Can you believe friendly encouragement during a squash game more than 20 years ago and an inside joke between two friends created a parodic holiday? A low-key event until 2002, the International Talk Like A Pirate Day (ITALPD) is now celebrated on September 19 as a day dedicated to doing all things ‘pirate-y’. What’s cooler? The day helps in raising charity funds.
On June 6, 1995, during a racquetball game, two friends- John Baur and Mark Summers, began shouting pirate slang to encourage each other. By the end of the game they realized, this made their game more fun, and perhaps, the world needed an update on their holiday list.
Since June 6 is the anniversary of World War II’s D-Day, the date was moved to September 19. For the next many years, however, it remained low-key and an inside joke for Baur and Summers. They shared among their small group of friends, until 2002, when they decided to contact humor columnist Dave Barry, asking him to be the official spokesperson for ‘National Talk Like a Pirate Day.’
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