World Anthropology Day: Interesting Facts About 'The Science Of Humanity'

World Anthropology Day, observed every third Thursday of February, celebrates the field and the incredible people in it.

Anthropology is essentially "the science of humanity," covering a wide range of topics from evolution to culture and language.

In 2015, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) created what was then National Anthropology Day. But this was changed the following year to span the entire world, and not just one nation, making it World Anthropology Day or, simply, Anthropology Day.

The simple idea for the celebration is to "share the wonders of anthropology with the world around us," according to AAA. In fact, it was deliberately chosen to fall on a Thursday so there would be classes in schools and universities, where students can participate.

In last year's celebration, for instance, various events were held at institutions in different parts of the world such as Princeton University, which held an "Around the World Dumpling Tasting" event, while the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology in Macedonia held an Instagram-related contest for high school students, with the theme "everyday surroundings."

Indeed, as the "science of humanity," anthropology covers a wide range of topics, so there will be no shortage of ways to appreciate the field.

Today, let's get to know the field of anthropology a bit more with some interesting facts. (Courtesy: the University of Kentucky, Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), AAA and Britannica)

• Anthropology studies more than bones and stones, as it also looks at various aspects of humanity such as politics, art, culture and society.
• As the science that deals with humanity, it studies "all humanity in all of its diversity - everywhere and in every time."
• Because of the diversity of topics that anthropology encompasses, there are more specialized fields under it. For instance, physical anthropology focuses on human evolution while linguistic anthropology studies aspects such as how language evolved and the relationships between language and culture.
• Archaeology is considered to be one of the sub-fields of anthropology in the Americas. In other parts of the world, however, archaeology is an independent field.
• There are many possible career tracks for anthropology majors, as they tend to get hired for careers in various fields such as medicine, forensics, education, museums, public health and even marketing. Some also end up working in government agencies, community organizations or the media.
• As a rather widely-encompassing field, anthropology falls somewhere between the natural sciences and humanities.
• Some famous personalities who were anthropology majors include author Kathy Reichs and actor Hugh Laurie.