A favorite summertime read a few year’s back was Sammy’s Hill, a novel by Kristin Gore described by one reviewer as “chick lit for the political junkie.”

The read was enjoyable on many levels. I was surprised by the hilarious sense of humor that Gore exhibited with her main character, Samantha Joyce and her adventures as a 20-something juggling career and romance as a Capitol Hill aide. Until I opened the novel I had no idea that Gore (yes, that Gore) had written for the Harvard Lampoon as well as Saturday Night Live. Being a Washington, D.C. resident for many years, as well as a journalist who covered Capitol Hill, her insider’s view was part of the fun.

One of my favorite features sprinkled throughout the book was Sammy’s celebration of noteworthy, though obscure, anniversaries:

• the thirtieth anniversary of the filming of the Exorcist
• the three hundred ninety sixth anniversary of the first reported drinking of eggnog in America
• the sixty fifth anniversary of Seabiscuit’s win over War Admiral at Pimlico

Each of these dates was commemorated with an appropriate activity–exercising on the 75 steps of the “Exorcist stairs,” drinking eggnog, and purchasing a lottery ticket. Sammy’s Blackberry was programmed with these and other important dates in her life and in pop culture.

At the time, I remember thinking what crack research skills that must have taken to come up with those dates. I was also pleased to see Sammy’s dedication to celebration continue in Gore’s followup novel, Sammy’s House. But, again, I didn’t give much thought to where those anniversary dates came from.

So what a pleasant surprise to find On this day…. featured on the Main Page of the Wikipedia website. Perhaps this was Gore’s source of useful fun facts. Now I could discover my own special causes for celebration.

I did learn that I share my September 6 birthday with the return of the Victoria to Spain in 1522 with 18 survivors from Magellan’s 265-man expedition, making it the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. I may have to mark the occasion with dinner at my favorite Spanish restaurant. Or maybe I’ll celebrate that in 1870, Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyo. became the first woman in the U.S. to legally cast a vote since 1807. This is, after all, an election year.

I still have 61 days to decide. But for now I’m busy planning how to acknowledge that today is the five hundred fifty second anniversary of a retrial verdict that acquitted Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death.