National Handwriting Day: January 23

Originally introduced by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977 to promote the sale of writing materials, National Handwriting Day has become an opportunity to celebrate manuscript and cursive—and remind ourselves why it’s so important for students’ literacy development!

Why January 23?
The twenty-third of January is John Hancock’s birthday. Hancock is best known as having the first and most prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence, and signatures are often referred to as a “John Hancock” as a result. Hancock was president of the Continental Congress and his signature served to validate the final version of the document in 1776.

Such signatures are important today—they are used to verify official documents and provide proof of identification. There are only so many fonts to choose from.