Monday June 21st is the longest day of the year. However, just how long that day is depends on what part of the world you are in. if you are in Alaska, you've got a long day ahead of you. And a Monday even. Sunrise in Anchorage was at 4:20am and the sun won't set until 11:42pm. If you're in New York the sun came up today at 5:20am and won't set until 8:30pm. Good luck getting the kids to bed.
Some facts about summer. The phrase 'dog days of summer' actually came from the Egyptians. They believed that the constellation, Sirius, the dog, since it was visible at sunrise and sunset, actually contributed to the heat that the sun gave off - therefore the dog days were even hotter than the rest of the summer. A popular misconception was that 'dog day's' referred to the way dogs lay around in the heat. Well that can be true but I'm pretty sure Fido's naps are seasonless and he won't be up doing his taxes when Fall rolls around.
In the Victorian era, people felt the sun was a nice thing to enjoy - from a distance. Women wore long dresses and carried parasols to prevent any sun exposure (and this also explains the multiple fainting spells.) Popular thought at the time said that having a tan meant one spent a lot of time working in the fields so it became symbolic of class level. This fair-skinned trend lost some steam when in 1903 Niels Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his “Finsen Light Therapy." He discovered that sun exposure increased the Vitamin D intake therefore warding off the diseases popular in that day such as a form of tuberculosis and rickets. Then, in the 1920s, two French women officially swung the trend scales towards tanning. Coco Chanel got a sunburn while visiting the French Riviera on the Duke of Westminster's yacht and Josephine Baker, a “caramel-skinned” singer in Paris, became popular. The popularity of these fashion icons turned the public's perception of tanning to something beautiful, healthy and even luxurious.
Today medical science tells us that tanning really isn't healthy but it can be healthiER with the right SPF sunscreen. That's Sun Protection Factor. Or Some Pretty Fashion. So wear a big hat and enjoy the dog days of summer. That's fashionable!
