MARCH CALENDAR 2026

It is celebrated in the United States and other countries, a tribute to one of the most misunderstood and smartest animals. National Pig Day was founded in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a teacher from Texas, and Mary Lynne Rave from North Carolina. They created this day to honor pigs as highly intelligent and domesticated animals, aiming to give them the recognition they deserve but often do not receive. Fun facts:

• Pigs don’t sweat, yet we have the expression, “Sweat like a pig” to denote someone perspiring profusely. Because they don’t have sweat glands, they keep cool by wallowing around in the mud.
• Studies show that pigs are smarter than dogs and three-year-old children. They can experience joy, fear, anxiety, and, like humans, they show empathy. Depending on the study, pigs are rated the fifth most intelligent species on Earth. Can you guess the four above them?*
• Although they have poor eyesight, pigs’ sense of smell is 2,000 more sensitive than humans. They communicate with each other through a series of 20 grunts and squeals.
• We use the expression, “When pigs fly,” when we think there is no possibility of something happening. We also use the derogatory expression, “As dirty as a pig,” though pigs are quite clean, eating and sleeping separate from their waste.
• Winston Churchill on pigs: “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

*Somewhat surprisingly, humans head the list, followed by dolphins, chimpanzees, ravens, and then pigs! (Dogs and cats are 13^th & 14^th, respectively.) Others in the top 10: octopuses, rats, elephants, orangutans, and some parrots. On the other end of the spectrum, koalas are considered one of the dumbest!

kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you are that one pig farmer living outside Cardiff who owns a Corgi, you’re in for a very busy day! Although I doubt this loud, bossy, and often ill-behaved dog is most pig farmer’s first choice for canine companionship, there’s probably one “winner” of this unusual trifecta in the Land of Song. Beloved by many, the Welsh Corgi has been made even more iconic over recent decades due to the famous royal dogs who were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s family. How can you celebrate? Adopt a Welsh Corgi. Go on a community Corgi Walk. Join a “Friends of Corgis” group. Share photos on social media. Donate to help support Corgis. Fun Facts about Queen Elizabeth II’s corgi dogs:

• The Queen’s corgis had a long history of biting people, including the Queen Mother, Prince Edward, the palace clock winder, postmen, police officers, along with Elizabeth herself, as she once tried to break up a fight between ten of her beloved corgis. Aside from biting people, they were known to destroy furniture, photographs, and royal mementos.
• The Queen Mother did get her revenge, as her dogs, led by an alpha called Ranger, mauled to death Chipper, one of the Queen’s corgis. Years later, another of the Queen’s corgis, Pharos, was killed by an English bull terrier owned by Princess Anne.
• Owning up to 13 corgis at a time, they were described as a “moving carpet,” running in a pack that was ill-disciplined and lacked proper training.
• One insider described the dogs as “one minute cuddly, the next psycho.” A royal butler was knocked unconscious while walking nine leashed corgis, which pulled him down the steps of Sandringham Palace.
• Following her death in September 2022, the two remaining royal corgis were taken by the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. With more Epstein evidence coming out concerning Andrew’s “lapses in judgement,” royal fans are upset with what will become of the dogs given that the ex-royal pedophile has been stripped of his titles and residence.

Huoadg5888Minor edits made by Subsidiary account, CC0, via Wikimedia Common

It is observed annually on this date all around the world. It is a day to reflect on and celebrate the social, political, economic, and cultural accomplishments of women. One of the main purposes of this day is to bring awareness to the fight for gender equality. Facts.

• Purple is the official color, and Goddess Venus is the official logo of International Women’s Day.
• In 1908 a group of New York women workers went on strike, demanding an end to child labor and the right to vote. A year later, the US pioneered National Women’s Day on February 28.
• March 8 was chosen because it was on this day that 90,000 Russian women workers protested for better living conditions in 1917 just before the start of the revolution.
•  Every year the International Women’s Day has a new theme. The 2026 theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

Matt Hrkac, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Not Pie Day but Pi, of 3.14 fame! It is observed every year on this date to commemorate the mathematical constant of Pi. Pi Day falls on March 14, aligning with the American date format of 3/14, representing the first three digits of Pi. Pi nerds around the world love celebrating this infinitely long, never ending number.  Archimedes was the first to calculate an accurate measure of pi, estimating pi’s value at between 3 1/7 (3.14285) and 3 10/71 (3.14084). Fun facts:

• The  symbol did not appear until the early 18^th century when the Welsh mathematician William Jones started using it.
• In 2015, an Indian, Rajveer Meena, blindfolded, was able to recite from memory pi to 70,000 decimal places! It took him over ten hours. That said, Akira Haraguchi of Japan holds the unofficial record at 100,000 digits.
• Not to be outdone, in 2017, using a computer, a Swiss scientist computed more than 22 trillion digits of pi. The calculation took over 100 days.
• Archimedes final words to a Roman soldier were, “Sir, do not disturb my circles,” just before the soldier ran him through with his sword.

Mrmw, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is dedicated to raising awareness about consumer rights and educating people about fair, ethical, and transparent business practices. Typical abuses occur with bait & switch advertising; hidden fees or costs; false claims; fake online reviews; identity theft/phishing; pyramid schemes; unauthorized credit card charges; refusal of returned products; imposter scams; exploitation of the elderly; selling unsafe products; and many more. A few scams throughout history:

• In 1920, Charles Ponzi created his infamous “Ponzi Scheme,” by promising investors 50% returns in 45 days, using money from new investors to pay earlier ones rather than from actual profitable investments.
• In 1925, Victor Lustig “sold” the Eiffel Tower to scrap metal dealers after convincing them that the French government was selling the structure, disappearing with a massive payment.
• Bernie Madoff (below) ran a Ponzi type scheme for decades, cheating wealthy investors out of $64.8 billion before his company collapsed and he was arrested in 2008.
• “Nigerian Prince” scam: victims receive emails or messages claiming a “prince,” government official, or bereaved wealthy widow needs help transferring a large, trapped sum of money or gold out of their country, promising a generous portion of these riches in exchange for a small upfront fee to help them make the transfer possible. An estimated $2.5 billion has been paid out by greedy dupes over decades.
• Despite the above examples, the biggest scammers today are corporations, usually involving banks and financial firms using hidden costs, predatory lending, free trials that convert to subscriptions, add-on services or insurance, and more.

With this in mind, one month into his new term, US President Trump aggressively moved to close and dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent American agency created to protect American consumers from financial fraud and abuse. Despite resistance, the Trump administration persists in trying to bleed the agency dry of cash in order to halt its operations. A report released on 09/02/26, states that this effort by the Trump government has cost American consumers at least $19 billion in fraud and abuse over the last year. Who is behind this effort? Billionaires, banks, and others now benefiting from bilking the public unchecked.

ZioDave, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Common

It is for those who claim or believe they’ve been abducted by aliens in the past and for those who want or expect to be abducted by aliens today or in the future.* It is also for all who are interested in stories about alien abductions. Those who believe they have been abducted by aliens believe they have true memories where they were taken against their will by nonhuman creatures. They claim to have been abducted and give accounts of undergoing forced physical, medical, or psychological procedures.  Reports of alien abductions take place around the world, but are more prevalent in English-speaking countries, especially in the United States. Hardly surprising.

*Not sure what is more concerning, those claiming to have been abducted or those who “want and expect” to be abducted in the future!

Best Alien Abduction Films:

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• Fire in the Sky (1993)
• Signs (2002)
• The Fourth Kind (2009)
• Dark Skies (2013)
• No One Will Save You (2023)

Luke Hancock, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons