August 11: Hip Hop, Mega Malls, and a Mountain Day

Welcome to August 11, a date that gave us a music genre, a shopping empire, and an entire national holiday about looking at large hills. Buckle up.

A DJ Started a Whole Genre at a House Party

In 1973, at a party in New York City, Jamaican musician DJ Kool Herc began rapping during an extended break, laying the foundation for hip hop music. Let that sink in: an entire billion-dollar cultural phenomenon began because one guy at a party decided the good part of the song wasn't long enough. Honestly relatable. We've all wanted to loop the best four seconds of a track forever — Herc just had the audacity to actually do it, and now here we are, decades of legendary music later.

The Mall of America: Cathedral of Consumption

On this day in 1992, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, opened as the largest shopping mall in the United States. It's got stores, restaurants, and — because Minnesota apparently decided a mall wasn't ambitious enough — an entire indoor amusement park. It's the kind of place where you go in for socks and emerge three days later slightly changed, clutching a pretzel the size of your head. Truly the peak of American engineering: we built a building so big you can lose your car and your will to live in the same afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Alyson Stoner

Born on August 11, 1993, is Alyson Stoner, American actor, singer, and dancer. If you were a kid in the early 2000s, you know exactly who this is — the person who out-danced grown professionals in a Missy Elliott video before most of us could tie our shoes. Basically, Alyson has been more coordinated since childhood than the rest of us will ever be. We celebrate you and your terrifying rhythm.

Also celebrating today: Marvin Harrison Jr. (2002), the American football player, and Brad Binder (1995), the South African motorcycle racer, proving August 11 produces people who are very good at going fast.

Mountain Day: Japan Really Loves a Mountain

Finally, today is Mountain Day in Japan, a genuine national holiday dedicated to appreciating mountains. That's it. That's the whole vibe. It's a day off to gaze fondly at a big rock and reflect on nature, which, frankly, sounds infinitely better than most of our meetings. Elsewhere, it's Independence Day in Chad and Flag Day in Pakistan — so wherever you are, there's a reason to celebrate. Go admire a mountain, hug a flag, or loop your favorite song. Happy August 11.