Calling all Smiths

Today is your day.

Yes, it was news to me as well. Upon arriving at the office this morning, I was greeted (via IM) by a co-worker in Atlanta "Happy National Smith Day!"

My first instict was that he needed something or was just poking fun. But, a quick Google search confirmed the news.

It is officially listed in Chase's Calendar of Events, a book published annually that tracks about 12,000 such holidays, large and small.

Smith Day commemorates the Jan. 6, 1580, birthday of Captain John Smith, the English colonial leader who helped to settle Jamestown, Va., in 1607.

By sheer numbers, folks named Smith deserve their own day. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, more than 1 percent of the population shared the last name.

Please don't send any gifts.