September 19, 1995 — ☠️ The World Starts Talkin’ Like Pirates

Ahoy, matey! 🏴‍☠️
Today be no ordinary day — it be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Every September 19th, people all over the world unleash their inner buccaneers.
“Arrr!” becomes a greeting.
“Ye” replaces “you.”
And for 24 hours, everyone’s a little more salty, silly, and swashbucklin’.

But where did this oddball holiday come from?
Let’s hoist the sails and set course for the surprisingly true story of how a goofy idea became a global phenomenon.

🏴‍☠️ How It All Began

It started, like many legendary tales, with two friends goofing around.

Back in 1995, in Oregon, John Baur and Mark Summers were playing racquetball — and for fun, they started yelling in pirate-speak.

“Avast!”
“Ahoy!”
“Ye scurvy dog!”

They laughed so hard, they decided the world needed a day where everyone talked like that.

They picked a random date — September 19 (Mark’s ex-wife’s birthday, oddly enough) — and declared it:
International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

📰 The Day It Went Viral

For years, it stayed a private joke… until they wrote to humor columnist Dave Barry in 2002.

He loved it.
He wrote about it.
And boom — the world caught pirate fever.

Suddenly:

• Teachers were using it in classrooms

• Offices held pirate costume contests

• Krispy Kreme gave free donuts to anyone who talked like a pirate

• Even Facebook once had a “pirate” language option

It went from silly to beloved in record time.

⚓ Why Do People Love It?

Because it’s fun, plain and simple.

There are no gifts, no stress, no pressure.
Just permission to be goofy, loud, and dramatic.

It’s a reminder that:

• Language can be playful

• Imagination is ageless

• Grown-ups need nonsense, too

Also, let’s be honest — saying “Scallywag!” out loud is oddly satisfying.

🧠 What We Can Learn

• The best ideas don’t always come from boardrooms — sometimes they come from racquetball courts

• Joy spreads fast when it’s unexpected

• Every once in a while, it’s okay to ditch the rules and say “Arrr!”

So grab your eyepatch, roll your R’s, and don’t forget: