This machine cut the paper in a way that made it ready to be folded. And that, my friends, is why we celebrate Paper Bag Day on July 12th every year.

Observing Paper Bag Day

Celebrating Paper Bag Day is probably something that’s going to be easy for most people to do. After all, paper bags are a part of our lives. Maybe they’ll celebrate this holiday by popping a bag of microwave popcorn, using paper bags for art projects, or even mulching used paper bags so they can be used as compost in the garden. Or maybe, people are going to celebrate this day simply by using the hashtag #PaperBagDay on social media.