INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY (June 28)
Ever felt like YELLING through your keyboard? That’s the spirit of INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY, a playful celebration of all things capitalized.
It’s a chance to poke fun at internet shouting and pay tribute to a key we all hit accidentally (or enthusiastically).
Whether you’re a fan of bold statements or just love quirky observances, this holiday delivers with humor and a dash of nostalgia. It’s one of the many weird holidays in June worth highlighting.
When is the Holiday?
INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY is observed twice each year, on June 28 and October 22.
Who Invented It?
Derek Arnold, a software developer from Iowa, founded the holiday in 2000 as satire aimed at overuse of capital letters online.
June 28 was later added in memory of Billy Mays, the famously loud infomercial host.
The History of the Holiday
Arnold created the holiday with Casey Karp to mock how capital letters were used excessively on the internet. It gained traction through online forums and social media.
Arnold noted that most scripts globally don’t even use letter casing, making the Western obsession with capital letters ripe for parody.
The June 28 date honors Billy Mays, who passed away in 2009, known for his booming delivery style.
Top 5 Facts About the Holiday
The caps lock key has been proposed for removal in minimalist keyboard designs, but internet backlash usually shuts the idea down.
Some apps now auto-detect all-caps messages and flag them as aggressive, showing how serious we take digital tone.
Reddit threads and forums have annual CAPS LOCK contests, where users type everything in all caps for 24 hours.
Speech-to-text software struggles with emphasis, which is why CAPS LOCK is still a go-to for dramatic effect online.
The “caps lock rage” meme emerged in the 2000s, poking fun at people who type in all caps unintentionally—often blaming the key.
Activities to Celebrate
All-Caps Day at School or Work: If appropriate, set a rule where all written communication (notes, signs, announcements) must be in all caps, for one day only.
Host a CAPS LOCK Writing Challenge: Invite friends or students to write short stories, poems, or even tweets entirely in capital letters. Bonus points for humor and dramatic flair.
Make a CAPS LOCK Meme Wall: Print or collect screenshots of the funniest all-caps messages, memes, or typos and display them digitally or in your workspace.
Create Typographic Art: Design posters using only capital letters—use bold fonts, markers, or digital tools like Canva. Encourage kids to make their names in all caps as a simple starter project.
Organize a CAPS LOCK Debate: Choose a silly topic (e.g., “IS PIZZA BETTER THAN TACOS?”) and hold a mock debate where all arguments must be shouted—digitally—through typed capital letters.
Teach Keyboard History: Explore the evolution of the typewriter and computer keyboard. Have students locate and label each function key, including CAPS LOCK, and learn what they do.
Celebrate Billy Mays: Watch old commercials or have a “pitch-off” contest where kids or adults pitch silly products using a loud voice or all-caps script.
Related Holidays
- National Typewriter Day (June 23) – Celebrates the roots of keyboard technology, where upper/lowercase keys first gained prominence.
- National Clean Out Your Computer Day (Second Monday in February) – Encourages digital decluttering—an ideal time to clear out keyboard shortcuts, update software, and maybe fix that stuck CAPS LOCK key.
- National Macintosh Computer Day (January 24) – Marks the anniversary of Apple’s original Macintosh release in 1984. A turning point in personal computing, and the rise of user-friendly keyboards.
- National Selfie Day (June 21) – Another modern holiday driven by tech and expression.
Pin it!
Share this post on Pinterest!
