A little reason to celebrate
National Drinking Straw Day
History ยท January 3
A look at the drinking straw, the simple tube that carries a sip from glass to mouth, and the many forms it has taken.
National Drinking Straw Day falls on Sunday, January 3, 2027. That is 68 days away.
A drinking straw is a narrow tube that lets you pull a drink up from a cup without tipping it. You lower the pressure inside your mouth, and the air pressing on the drink pushes it up the tube. It is a modest bit of physics that most people use without thinking about it.
Straws come in more versions than you might expect. There are paper ones, plastic ones, reusable metal, glass and silicone ones, and the bendy kind with a ribbed joint near the top. The name itself comes from the hollow stalks of grass and grain that people once used for the same job, and some makers still sell straws cut from real wheat stems.
The shape changes the experience. A wide straw is made for thick milkshakes and tapioca pearls in bubble tea. A thin one suits a cocktail or a juice box. A spoon straw, with a little scoop at the end, handles a slushy drink that is half ice and half syrup.
Marking the subject is easy at home. Pour a drink, pick a straw, and pay attention to how it feels. If you own reusable straws, this is a fine moment to give them a proper wash with a narrow straw brush, since the inside is the part a quick rinse tends to miss.
The bendy joint is the clever part. It lets someone sip while lying back or sitting at an awkward angle, and it keeps the straw from slipping as the drink goes down.
Ways to celebrate
- Try a thick milkshake through a wide straw and a thin one to compare.
- Clean your reusable straws with a narrow brush.
- Look up how air pressure moves liquid up a straw.
- Share a photo of the oddest straw in your kitchen drawer.
- Try sipping through a hollow pasta tube, like bucatini, for fun.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, January 3 |
| 2027 | Sunday, January 3 |
| 2028 | Monday, January 3 |
| 2029 | Wednesday, January 3 |
| 2030 | Thursday, January 3 |
All national days on January 3
Also on January 3
Categories: History days