February 22, 2023 - National California Day | National Margarita Day

Welcome to February 22nd, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate Gold Fever and wasting away the tropical way. California as we know it might not exist if it weren’t for James Wilson Marshall. In 1848, he was building a sawmill near Sacramento for his employer, John Sutter. Here he spotted something shiny in the river. It turned out to be gold. Although the men tried to keep the find to themselves, news got out and soon people were coming from all over the country to strike it rich. In the span of a year, the population of the area increased from 1,000 to over 100,000. Because of this gold rush, California suddenly became much more important to the United States and became the 31st state in 1849. On National California Day, celebrate the Golden State, and the accidental discovery that made it what it is today. The 1977 song Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet struck music gold. Though it wasn’t until 2016 that the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the trail that it blazed made Buffet a legend. He was introduced to the cocktail at an Austin, Texas restaurant and finalized the song lyrics while vacationing in Key West. It remains Buffet’s highest charting solo single. If the long winter has you dreaming of Summer and warmer weather, cozy up to your favorite flavor, frozen or on the rocks. A margarita won’t actually make the cold weather go away, but it always feels like celebration when you order this paradise in a glass. Stop looking for your lost shaker of salt and enjoy National Margarita Day. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices