NATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY
National Polar Bear Day, also known as International Polar Bear Day, focuses our attention on conservation efforts and learning more about the fabulous polar bear on February 27th.
#NationalPolarBearDay
Polar bears can reach a height of 9 ft tall and a weight of 1400 pounds. They use their large, slightly webbed front paws to paddle as they swim. As they are powerful swimmers, some polar bears swim hundreds of miles from land. However, some of the distance may have been covered by floating on sheets of ice.
Polar bears have a warming layer of fat covered by their thick coat of insulating fur, which helps them live in colder environments.
Some organizations use this day to raise awareness of the declining number of polar bears worldwide. Many believe global warming and the consequential loss of their natural habitat threaten these beautiful creatures. Groups around the world gather together to find ways to make a difference and spread information to others.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY
- Learn more about the polar bear, its environment, and how it lives.
- Watch a documentary. Try these:
- Arctic Tale, directed by Sarah Robertson and Adam Ravetch (2007.
- The White Planet follows Narrated by Jean-Louis Étienne and directed by Thierry Piantanida (2006)
- Read about polar bears in Ice Walker: A Polar Bear’s Journey through the Fragile Arctic by James Raffan.
- Support polar bear research and conservation.
- Use #NationalPolarBearDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY HISTORY
Each year, Polar Bears International sponsors National Polar Bear Day. They have been celebrating the day since at least 2011.
Polar Bear FAQ
Q. Are polar bears white?
A. A polar bear’s skin is actually black. Its thick, insulating fur is translucent.
Q. Where do polar bears live?
A. Polar bears cover quite a bit of territory. Their home in the Arctic spans from Russia, across Norway, Greenland, Canada, and some parts of Alaska.
Q. What is a polar bear hybrid?
A. Some polar bears and grizzly bears have bred creating a hybrid bear. They are called various names including grolar and pizzly bears.
February 27th Celebrated History
1900
U.S. patent no. 644,077 was issued to German chemist Felix Hoffman for Acetyl Salicyclic Acid. He discovered the chemical compound while working for Bayer and the company marketed the pain reliever as Aspirin. While no longer trademarked in the United States, Bayer continues to maintain its trademark for the versatile remedy for pains, aches, and swelling.
1922
In Leser v. Garnett, the United States Supreme Court unanimously dismisses a challenge to the 19th Amendment preserving women’s suffrage in the U.S. Constitution. A Baltimore, Maryland attorney by the name of Oscar Leser brought the suit soon after th Tennessee ratified the amendment giving it the needed majority.
1951
Following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third-term election win, Congress set to work on the 22nd Amendment, creating term limits for presidents. The 22nd Amendment reads, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.” In 1951, the states ratified the amendment to the Constitution on this date.
1997
The God Father of Soul, James Brown, asks radio talk show host, Rolonda White to marry him during a taping of her show. She declines.
February 27th Celebrated Birthdays
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – 1807
The American poet had a profound impact on the nation during his lifetime. His poems spoke both to the heart and the mind, drawing images of pastoral fields and patriotic figures.
John Steinbeck – 1902
The 1962 Nobel Prize winner for Literature, John Steinbeck is best known for his novels The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden.
Elizabeth Taylor – 1932
The blue-eyed actress stole scenes as a young child actress and for more than 60 years. From National Velvet to Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the award-winning actress was a classic star of the cinema.
Navarre Scott Momaday – 1934
In 1969, the Kiowa author earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel House Made of Dawn. Some of his other works include The Way to Rainy Mountain, The Bear’s House, The Names: A Memoir, and Again the Far Morning.
Meena Keshwar Kamal – 1956
As a student in 1977, Meena Keshwar Kamal founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). The organization gave a voice to women fighting for human rights and social justice in a country where these fundamental rights were denied systematically to women. On February 4, 1987, Kamal was kidnapped and murdered.
Sara Blakely – 1971
In 1998, the American entrepreneur developed the product and the company named Spanx.
Notable Mentions
Mabel Keaton Staupers – 1890
David Sarnoff – 1891
Clarence Johnson – 1910
Irwin Shaw – 1913
Uri Shulevitz – 1935
