National Color Day

Before 1856, wearing vibrant purple meant crushing thousands of rare sea snails—until an 18-year-old student made a mistake in his lab! On this episode of National Day Spotlight, Marlo Anderson and co-host Alice Anderson are celebrating National Color Day. They’ll tease how William Perkin accidentally created mauveine—the world's first synthetic dye—while trying to formulate a malaria medicine, instantly democratizing rich fashion for the masses. Tune in to discover the colorful story behind this accidental purple royalty!