By CURTIS SILVER - WIRED
Updated: Tue, 25 May 2010 20:32:02 UTC

Thanks to Gunga Lagunga for the link
Original link

2001: Two weeks after the death of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, fans get together and celebrate May 25 as “Towel Day” in his memory. The tradition continues each year since.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a novelization of a popular British radio series. The books started publishing in 1979. Author Douglas Adams became an icon of humorous geek literature, wrote four sequels to it and, tragically, died of a heart attack at age 49.

D. Clyde Williamson made the initial proposal May 14, 2001, in the “Binary Freedom” forum at System Toolbox:

Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks after his passing (May 25, 2001) be marked as “Towel Day”. All Douglas Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day.

Make sure that the towel is conspicuous — use it as a talking

point to encourage those who have never read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to go pick up a copy. Wrap it around your head, use it as a weapon, soak it in nutrients- whatever you want!

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