July 26: The Day a Language Was Invented for Fun

July 26 is one of those dates that decided to do a little bit of everything: politics, invented languages, and enough pop-culture birthdays to fill a red carpet. Grab a snack and let's dig in.

A Ceiling Gets a Crack

In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female nominee for president of the United States by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Regardless of your politics, "first ever" is a phrase historians love, and it's been a long time coming considering the country had been electing presidents since the powdered-wig era.

Somebody Invented a Whole Language

Here's a fun one: in 1887, L. L. Zamenhof published Unua Libro, the first publication describing Esperanto, a constructed international language. That's right — he looked at all the languages already available and thought, "Nah, I'll make my own." Fittingly, July 26 is now celebrated as Esperanto Day, which is basically the world's most ambitious flex. The dream was a universal tongue everyone could share; the reality is a passionate global community who can all argue in the same made-up words. Honestly, respect.

Happy Birthday to the Cool Kids

The birthday list on July 26 is stacked. Taylor Momsen (1993) went from playing Jenny on Gossip Girl to fronting the rock band The Pretty Reckless, which is possibly the most dramatic character arc since "child actor" became a genre. Sharing the date is Thomasin McKenzie (2000), the New Zealand actress who's been quietly stealing scenes and racking up serious critical love. Toss in Finnish hockey star Sebastian Aho (1997) and Canadian defenseman Tyson Barrie (1991), and you've got a birthday party that could form both a band and a power play.

Islands, Independence, and Emancipation

July 26 is a huge day for national pride. It's Independence Day in Liberia, celebrating its independence from the American Colonization Society back in 1847, and Independence Day in the Maldives, marking freedom from the United Kingdom in 1965 — a solid excuse to picture turquoise water and pretend you're on vacation. It's also Emancipation Day in Barbados, a meaningful holiday well worth raising a glass to. So while your calendar may say "Tuesday," somewhere in the world people are throwing a genuinely excellent party.

Whether you mark the day by cracking political ceilings, learning a phrase of Esperanto, or simply wishing Taylor Momsen a happy birthday, July 26 proves history is rarely boring. Now go forth and impress someone at dinner with at least one of these facts — preferably the invented-language one.