8 March—This day must not be allowed to pass without acknowledgement that it’s International Women’s Day. And gobsmacking surprise to acknowledge that there’s actually an International Men’s Day later in the year, 19 November.

The origins of the gender-specific celebrations are worth noting. Because I’m not a male chauvinist pig, men first. International Men’s Day and the date it’s celebrated are the brainchild of one Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a history professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. Prof. Teelucksingh came up with the idea in 1999 to commemorate the anniversary of his father’s birth. Is Jerome a good son or what? Prof. Teelucksingh further encouraged people all over the world to use 19 November to bring up issues of concern to men and boys.

Like we can’t do that on the other 364 days? Actually, Prof. Teelucksingh has a point there, because men can’t in fact bring up issues of concern at virtually any time, lest we be accused by the politically and sexually correct set of being male chauvinist pigs. But I’m a proud MCP who holds doors open for women, so what the hell.

The theme of last year’s International Men’s Day, by the way, was “Better relations between men and women.” Right.

The celebration of International Women’s Day, on the other hand, goes back to 1909, but has been fixed on 8 March only since 1914, to be in line with Russian women who celebrated it on 23 February on the Gregorian calendar. Right.

And now the fun stuff: The Socialist Party of America first declared National Women’s Day in 1909. That’s right, guys, the Socialist Party. But leave it to the girls. Women. The next year, at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, the International Women’s Day was born. But it wasn’t observed until 1911, with rallies and events calling for women’s suffrage and an end to gender discrimination.

Both International Womens’ Day and International Men’s Day have dedicated websites, neither of which is worth visiting.

Of greater moment, while on the subject of Copenhagen, six decades ago I had fantastic kosher salami at Arne Cohen’s delicatessen in that marvelous city . . .