Saturday, September 5, 2026, is National Be Late for Something Day—the rare day when showing up on time means you may be doing it wrong.

Today’s stories involve official paperwork for facial hair, a parade that nearly started without any marchers, and a literary legend that leaves out six years of rewriting.

Today we explore Peter the Great’s attempt to shave Russia, the jewelers who rescued America’s first Labor Day parade, and the 120-foot scroll behind Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

Along the way, we meet birthday boy Michael Keaton, who worked on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, became Batman, and built his career under a randomly selected last name.

Sometimes history looks carefully planned only because we don’t see all the improvising that happened behind it.