May 5 Fun Facts, Trivia and History |
May 5 History Highlights |
|
Cinco de Mayo |
| Originally commemorating the Mexican Army’s (outnumbered 3 to 1) victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, Cinco de Mayo has become an American celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Today, alcohol sales are on par with Superbowl Sunday and Mardi Gras. |
May 5 is… |
Beverage Day |
| The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. The first Thursday in May is the National Day of Prayer. |
May 5 Birthday Quotes |
“You find the most important thing that really grabs you, and put it right up top. Don’t bury the lead. Put it at the top. The best thing to do. Never go wrong that way. It’s an immutable law of journalism. It just always works.” “Be brave and fearless to know that even if you do make a wrong decision, you’re making it for a good reason.” “The sad part about happy endings is there’s nothing to write about.” “Keep people from their history, and they are easily controlled.” “Now, what sort of person would write a scene where a young man stumbles upon a castle full only of beautiful young women? Answer: ME!” |
May 5 Birthdays |
| 1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher and sociologist, wrote The Communist Manifesto (died in 1883) 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (died in 1922) 1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (died in 1985) 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (died in 1958) 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress 1932 – Stan Goldberg, American comic book illustrator and colorist (died in 2014) 1936 – Sandy Baron, American comedic character actor (died in 2001) 1938 – Michael Murphy, American character actor 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (died in 1998) 1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter 1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic 1967 – Adam Hughes, American comic book author and illustrator 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress 1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor 1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter |
May 5 History |
| 1809 – Mary Kies became the first woman awarded a US patent (#X01043), for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. 1821 – Corsica-born Napoleon Bonaparte died as a British prisoner on the remote island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. 1847 – The American Medical Association (AMA) met for the first time in the Hall of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1862 – General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a French army led by General Charles Latrille de Lorencez that was attempting to capture Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. This was the initial Cinco de Mayo cause for celebration. 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (now known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Pyotr Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor. May 5, 1893 (fiction) Jonathan Harker arrived at Dracula’s Castle, Dracula, Book 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans threw the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball. They named an award after him. 1912 – Pravda, representing the news, from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, began publication in Saint Petersburg. 1933 – The discovery of radio waves from the center of the Milky Way galaxy was announced by Karl Jansky. 1934 – The first Three Stooges short – Woman Haters was released. 1936 – The patent (#2,039,345) was issued for the first bottle with a screw cap and a pouring lip to Edward A. Ravenscroft, Glencoe, Illinois 1955 – Broadway Show – Damn Yankees (Musical) May 5, 1955 May 5, 1961 (fiction) Captain Carl Bell became the first human in space. Fallout, Video Game 1961 – Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, the first American astronaut to travel into space. 1962 #1 Hit May 5, 1962 – May 25, 1962: The Shirelles – Soldier Boy 1965 – The Warlocks, later known as The Grateful Dead, made their first public appearance at Magoo’s Pizza located at 639 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, California. May 5, 1970 Birthday (fictional) Rachel Green, Friends, TV 1979 #1 Hit May 5, 1979 – June 1, 1979: Peaches & Herb – Reunited 1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay was caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism 2002 – Spider-Man was released and became the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office, raking in $114.8 million that weekend. 2007 #1 Hit May 5, 2007 – May 11, 2007: Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend |
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts |
| “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” – Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) #moviequotes “Pranks vs school= pranks win all day” – Justin Bieber Scooby Doo’s full name is “Scoobert Scooby Dooby Doo.” They should rename “DCIM” to “Pictures.” Throughout the course of the original movies, Darth Vader kills more bad guys than he does good guys #GrandMoffTarkin Harold Robbins – Real Name: Harold Rubin “The last man standing” refers to the ultimate winner in most contests but the runner-up in musical chairs. “Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do.” #songlyrics “I want knowledge! Not faith, not assumptions, but knowledge. I want God to stretch out His hand, uncover His face and speak to me.” – Antonius Block in The Seventh Seal #moviequotes The phrase “90’s kids” will always have a slick, retro vibe while the phrase “2000’s kids” sounds like a bunch of spoiled brats. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, David Niven, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig all played James Bond. George Lucas’s dog was named Indiana. “And take your cat and leave my sweater” #misunderstoodlyrics |
More Pop Culture History Resources |
