NATIONAL BACKWARD DAY

National Backward Day

YAD DRAWKCAB LANOITAN

.yad doog a si sihT

January 31st honors everything backward with National Backward Day. The day provides an opportunity to reverse our ways, our direction or simply our shirt.  Dessert for breakfast, perhaps? There are many ways to celebrate this fun day, so just let your imagination be your guide.

#NationalBackwardDay

National Backward Day is a massive hit with the school-aged crowd, who delight in the chaos of inside-out sweaters and dessert for breakfast. However, there is no age limit on whimsy! For adults, this day serves as a playful challenge to our daily 'autopilot.' By reversing our habits—whether it’s the route we drive to work, the order of our morning routine, or even trying to write with our non-dominant hand—we give our brains a creative workout. So EVERYONE, from the classroom to the boardroom, let’s flip the script and have some backward fun!

FUN FACT:  Leonardo da Vinci wrote backward. Not only did the artist and inventor write from right to left, but he also wrote his letters backward.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL BACKWARD DAY

  • Go out the back door.
  • Have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
  • Instead of coming unglued when you're upset, get glued.
  • Add coffee to your milk.
  • Add ice cream to your chocolate.
  • Do your work in reverse order.
  • Say, "Goodbye," instead of "Hello," when answering the phone.
  • Twiddle your pinkies, not your thumbs.
  • Wear your sweatshirt backward.
  • Write your name backward.
  • Write an entire sentence backward.
  • Run the bases in baseball backward.
  • Watch a movie backward.
  • Read a book starting with the last page.
  • Play a record backward.
  • Do things backward and use #NationalBackwardDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL BACKWARD DAY HISTORY

National Backward Day seems to have originated in the 1960s and created by Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott while they were milking cows on a farm. It was a way to pass the time and think outside the proverbial box!

Backward FAQ

Q. Are other directional words celebrated on the calendar?
A. Yes. Besides National Backward Day, you can celebrate National Opposite Day, International Left Hander's Day, Global Pay It Forward Day, Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day and Play Outdoors Day are just a few of the days with direction words in them.

Q. Can anyone participate in National Backward Day?
A. Yes. Besides the list up above, there are many other ways to participate in the day.