Today is National Middle Child Day

Elizabeth Walker created National Middle Child Day in the 1980s. The first celebrations took place on the second Saturday in August. However, along the way, it has become generally accepted to celebrate it on August 12th. In a newspaper article submitted by her grandson, Litton Walker, III, Walker stated that she wanted to create a National Day to honor those children “born in the middle of families” who she felt were “left out.” The name was later changed to National Middle Child Day.

Here are some fun facts if you are the middle child:

• They are going extinct.  In the ’70s, the most common family unit had four kids or more, according to New York Magazine. Today, nearly two-thirds of women with children only have one or two. As the median family size continues to decrease, middle children will increasingly become a rare breed.
• More than half of U.S. presidents were middle children. You might have heard that the majority of presidents were firstborns, but that’s actually not true. In fact, 52% of commanders-in-chief were middle children, a fact often overlooked as men were historically considered “firstborn” even if they had older sisters. Some of the most famous middleborn presidents include Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.
• Famous middles include Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, Bill Gates, Madonna, Elena Kagan, Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony, Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jr., and Michael Jordan.
• There’s an official middle child wine. It’s from a California winery called Middle Sister that produces bottles like Rebel Red, Sweet and Sassy Moscato, and Goodie Two Shoes Pinot Noir.
• Middle Child Syndrome is a theory initially posited by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in the early 20th century. The gist is that middleborns feel left out and resentful as they don’t receive the same privileges as the oldest or the pampering of the youngest.
• Some of the biggest bands in history include middles. Family acts like Haim, Hanson, The Band Perry, The Osmonds, The Beach Boys, and even the Jonas Brothers wouldn’t be the same without the middle child. In fact, all three members of the Bee Gees — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — were the middle of five kids. And they’re one of the best-selling musical groups of all time.