May 5 in Pop Culture History |
| Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is celebrated annually on May 5th. It commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. The holiday is primarily celebrated in Mexico and the United States, with parades, music, and traditional food and drink. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican-American culture and heritage and is often associated with festive parties and gatherings. |
| May 5 is… Cinco de Mayo (the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla) Hug a Shed and Take a Selfie Day International Midwives Day (IDM, International Day of the Midwife, and International Midwives’ Day) |
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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, 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. 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. 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 pour lip to Edward A. Ravenscroft in Glencoe, Illinois 1955 – Damn Yankees (Broadway Musical) Opened on May 5, 1955, and closed on October 12, 1957 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 at 639 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, California. 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 2025 – May 5, 2025, is a Square Root Day – 5/5/25 |
