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Did you know that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began his career on May 4? What about the history behind the famous Star Wars Day? The history of entertainment is filled with curious events and each day allows us to remember them.
May the 4th be with you!
May 4 is internationally known by the geek community as Star Wars Day, an unofficial celebration of one of the most beloved franchises of all time. At first glance, this might sound strange, given that the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was initially released on May 25, 1977. In addition, it was only recently that Lucasfilm decided to recognize the special occasion and offer new Star Wars news for the fans every year on this day.
So, where did this special Star Wars Day come from?
To keep things short, today was chosen as Star Wars Day because “May the 4th” sounds a lot like “May the Force,” a direct reference to the renowned “May the Force be with you” line. As for who coined the expression, the oldest register comes from the British newspaper The London Evening News.
In the U.S., people already used “May the Fourth be with you” in 1978 to celebrate the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. Still, the newspaper took one more step by celebrating the first day of office of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on May 4, 1979, by declaring “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!” The expression “May the 4th” on May 4 was too catchy to be ignored, leading Star Wars fans to adopt the day to express their love for the franchise. History can be wild sometimes.
On May 4, The Mummy Returns… to theaters
In 1999, Universal Pictures rebooted one of its classic monsters with The Mummy, an adventure filled with thrills and chills led by a brilliant performance by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The movie became a huge hit, followed by a sequel that was released two years later.
On May 4, 2001, The Mummy Returns stepped into theaters, delivering more breathtaking set pieces and some of the worst CGI in the history of cinema. The sequel was also Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hollywood debut. Johnson’s character, the Scorpion King, would get his own spinoff film series, with five entries. Curiously, The Mummy would only land a trilogy, making the spinoff more successful in some ways.
Happy birthday, Audrey Hepburn
On May 4, we celebrate the birthday of film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn. She rose to stardom thanks to 1953’s Roman Holiday, a movie that allowed her to become the first female actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy for the same performance. She would also get four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for 1954’s Sabrina, 1959’s The Nun’s Story, 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (wherein she famously played Holly Golightly), and 1967’s Wait Until Dark.
Behind the cameras, Hepburn also used her fame and fortune to help those in need, retiring from her acting career in 1967 so she could dedicate herself to humanitarian causes. The actress was even UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador from 1989 until 1993 when she passed away. Yes, Hepburn’s movies are eternal classics, but she also more than deserves to be remembered as someone who decided to make the world a better place.