National Dunce Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Tuesday, November 8th. There are until the next observance.

Every year on November 8th, National Dumble Day is observed. The day honors the death anniversary of John Duns Scotus, a Scottish philosopher. His ideas varied from amazing to hilarious. According to Duns Scotus, cone-shaped caps improved learning ability. He believed that information would flow from the tip of the cap, down, and into the wearer’s skull, making that person smarter. This comment, of course, is absurd, and nowadays, anyone wearing a dunce cap is considered, well, a dunce. His use of dunce hats had one advantage: it encouraged the wearer to learn more so they could get rid of the cap.

📆 When is National Dunce Day?

This year, National Dunce Day is on November 8th. It is the 2nd Tuesday in November; in 2023, it is on Wednesday.

Countdown to National Dunce Day

Did you know: Female pupils were not permitted until 1878.

You can also learn all interesting things you didn’t know about and facts about November 8, 2022.

📜 History of National Dunce Day

John Duns Scotus was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university lecturer, philosopher, and theologian. He was born in 1265 or 1266 and died suddenly on November 8, 1308. The legend of Duns Scotus being buried alive in the absence of his servant, who was the only one who knew of his vulnerability to comas, is most likely a fiction. On the anniversary of his death, National Dunce Day is honored.

Along with Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and William of Ockham, he was one of the four most significant philosopher-theologians in Western Europe throughout the High Middle Ages. Duns Scotus had a significant influence on both Catholic and secular ideas. He is primarily known for his teachings on the “univocity of being,” which contends that existence is the most abstract idea we have and that it applies to everything that exists. He developed formal differentiation—a technique to distinguish between different features of the same item—as well as the concept of haecceity, or the characteristic that each particular thing is supposed to have that makes it so unique. Duns Scotus also built a complicated case for God’s existence and argued for Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Many centuries after his death, Duns Scotus was awarded the scholastic title Doctor Subtilis (“the Subtle Doctor”) for his compelling and subtle way of thinking. In 1993, Pope John Paul II beatified him. Outside of his writing, nothing is known about Duns Scotus.

☑️ National Dunce Day facts

Oxford was not bombed during WWII
This was due to Hitler’s desire to use the city as his capital after conquering England.

Radiohead was formed at Oxford
The rock band Radiohead was established when the members were students at Oxford’s Abingdon School.

It used to be the capital of England
During the English Civil War, Oxford served as the country’s capital.

Things to do on National Dunce Day

Wear the dunce cap
National Dunce Day is the ideal occasion to don the dunce cap. To celebrate the day, make dunce hats for yourself and your pals.

Learn something new
John Duns Scotus was a well-rounded scholar. Make the most of this day by learning a new skill. Try learning a new language, cooking a new food, or participating in a new sport.

Visit a library
Because National Dumble Day is all about learning (and learning quickly), take some time out of your day to visit a library. Look through the books and take out your favorites.

📅 National Dunce Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2023 November 8 Wednesday
2024 November 8 Friday
2025 November 8 Saturday
2026 November 8 Sunday
2027 November 8 Monday

View all November holidays, including Special Interest and other Educational holidays.

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