National Backward Day is celebrated on January 31, encouraging us to do things oppositely. It’s a time to take a look at our actions to see how reversing them can be effective and fun at the same time. One example of how doing things backward can be enlightening is by reverse poetry, which is a form that uses a reverse method to convey different messages depending on how the poem is read. They can be read forwards top to bottom with one meaning and backward from bottom to top with another. Spend the day finding new ways to do things in reverse!
History of National Backward Day
An interesting example in history of doing things in reverse was from none other than one of the world;s most well-known artists, Leonardo da Vinci. He famously practiced mirror writing, which is where text is written in the opposite direction so that it can be read in a mirror. There are multiple theories as to why Da Vinci did this. Firstly, it made it harder for people to steal his ideas, or he could’ve been hiding his work to avoid religious persecution. Another theory is the artist simply wanted to prevent smudging of ink. Also, Da Vinci was left-handed, and starting right to left could have made it easier for him.
Backwards Day was created by two women, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, who came up with the idea while on a farm. They were milking cows, thinking about arts and crafts when the initial idea came to them. The two women came up with the rules of and created it on January 29, 1961. The next day, word had spread around and the community was doing things backward. The pair then made the day on January 31 and so it has remained.
Throughout the decades, the benefits of doing things in reverse have become more visible. Some schools celebrate National Backward Day where students can wear their clothes inside out, their shoes on the opposite feet, write their names backward, and so on. Adding a little fun to the school day adds some entertainment to what could be just another ordinary day.
Backwards Day isn’t just confined to the real world either. The invocation of doing things backward is seen In one of the most memorable episodes of the Nickelodeon cartoon, SpongeBob Squarepants. SpongeBob’s serious neighbor Squidward Tentacles calls a realty company to sell his house, but they won’t accept it if his neighbors are too out of control. Squidward tells the rambunctious SpongeBob that it’s Opposite Day so that he changes his ways, and SpongeBob acts as if he’s Squidward. Now, the day is a fun opportunity to do things in reverse!
