June 1, 2022 - National Running Day | National Pen Pal Day

Welcome to June 1st, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate going the distance and bridging the miles with words. Centuries before the Pony Express delivered messages across the American West, the chaskis connected cities across the Incan Empire. The difference is that the chaskis did it on foot. Using a series of relays, these messengers sprinted through what is now Peru and Chile carrying messages from one end of the empire to the other. Some days, runners could cover up to 150 miles. If that sounds impressive, consider that the chaskis were doing it in one of the highest mountain ranges in the world. On National Running Day, lace up your sneakers and get your heart racing. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were what you might call frenemies. They were very close as they worked on the Declaration of Independence, but had a big falling out after the presidential election in 1800. For the next 12 years, they didn’t speak. But when a mutual friend died in 1813, Jefferson wrote a letter to tell Adams the bad news. Adams wrote back to say thank you and shared some of his memories. They slowly rebuilt their friendship over the next 13 years, corresponding until the day they died. And, ironically, they passed on the same day—July 4th 1826. On National Pen Pal Day, take some time to reach out to a friend or strike up a correspondence with someone new. 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