Today, May 25, is officially known as Towel Day.
This day is intended to honor the beloved author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Douglas Adams, whose writings have inspired multitudes of writers, painters, scientists, filmmakers, astronomers, artists, engineers, space station astronauts, and soul mates of all stripes. It’s a special day for fans and friends to come together and celebrate Adams and the sublime madness of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide.”
To commemorate Adams on Towel Day, true fans of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” will be carrying their towels around town and country, sharing personal photos with their towels of honor on social media using the hashtag #TowelDay, posting iconic quotes, rereading the books, raising a pint while reciting your favorite lines, attending lectures, or rewatching the BBC series or 2005 feature film.
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“A towel, says (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), is the most enormously useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” – Douglas Adams Happy #TowelDay! Be sure to bring yours to the @spacecentre today. pic.twitter.com/nZzeHad4ngMay 25, 2023
Fans of Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” books are a fiercely loyal and uniquely quirky group of intellects who relish any opportunity to pay homage to the esoteric humor and imaginative sci-fi worlds created by Adams since 1979. with the publication of that seminal first novel.
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said a towel and a copy of the book were aboard the Tesla Roadster that was launched into orbit around the sun aboard the company’s first test flight of its Falcon Heavy rocket. SpaceX has also previously said it plans to name the first of its many Mars colony ships after “Heart of Gold,” a spaceship in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide.”
Towel Day has been celebrated every year since May 25, 2001, two weeks after Adams sadly passed away from a heart attack at the age of 49 on May 11, 2001.
Adams came to life on March 11, 1952 in Cambridge, England, to eventually become a world-renowned author most commonly associated with writing “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series of humorous science fiction books, which were adapted from his original 1978 book. Radio Works. The prolific writer has also worked for the BBC and classic television series such as “Monty Python” and “Doctor Who.”
The symbolic towel that the author’s acolytes proudly display or carry today harkens back to the official “Hitchhiker’s Guide,” which considers the simple utilitarian item to be “just about the most enormously useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can carry.”
The handy galactic encyclopedia also considers the sensible logic of non-hitchhikers for its sensible conclusions that “any man who can hitchhike across the galaxy, have a hard time, live in slums, fight terrible odds, win and you still know where.” the towel of his is, he’s clearly a man to be reckoned with.”
Wherever and however you choose to celebrate, we wish you a Happy Towel Day!
