Travelling to space later today?
What does an interstellar voyager need more than anything as they go hurtling through the infinite void?
Why: a towel, of course.
Towel Day was created by hoopy froods to honour the life and works of one Douglas Adams, the author of beloved comedy classics like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A towel...is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. […] More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
On this day, then, fans of Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001) celebrate the author's life and career by carrying towels around.
And they celebrate it online in style.
To all you #Hoopy #Froods out there. Don't forget your towel today.
Happy hitching. #TowelDay #DouglasAdams #RIPDouglasAdams. pic.twitter.com/n5AbAqANVe— Will Stirling (@willstirling) May 25, 2017
It's #towelday, the annual celebration of the life & work of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy creator Douglas Adams. https://t.co/6ZIozQm8YF pic.twitter.com/qOxtzP1VLx
— British Comedy Guide (@BritishComedy) May 25, 2017
Here's wishing everyone a very splendid #TowelDay, from Molly our office pooch :)
— HiLifeDog (@HiLifeDog) May 25, 2017
pic.twitter.com/flOpqNwVCD
don't panic and get ready #TowelDay pic.twitter.com/pEAfszNHN3
— cris (@cjuroz) May 24, 2017
It does feel like it's been a lot week already, although the sun is shining here... #TowelDay #DouglasAdams pic.twitter.com/IGsTcMLBQr
— Toim Saible (@toim_saible) May 25, 2017
How appropriate! It's #TowelDay in honour of the sanest man that ever lived: Douglas Adams. Boy, do we need you now Mr A! pic.twitter.com/lO97NX090K
— amanda randall (@amandarandall5) May 25, 2017
Or pretend to be a towel #TowelDay pic.twitter.com/m1pCBuJRJQ
— Gladstone (@TreasuryMog) May 25, 2017
Happy #TowelDay #IBMTday from Malaysia and my most favourite torn and deeply loved towel from my collection of 42 towels :-) pic.twitter.com/b7EivRpFR8
— Ken Vi Lim (@limkenvi) May 25, 2017
Some great advice for #TowelDay pic.twitter.com/vUFL9EsLKp
— RC2014 (@ZxSpectROM) May 25, 2017