20 May is Eliza Doolittle Day established to honor Miss Doolittle (heroine of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion) for demonstrating the importance and the advantage of speaking ones native language properly.
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On 20 May 1862, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which took effect on 1 January 1863, and opened up the West to settlers in the United States.
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21 May 1927 is the anniversary of the first solo transatlantic flight. Captain Charles Augustus Lindbergh, 25-year-old aviator, departed from rainy, muddy Roosevelt Field, Long Island, NY, alone at 7: 52AM, 20 May 1927, in a Ryan monoplane named Spirit of St. Louis. He landed at Le Bourget airfield, Paris, France, at 10: 24 PM, Paris time (5: 24 PM, NY time), 21 May winning a $ 25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig for the first nonstop flight between New York City and Paris (3,600 miles). The flying fool, as he had been dubbed by some doubters, became Lucky Lindy, an instant world hero.
National Bike to Work Day raises awareness for bicycle safety and encourages the use of biking for transportation.
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Anniversary of international treaty, signed 20 May 1875, providing for the establishment of an International Bureau of Weights and Measures. The bureau was founded on international territory at Svres, France.
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21 May 1881 marks the founding of the American Red Cross by Clara Barton, its first president. The Red Cross had been founded in Switzerland in 1864 by representatives from 16 European nations. It is a not-for-profit organization governed and directed by volunteers and provides disaster relief at home and abroad. Its 1.1 million volunteers are involved in community services such as collecting and distributing donated blood and blood products, teaching health and safety classes and acting as a medium for emergency communication between Americans and their armed forces.
National Learn to Swim Day is a nationwide campaign designed to raise awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim. It takes place annually on the Saturday the week before the unofficial start of summer: Memorial Day weekend. Families nationwide are invited to participate by attending a local event, teaching their children to swim with at-home instruction, visiting a community pool as a family or enrolling children in swim lessons at a local facility.
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National Waitstaff Day recognizes all waiters and waitresses in the food service industry.
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Born 21 May 1909 at Massing, Bavaria, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel attended Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts. She entered Siessen Convent, run by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and began teaching art to kindergarten children. In 1934 Franz Goebel obtained an exclusive license to translate her drawings into three-dimensional figurines. The first M.I. Hummel figurines were displayed at the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1935;they made their first appearance in the American market in May 1935. She died 6 November 1946, at Siessen, Germany. Many M.I. Hummel Clubs across the country commemorate her birth date with special events and fund-raisers for local charities.
Photo by Daniel Nicoletta
Harvey Milk as Mayor for a Day
March 7, 1978
When Harvey was acting mayor for one of the days that Mayor George Moscone had to be out of town, it was like the marx brothers in the mayors office.. when I can in to photograph harvey that day i was greeted by harvey with an option of recieving any commission my heart desired, and in the background Jim Rivaldo some other friends Harvey’s were having fun playing with the mayors paper shredding machine which was built into his huge wooden desk.
Day celebrating the life story, message and legacy of civil rights leader Harvey Milk (1930 78). Annually, May 22.
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On 22 May 1967, Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers began hosting this long-running PBS children’s program. Puppets and human characters interacted in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Rogers voiced many of the puppets and educated young viewers on a variety of important subjects. The last episodes of the program were made in 2001. Almost 1,000 episodes were produced over the shows history. Rogers died in 2003.
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May 22 28. History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes and rip currents. The National Weather Service is responsible for protecting life and property through issuance of timely watches and warnings, but it is essential that everyone be ready before a storm approaches. Furthermore, mariners should be aware of special safety precautions when confronted with a hurricane. Preparedness guide available at the website.
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National Maritime Day celebrates all things nautical. The anniversary of the first transatlantic steamship crossing with departure on May 22, 1819 from Savannah, Georgia to Liverpool, England.
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May 22. African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum, Washington, DC. On May 22, 1863, Congress established the Bureau of United States Colored Troops with the express purpose of providing uniforms and training to and deploying soldiers of African descent. By the end of the Civil War the United States Colored Troops (USCT) had more than200,000 soldiers of African descent, but also employed Native Americans, Hawaiians, Latinos and Anglos. While most of the USCT officers were white, there were more than 120 African-American officers and some of Latino descent. Each year the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum commemorates the founding of the Bureau of United States Colored Troops with public and educational programming.
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On 23 May 1934, the two-year crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, bank robbers accused of at least 12 murders, came to an end when a law enforcement posse led by Frank Hamer opened fire on the couple in an ambush at Gibsland, Louisiana. The couple had operated in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana and other states, and had sent ballads to local newspapers chronicling their exploits, making them two of the most notorious and romanticized of many Depression-era gangsters. Some 20,000 people lined up to see the body of Clyde Barrow put on display in a mortuary in downtown Dallas, Texas.
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May 24, 1883. Nearly 14 years in construction, the $16 million Brooklyn Bridge over the East River opened. Designed by John A. Roebling, the steel suspension bridge has a span of 1,595 feet.
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Celebration of brotherhood for biological brothers, fraternity brothers and brothers bonded by union affiliation or lifetime experiences.
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The first game under lights” was played in Cincinnati
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May 24, 1844. The first US telegraph line was formally opened between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first officially telegraphed words What hath God wrought? from the Capitol building to Baltimore. Earlier messages had been sent along the historic line during testing, and one, sent May 1 from a meeting in Baltimore, contained the news that Henry Clay had been nominated as president by the Whig Party. This message reached Washington one hour prior to a train carrying the same news.
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International Tiara Day is a day for all women to embrace and celebrate their powers of leadership.
25 May 1787. At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates from seven states, forming a quorum, opened the Constitutional Convention, which had been proposed by the Annapolis Convention Sept 11 14, 1786. Among those who were in attendance: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Elbridge Gerry.
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National Missing Children’s Day was created to promote awareness of the problem of missing children, to offer a forum for change and to offer safety information for children in school and the community. Annually, May 25.
To celebrate this unique American art form that represents a fusion of African and European cultures and to transmit tap to succeeding generations through documentation and archival and performance support. Held on the anniversary of the birth of Bill Bojangles Robinson to honor his outstanding contribution to the art of tap dancing on stage and in films through the unification of diverse stylistic and racial elements.
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In honor of Douglas Adams, the author of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, carry a towel on this day and make sure that it is conspicuous. Wrap it around your head, use it as a weapon or sleep on it beneath the stars.
May 26, 1940. The British Expeditionary Force had become trapped by advancing German armies near this port on the northern coast of France. On this date the evacuation of 200,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian soldiers began. Sailing on every kind of transport available, including fishing boats and recreational craft, these men were safely brought across the English Channel by June 2.
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