Red Nose Day

May 23 is Red Nose Day in the United States.

March 15 was Red Nose Day in the United Kingdom.

Both are charity events involving red foam noses sold as part of fundraising campaigns to fight child poverty around the world.

Comic Relief started Red Nose Day in 1985 in the U.K., where it's an every-other-year event and has raised $1.2 billion so far.

In 2015, the event crossed over to the U.S., where it has become an annual event, with $150 million raised in its first four years.

Part of the appeal of Red Nose Day is that it makes people feel good, says David Bishai, a professor who specializes in economics and public health at Johns Hopkins University. "The red nose doesn't drag you into the dark side of the poor, showing you children with swollen bellies. That's not fun," he says. "The [campaigners] say: We understand there's terrible suffering in the world, and we're doing something about it."