May 24 in Pop Culture History

May 24 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

May 24 History Highlights

  • 1626 – Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from the Lenape Indians for “60 guilders worth of trade,” approximately $1,143 in 2020 dollars.
  • 1844 – Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first public telegraph message – ‘What Hath God Wrought?’ through the Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line.
  • 1958 – United Press International (UPI) was formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
  • If you were born on May 24th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… August 31st (prior year)

Mary Had A Little Lamb

The opening lines of the rhyme were the first audio recorded by Thomas Edison on his newly invented phonograph in 1877.

Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go
He followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
He followed her to school one day
Which was against the rule
It made the children laugh and play
Laugh and play, laugh and play
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school
And so the teacher turned him out
Turned him out, turned him out
And so the teacher turned him out
But still he lingered near
And waited patiently
Patiently, patiently
And wai-aited patiently
Til Mary did appear
Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

May 24 is…

Escargot Day
Scavenger Hunt Day

May 24 Birthday Quotes

“I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, ‘Nah, no way, he’s too big, it can’t be true.’ Then I got a call from Michael’s people at my hotel telling me he was interested. But I still wasn’t believing it – I thought they were setting me up for a TV practical jokes show.”
– Heavy D

“There is nothing more personal than your values. What you will and won’t do to get ahead, the lines you will and won’t cross to win, whom you will and won’t step on for personal gain, are at the very core of your code of honor. And your code of honor determines your character. And your character is who you are. Behind closed doors. When nobody is watching.”
– Patti LaBelle

“I view my strongest competition as myself. You’re always trying to top yourself, rather than worrying about what other people are doing.”
– John C. Reilly

“When one of Lisa’s baby teeth fell out here, the tooth fairy left her 50 cents. Another tooth fell out when she was with her father in Las Vegas, and that tooth fairy left her $5. When I told Elvis that 50 cents would be more in line, he laughed. He knew I was not criticizing him; how would Elvis Presley know the going rate for a tooth?”
– Priscilla Presley

May 24 Birthdays

1819 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (died in 1901)
1938 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-American comedic actor
1941 – Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, Nobel Prize laureate
1944 – Patti LaBelle, American singer-songwriter
1945 – Priscilla Presley, American actress
1965 – John C. Reilly, American character actor
1967 – Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper (died in 2011)
1967 – Eric Close, American actor
1972 – Greg Berlanti, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1975 – Will Sasso, Canadian comedic actor

May 24 History

1775 – John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress.

1830 – Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale was published.

1883 – The Brooklyn Bridge over the East River opened, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

1935 – The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in Major League Baseball’s first-ever night game at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1938 – A patent (#2,118,318) was issued for a Coin Controlled Parking Meter to Carl C. McGee of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

1943 – Josef Mengele, the ‘Angel of Death’ began working at the Auschwitz, Poland concentration camp.

1956 – The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland.

1966 – Broadway Show – Mame (Musical) May 24, 1966

1969 #1 Hit May 24, 1969 – June 27, 1969: The Beatles with Billy Preston – Get Back

1975 #1 Hit May 24, 1975 – May 30, 1975: Earth, Wind & Fire – Shining Star

1976 – The Concorde began regular passenger service between Europe and Washington DC.

1991Thelma and Louise, starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, was released. Their car was a 1966 Ford Thunderbird.

1995 – ABC made the announcement that an episode of All My Children was deleted from the broadcast due to the recent Oklahoma City bombing. In the storyline, a character was supposed to explode a church in which her ex was re-marrying.

1997 #1 Hit May 24, 1997 – June 13, 1997: Hanson – MMMBop

2006 – Taylor Hicks won American Idol season five.

2008 #1 Hit May 24, 2008 – June 27, 2008: Rihanna – Take a Bow

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Capital of South Sudan is Juba

Does anybody ever get USB’s the right way up the FIRST time? Do such people exist?

The barman says “Sorry, we don’t serve time travelers here”

A Man Steps into a bar.

You could really freak out historical figures by reading the “early life” section of their wiki pages to them. #timetravelshenanigans

“Show me the money!” – Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) in Jerry Maguire, 1996

We live in a generation where the clarity of a TV is the same, if not better, than that of a mirror.

Think about how excited you would have to be to run across a room and embrace and kiss someone when they enter the room. Dogs get that excited at least once a day.

Stan Laurel – Real Name: Arthur Stanley Jefferson

US President #11 James Polk (1845-1849) Mr. Polk was the first President to have his picture taken while in office, in 1849.

A group of Opossum is called a Grim.

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