September 21: Hobbits, Green Day, and a Very Real Santa

September 21 is the day the calendar decided to overachieve: it gave us hobbits, punk rock, world peace, and cosmic confirmation that Santa is, in fact, legally distinct from a myth. Buckle up.

The Day Literature Grew Some Very Hairy Feet

Back in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit, a "children's novel" that somehow spawned an entire universe of maps, appendices, and eleven-hour movie trilogies. Not bad for a story that opens with a man refusing to leave his house — relatable content, honestly.

And in 1999, halfway across the world, a Japanese manga called Naruto published its very first chapter, going on to become one of the best-selling series ever. Two ambitious little heroes launched on the same date, decades apart. The universe clearly has a type.

Yes, Virginia, There Really Is a Santa Claus

In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to The New York Sun asking whether Santa was real, and editor Francis Pharcellus Church responded with the immortal "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." It remains the most reprinted editorial in newspaper history, and proof that if you want a definitive answer, ask a journalist, not your older cousin.

Speaking of definitive answers, in 2004 Green Day dropped American Idiot, the album that turned pop-punk into a full-blown Broadway situation and made eyeliner a viable career choice.

A Birthday, a Moon Trip, and a Toast to Peace

Blowing out candles today is Croatian footballer Ante Rebić, born in 1993, alongside K-pop royalty Kim Jong-dae — better known as Chen of EXO — also born in 1992. Not a shabby birthday club: one commands stadiums, the other commands fandoms, and both could probably out-cheer you.

If they want to celebrate in style, they should look up. In 1968 the Soviet Union's Zond 5 splashed down in the Indian Ocean, becoming the first spacecraft to safely return to Earth after looping around the Moon — the original round trip with zero legroom.

Finally, September 21 is the International Day of Peace, a global reminder to take a breath, lower the volume, and be nice to each other for a solid twenty-four hours. Down in Argentina, meanwhile, it's Spring Day, because while the Northern Hemisphere is busy raking leaves, the folks below the equator are unpacking sunscreen and gloating politely. Wherever you are, celebrate accordingly: read a hobbit book, blast some Green Day, and tell somebody yes, there really is a Santa Claus.