May 1st

Some random facts about today, May 1st, that I found of interest...

Events in History -
305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor.
1328 - Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton – England recognises Scotland as an independent nation.
1786 - Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna.
1886 - The start of the general strike which eventually wins the eight-hour workday in the United States. These events are today commemorated as May Day or Labor Day in most industrialized countries. (I learned the 8-hr. day was a good thing... especially in comparison to 10-16 hour workdays - 6 days a week! - forced upon people prior to this!)
1930 - The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named.
1941 - Orson Welles's Citizen Kane premieres in New York City.
1945 - A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler had "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany".
1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
1978 - Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
1978 - The first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (which would later become known as "spam") was sent by a DEC marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
1989 - The coat of arms of Greenland is adopted.
2004 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
2006 - The Puerto Rican government runs out of money, forcing the closure of schools and all other government agencies.

Births -
1852 - Calamity Jane, American Wild West performer (d. 1903)

Deaths -
1118 - Edith of Scotland, first wife of Henry I of England (b. c. 1080)

Holidays & Observances -
~ May Day, Labour Day, Workers' Day, Day of the International Solidarity of Workers.
~ Switzerland - official feast of Spring.
~ Czech Republic - "National Love Day" – couples tend to flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss.
~ Lei Day - Hawaiian holiday for the Lei.
~ Beltane, Lá Bealtaine, the first day of Summer in modern Ireland was celebrated by the Celts, and is now also celebrated by Neopagans and Wiccans.
~ Northern Europe - Walpurgis Night.
~ Roman Empire - all-female festival in honour of Bona Dea.

Oh, and it's Judy's birthday! Happy birthday, Judy! :)