October 28, 2022 - National Frankenstein Friday | National Chocolate Day

Welcome to October 28, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a Freaky Friday and a chocolate lover’s dream. In 1815, a massive volcanic eruption spread ash around the entire globe. The following year was dubbed The Year Without a Summer. The skies were dreary and dark, and temperatures were far below normal. In the midst of this, a legendary novel was born. Lord Byron invited Mary Shelley and her fiance to his home in Switzerland, where the friends huddled around a fireplace and read from a book of scary stories. In this eerie setting, Byron came up with the idea that each guest should write their own ghost story to share with the group at the end of their stay. And that is how Mary’s Frankenstein was born. On National Frankenstein Friday host your own eerie happy hour or read the original classic, if you dare! People have been cultivating cacao trees for at least three thousand years, with the earliest use of the seeds dating back to 1100 BCE. These beans are intensely bitter and must be fermented to develop their flavor. Next they are dried, cleaned and roasted to produce cacao nibs which are ground into a paste. But you probably won’t enjoy the taste at this point until the mass is liquified and mixed with other things. From here chocolate takes on many forms from white to dark depending on the amount of cocoa solids and other ingredients. No matter which kind you love best, indulge your sweet side on National Chocolate 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