The origin of Houston's 713 Day
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DJ Jimbo, third from the left on the top row, poses with his fellow "Madd Hatta Morning Show" colleagues circa 2010. Photo: Courtesy of Jim Kovacik
A happy 713 Day to all who celebrate!
Driving the news: July 13 marks the day we've chosen to celebrate Houston's original area code: 713. Why it's such a popular holiday is anyone's guess, but it's a day full of deals, events and Bayou City spirit that only comes once a year.
Flashback: The day's significance was allegedly invented by former Houston radio DJ Jimbo — also known as Jim Kovacik — in the early 2010s, he says.
Of note: Years after its supposed founding, Houston has indeed taken off with the idea — so much so that the mayor's office now calls 713 Day "one of Houston's most significant days of the year."
The intrigue: Kovacik staked his claim to the creation of the day in a detailed account he posted to Facebook on 713 Day in 2021.
- In the post, he says he was playing his wild Bishop Beazy character on 97.9 The Box's "Madd Hatta Morning Show" when he came up with the idea to celebrate special days in Houston that line up with numbers on the calendar.
- "The first crop of this bit included 7-1-3 (July 13th) Day — a day to celebrate all things Houston," he wrote. "This would be a recurring bit …. Pure nonsense, but funny."
Kovacik, who now oversees several radio stations in Lubbock and owns his own podcast company, tells Axios he would come up with more fun days to celebrate — like Loop 610 Day on June 10 or Acres Homes Day on April 4 to commemorate Metro's 44 line through the neighborhood.
Go deeper: Fellow "Madd Hatta Morning Show" DJ Jmac, AKA James Garrett, corroborated Kovacik's story to Axios.
- "Jimbo used to use area codes and make up all these days, and 713 just happened to be one of those days," Garrett said. "What's so funny about it is, at the beginning, we were the only people celebrating it on the 'Madd Hatta Morning Show.'"
What they're saying: "It started with a seed of 713 Day and just grew from there," Kovacik tells Axios. "I really don't care who claims it so long as it's a celebration of Houston."
The bottom line: On this most special of 713 Days, hopefully you can now impress your friends with this bit of Houston trivia.