Rain Day in U.S. 2023: Date, History, Facts about Rain

Without rain, there likely would have been no life, so on July 29 we celebrate Rain Day. Through prayers, arts and music, folklore, and other means, diverse peoples and cultures have celebrated rain and its life-giving force. Not only does rain water our trees and make the earth lush and verdant, but the first showers after a long summer bring us such pleasure! If you are fortunate enough to receive rain on Rain Day, you should dance, saunter, or sing in the rain. Today is the ideal day to express gratitude for the beautiful planet we inhabit and its many wonders.

The background of Rain Day

Most cultures around the globe celebrate Rain Day in some fashion, and this day has been observed for a very long time. Records indicate that the first Rain Day was observed in the 1800s. William Allison, a chemist, is to be credited for establishing the popular holiday Rain Day. According to urban legend, Allison owned a drugstore on High Street in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and he believed that it rained every year on July 29. The chemist seized the chance and proclaimed 29 July to be celebrated annually as Rain Day!

Since then, Allison has kept an annual record of the precipitation on this date, and his brother Albert Allison began doing the same in the 1920s. The activities of these two brothers reached the offices of The Byron Daily, which began documenting this recurring supernatural occurrence. The event would have likely remained modest and local if not for a local journalist. John O’Hara decided in the 1930s to submit articles about Rain Day to other newspapers. As more and more people learned about Rain Day, the celebrations grew in scope. Today, newspapers and other media entities frequently contact residents of Waynesburg to inquire about the weather on a given date. Obviously, others have begun celebrating this date in their own unique methods. Rain Day is commonly observed by learning about rainfall and its significance, as well as promoting awareness about rainwater conservation.

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5 AWE-INSPIRING FACTS ABOUT RAIN THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

Between 18 and 22 miles per hour is the utmost velocity of a falling raindrop.

On an acre of land, one inch of precipitation equals approximately 226,000 pounds.

Mount Waialeale in Kauai, Hawaii experiences up to 350 rainy days annually.

Antarctica receives little precipitation, making it the world’s harshest continent.

On other planets, precipitation could contain sulfuric acid or methane.

RAIN DAY DATES