National Backward Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Tuesday, January 31st. There are until the next observance.

On January 31, we commemorate National Backward Day, which encourages us to do the opposite. It’s time to examine our actions and consider how reversing them might be both useful and enjoyable. Reverse poetry, a form that employs a reverse approach to express multiple themes depending on how the poem is read, is one example of how doing things backward may be informative. They may be read with one meaning from top to bottom and another one from bottom to top. Spend the day figuring out new ways to do things backwards!

📆 When is National Backward Day?

This year, National Backward Day is on January 31st. It is the 5th Tuesday in January; in 2024, it is on Wednesday.

Countdown to National Backward Day

Did you know: According to one study, students who reversed the sequence in which they generally prepared for examinations performed well.

You can also view all exciting things you didn’t know about and facts about January 31, 2023.

📜 History of National Backward Day

Backwards Day was founded by two women, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, when they were working on a farm. When the first idea struck them, they were milking cows and thinking about arts and crafts. On January 29, 1961, the two ladies devised and implemented the regulations of The following day, word had spread, and the community was going backwards. The day was subsequently set for January 31, and it has remained thus ever since.

The advantages of doing things backwards have grown increasingly apparent over the years. Some schools observe National Backward Day, during which students wear their clothes inside out, wear their shoes on the opposite foot, write their names backward, and so on. Adding a little levity to the school day provides some excitement to what may otherwise be a boring day.

Backwards Day isn’t simply limited to the current world. It is possible to perceive the invocation of doing things backwards. One of the most famous episodes of the Nickelodeon program is SpongeBob Squarepants. Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob’s serious neighbor, calls a real estate business to sell his property, but they won’t take it if his neighbors are too out of control. Squidward informs SpongeBob that it is Opposite Day in order for him to alter his ways, and SpongeBob acts as if he is Squidward. The day is now a wonderful opportunity to do things backwards!

☑️ National Backward Day facts

Peeling out
It has been proposed that bananas should be peeled from bottom to top.

Bizarre Earth
Bizarro, Superman’s antagonist, is from Bizarro World, a fictitious planet where everything is backward, including their Earth, Htrae.

Messages in reverse
Conspiracy theories say that some songs, like those by Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, reveal hidden messages when played backwards.

Things to do on National Backward Day

Switch up your meals
We’re all used to doing things a particular way, but the purpose of National Backward Day is to shake us out of our patterns. Eat supper for breakfast and breakfast for dinner, paying attention to any differences you see. Is it just a bit off, or do you feel entirely at ease changing it up? You might be surprised.

Change your meaning
Why not shake things up a little when it comes to how we communicate with one another? Say “good morning” at night instead of “good night” in the morning, and vice versa. Challenge a buddy to a duel and see how long you can go without speaking in unison. It may give you the impression that you are in a world where up is down and down is high.

Write a reverse poem
Writing a poem is challenging enough, but writing one in reverse is far more difficult. If you’re up for the task, try your hand at composing a reverse poem. Decide what meaning you want the poem to have from top to bottom, as well as what meaning you want it to take on from bottom to top, and then assess how effectively you executed it.

📅 National Backward Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2024 January 31 Wednesday
2025 January 31 Friday
2026 January 31 Saturday
2027 January 31 Sunday
2028 January 31 Monday

You can view all January holidays, including Fun and other Activities holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about National Backward Day. So be sure to check back soon.