In the United States, January 2, is National Science Fiction Day. It is an unofficial and unauthorized holiday. It was not declared by any senator, nor President, nor Supreme Court justice. However, January 2 does happen to be Dr. Isaac Asimov’s birthday, so it just kind of makes sense.

Isaac Asimov, 1920 -1992. A professor of biochemistry at Boston University, he wrote more than 500 books, both fiction and non-fiction, and his books appear in nine of the ten Dewey Decimal System classifications. He is considered one of the greatest science fiction writers who ever lived. He was born January 2, 1920 in Russia. He immigrated to the USA in 1923 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1928.

Our international fans are invited to celebrate National Science Fiction Day with us, although our French listeners may prefer February 8, Jules Vernes’ birthday and our British listeners may prefer August 30, Mary Shelley’s birthday or September 21, H. G. Wells’ birthday. SciFi.radio has 1.3 million listeners around the world, so we think it all counts, technically speaking.

How do you celebrate National Science Fiction Day?

Since it’s an unofficial holiday, there aren’t any hard and fast rules, but we do have some suggestions of our own:

  1. Listen to SciFi.radio for the best of science fiction music.
  2. Eat leftover holiday sweets.
  3. Reread your favorite SF books, Dr. Asimov’s I Robot, David Weber’s Basilisk Station, Linnea Sinclair’s Finders Keepers. Janet Kagan’s Uhura’s Song, Robert A. Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy, Thaddeus Howze’s Broken Glass, or Sir Arthur Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
  4. Read a new book you haven’t read before. Or read an old SF classic you haven’t read yet, but have been meaning to get around to for years.
  5. Eat more leftover holiday sweets. Bake more cookies, if necessary.
  6. Watch your favorite SF movies or TV shows: Star Trek, The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951), Independence Day (1996), Sapphire and Steel, Doctor Who, Twilight Zone, or Metropolis (1927).
  7. repeat the process as often as necessary.

Dress code? You have it covered.

The dress code for National Science Fiction Day is casual. Cosplay is permitted but not required. If you want to wear T-shirts supporting your favorite TV show or movie or an SF con you attended before the Pandemic, that’s just fine with us.

If you happen to be lucky enough to be attending a sci-fi convention today, it’s a wonderful opportunity to let your geek flag fly. The important thing is to dress comfortably for the weather in your area.

However you choose to celebrate, have a very Happy National Science Fiction Day! Thanks for making SciFi.radio part of your National Science Fiction Day celebration!

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.