Every year, January 10th is observed as Peculiar People Day. This holiday celebrates nonconformists who make the world just a little bit more unique. Although most people use the word “peculiar” negatively to mean strange, odd, or weird, it’s actually used positively on this holiday.

On this day, the word is used in a more positive light. It’s used to mean someone who is special or unusual. This holiday helps to shine a spotlight on unique individuals who march to the beat of their own drummer.

The History of Peculiar People Day

Although we’re unsure when Peculiar People Day was invented, we do know quite a bit about the Peculiar People movement of the 19th century. This was a Christian movement that started as an offshoot of the Wesleyan denomination and was founded by James Banyard in Rochford, Essex, in 1838. The name of this movement is derived from the phrase “Chosen People,” which is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy in the King James Bible.

Some Weird & Unusual Facts

Our contribution to Peculiar People Day is to list some weird facts that we’ve learned about over the past few years. Although the following facts don’t have anything to do with this holiday, we thought they would be fun to talk about.

• Flamingos bend their legs at their ankles, not at their knees.
• Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can.
• Lobsters taste with their feet.

Observing Peculiar People Day

People can show off their individual style and sense of purpose on this holiday. It’s a day for people to do something different that differentiates them from the crowd. We don’t know what that means for each individual reading about this holiday today because only these people would know what is unique or unusual for them. Whatever they decide to do on this day, they should take the time to use the hashtag #PeculiarPeopleDay to spread the news about this holiday.