National Knife Day

 August 24 is National Knife Day.  Hip hip hooray!  It is a grassroots holiday that is celebrated by millions but never recognized by Congress. 

TOPS Silent Hero 4

The history of this holiday is contorted, and should you go down this rabbit hole, you will find dead ends and conflicting information.  A good source is Blade HQ: "The Real History of National Knife Day."

https://www.bladehq.com/blog/national-knife-day?srsltid=AfmBOooH-SzG-EVfi3Vgv6A9LsEwgvLq5fMqB8RM47aDYrGK7IvbJoZl

Many of us have wondered why knives are so appealing.  At its simplest, a knife is a thin wedge that comes to a very fine edge, with a handle that lets us use it with some degree of safety.

It is one of man's oldest tools.  In the absence of a time machine, I have my own theory.  I think the oldest tool was initially a stick to extend our reach to push dangerous things farther away.  The next was a simple hammer. 

Watch a child at play.  He'll use an object to pull something that interests him closer.  While he's playing with it, he'll hit it.  This reflects our need to understand things by seeing what's in it.  Somewhere along the way, a human progenitor discovered shards of his hammer were sharp and made separating things faster and easier than bashing it to nothing. 

Prehistoric flint and bone tools

As we developed technology, we also developed art.  Museums are filled with examples of edged tools decorated for ceremonies, for artistic pleasure, and for simple identification.  That knife with the rawhide strings and birdwing carved in the handle is mine! 

At the same time, they have become a source of mystery and snatches at our attention across the ages.  One only needs to consider Jim Bowie's knife in all its iterations.

Open any catalog, and you'll find knives ranging from the simplest to works of art.  I have at least two knives that I carry only to formal events like weddings and funerals.  They are attractive to me, and I value them.

Bad Feather fixed blade with sliding handle

Knives remind us of people, places, and times from which we are separated.  I know more than a few people who treasure a worn-out knife that belonged to someone special.  Most of the time it isn't about value; it's about connection.

How am I going to celebrate National Knife Day?  My favorite carry knife, a Spyderco, needs a little sharpening.  I'll spend a little time wiping some of my blades with oil.  Others I'll take out and wonder about. 

CRKT's Taco Viper

Enjoy your Knife Day.

 

Get Your Knife!

We are coming up on National Knife Day.  Yes, there is a national day commemorating the knife. 

 We sometime forget how important knives are to the story of civilization, perhaps to the evolution of humanity.  I often think early man’s first tool was a stick to extend his reach, followed by a rock to pound things.  Somewhere along the way he got the idea of cutting things and everything took off!

We have been celebrating National Knife Day since 2011.  For some of us, every day is a celebration of knives.  Knives fill our lives both in the physical sense and in our thought process.  Our cars have windshield wiper blades, I buttered my toast with a knife, the mill at work has a doctor blade, we need something to slit the envelope open to announce the winner.  And nobody tried to cut the cake without a knife.

 

We cut to the bottom line, a foolish person is described as “not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”  We like (sometimes) people with a razor wit, we cut the fat out of a job quote, and we want to sharpen the pencil to work a better deal.  

 

Rumor has it the day was selected from a letter written August 24, 1838, by Rezin Bowie, claiming he (and not his brother, Jim) was the actual creator of the Bowie Knife and deserved the fame and credit for it.  Of course, Jim was dead by then…

 

Celebrate August 24 by carrying your favorite knife.  Maybe show it a little respect by sharpening the edge and wiping it down.  A drop of oil isn’t too extravagant, is it?

Remember the proverb:  “A knife-less man (and woman) is a lifeless man.”