All About The Month of May For Teachers
All May Holidays / Events | Worksheets | Lesson Plans
May Teacher Guide | All About May | Lesson Ideas
Asian Pacific American History Month - Became a public law on October 28th, 1992. The laws' purpose is to recognize and honor Asian/Pacific Americans for all of their contributions to the United States.
National Bike Month - Learn all about bike and riding safety.
May 1st - May Day - May Day is celebrated all around the world. It has been celebrated since ancient times. One custom of the traditional English May Day involves crowning a May Day queen and dancing around a maypole. Each country celebrates in their own unique way.
May 2nd- Space Day - Space Day is celebrated the first Thursday of May. It became an educational day in 1997. It celebrates the exploration of space.
May 3rd - Be Kind to Animals Week - This is a week long event, May 3rd through May 9th. It educates people on how to care for animals.
May 3rd - Niccolo Machiavelli's Birthday - Niccolo was born on May 3rd, 1469. He was a writer and a Statesman. His biggest achievement is his title, "Father of Modern Political Theory."
May 4th - National Teacher Day - In 1953 a teacher from Arkansas, Mattye White Woodridge, wrote a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt who persuaded Congress to make May 4th National Teacher Day. It is now a week long event.
May 5th - Cinco De Mayo - This day honors the 1862 victory of Mexico over the French soldiers. It is Mexico's version of an Independence Day.
May 6th - The Hindenburg Disaster - The Hindenburg was a German passenger airplane. At the time it was the largest dirigible that had been built. On May 6th, 1937 while attempting to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, it burst into flames. Thirty-six people died.
May 6th - National Nurse's Week - This is a week long event starting on May 6th and ending on May 12th. It honors all nurses and all that they do for people in times of need.
May 7th - National School Nurse Day - This day goes along with National Nurse's Week with a special day, May 7th, set aside to honor school nurses.
May 7th - The Lusitanian Sinks - The ocean liner called The Lusitanian was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7th, 1915. There were 1, 959 people on the ship, 1, 198 of them drowned.
May 8th - Harry S. Truman's Birthday - The former 33rd President of the United States was born on May 8th, 1884.
May 9th - Mother's Day - The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1907. A presidential proclamation set the official date for Mother's Day to be celebrated on the second Sunday in May every year. Mother's have a woman named Anna Jarvis to thank.
May 9th - National Police Week - This week is celebrated May 9th through May 15th. To honor all police officers for all the do in keeping the public safe from harm.
May 10th - Anniversary of the Gold Spike - On May 10th, 1869 in Utah, the California governor Leland Stanford struck the ceremonial "golden spike" that joined the Union Pacific Railroad. This completed the nation's first transcontinental rail way.
May 11th - The state of Minnesota is Admitted to the Union - Minnesota became a state of the union as the 32nd state in the nation.
May 13th - The First Settlers from England Arrive - On may 13th, 1607 the first permanent English settlement arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. They were colonists from Blackwell, England.
May 14th - The Lewis and Clark Expedition - The famous Lewis and Clark expedition started on May 14th, 1804.
May 14th - The Founding of Jamestown - On May 14, 1607 Jamestown, Virginia become the very first permanent English settlement formed.
May 14th - Smallpox Vaccine - A vaccine was discovered by William Jenner on May 14, 1796. The vaccine has helped to prevent thousands of deaths, if not more throughout the world.
May 16th- Biography Day - Biography day is a day set aside for school age children and teens to learn about famous people. To learn more and see some of the famous people you could learn about, visit this website.
May 17th - Brown vs. the Board of Education - An important day in history for African-American's. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of public schools was "inherently equal" and it violated the 14th Amendment.
May 20th - The Lindberg Flight - Charles Lindberg made the solo flight in his plane, "the Spirit of St. Louis." He left from Long Island, New York and arrived in Paris, France.
May 21st - Armed Forces Day - The secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, announced the start of Armed Forces Day on May 21, 1949. This day was created to replace the separate days that honored the Navy, Air Force, and Army. This decision came about as a result of the unification of the Armed Forces being one unit under the Department of Defense.
May 21st - The American Red Cross - The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton.
May 22nd - Crater Lake Becomes a National Park - Crater Lake is one of the deepest lakes in the world. On May 22, 1902, Crater Lake and some of the land that surrounds it was assigned as a national park.
May 23rd - South Carolina Becomes a State - South Carolina was admitted to the union on May 23, 1788, making it the 8th state.
May 24th - First Telegraph Message Received - On May 24, 1844 the first telegraph message was transmitted by Samuel Morse. It said "what hath God brought?"
May 25th - National Missing Children's Day - On May 25 every year the missing children of the nation are remembered. This day is also to raise awareness about "stranger danger" and to educate children about keeping themselves safe. Please visit the following website if you want to learn more about the children who inspired this day.
May 25th - The Constitutional Convention Begins - On May 25, 1787, all of the delegates from every state (with the exception of Rhode Island) convened at the Pennsylvania state house for the Constitutional Convention.
May 28th - The Golden Gate Bridge Opens - On May 28, 1937, the world's largest single-span bridge opened. It is no longer the world's largest but still ranks among the biggest.
May 29th - First Person Reaches Top of Mount Everest - The first person(s) Sir Edmund Hillary and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. Mount Everest is 29, 053 feet tall, making it the world's tallest mountain.
May 30th - The Joan of Arc Feast Day - Joan is known for many things. One of the most important is her role in putting an end to the Hundred Years War at Orleans.
May 31st - Memorial Day- Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for all those who lost lives during war times. The first Memorial Day was observed on May 31, 1865.
May 31st - The Johnstown Flood - The famous flood caused by a dam burst at the Connemaugh River in Pennsylvania happened on May 31st, 1889. The flood killed more than 2, 000 people.