Holidays Calendar for May 10, 2014
The citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia annually observe Constitution Day on May 10. This is a public holiday.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient fertility rite annually held in many Asian countries, including Thailand. The ceremony officially marks the beginning of the rice growing season.
World Lupus Day is observed annually on May 10. It was created to raise awareness of a chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions of people of all over the world and is very hard to diagnose due to its varied symptoms.
World Fair Trade Day is an annual observance held on the second Saturday in May. It is held by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), a global association of more than 300 hundred organizations that promote fair trade.
Astronomy Day is a bi-annual event, that is observed by astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The event originally started in the USA, but it spread to the other countries.
World Belly Dance Day, also spelled World Bellydance Day, is observed annually on the second Saturday of May. It was created to raise awareness of the ancient art of belly dance and dispel common misconceptions surrounding it.
Bank Employees Day is one of the official professional holidays in the Kyrgyz Republic. It is celebrated annually on May 10 to commemorate the introduction of the som — the country’s currency — on this day in 1993.
Russian counterpart of Arbor Day is called National Forest Planting Day. It is celebrated on the second Saturday in May. The campaign was launched in 2011 by the Federal Forestry Agency and has been held annually ever since.
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness campaign held on the second weekend in May. It is supported by the United Nations Environment Program as well as a number of international organizations.
Many countries around the world celebrate only one Arbor Day during the year. Mongolia is one of the few countries, that celebrates National Tree Planting Day twice a year. The tree planting events are organized on the second Saturday in May and October respectively.
National Mangrove Forest Day (Wan Pa Chai Len Haeng Chat), also known as Thailand National Mangrove Day, is observed in Thailand on May 10 every year. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove forest conservation and highlight the conservation efforts that are underway.
Book Day (Tag des Buches), also known as Free Book Day (Tag des freien Buches), is a German observance held on May 10 every year. It is another somber reminder of the Nazi regime’s monstrosities.
National Mills Day in the Netherlands is celebrated on the second Saturday in May. On this day, may wind- and watermills open their doors to general public.
May 10 is Independence Day in Romania. Although the holiday celebrates one of the major events in the history of Romania, Independence Day is a working holiday.
Confederate Memorial Day, also known as Confederate Heroes Day or Confederate Decoration Day in some states, is observed in the Southern United States to honor the memory of Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. It was originally observed on April 26 to commemorate the surrender of the Army of Tennessee at Bennett Place, but these days, its dates in different states vary from January 19 to the second Saturday of October.
May 10 is National Shrimp Day. Today you have a great opportunity to cook shrimps to celebrate the holiday.
Flower Festival is an annual celebration, that is held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Although this is an unofficial holiday, it became very popular in Azerbaijan.
National Lipid Day is observed annually on May 10. It was created to raise awareness of dyslipidemia, a condition characterized by abnormal level of lipids in the blood, and encourage people to monitor their blood lipid levels in order to prevent cardiovascular disease.
National Chocolate Fish Day is celebrated on May 10 in honor of a beloved Kiwi confectionery item that is traditionally associated with a job done well.
National Cycling Day (Landelijke Fietsdag) is an informal observance in the Netherlands celebrated annually on the second Saturday in May.
National Miniature Golf Day, also known as National Minigolf Day, is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of May. It was created to honor an offshoot of golf that focuses solely on the putting aspect of the game.
The International Day of Argania is a United Nations international day observed annually on May 10. It was established to celebrate the argan tree and highlight its importance to sustainable development in Morocco.
Mother's Day in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico
Mother's Day is usually celebrated in the spring, most often in May. For instance, El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala celebrate Mother's Day on May 10. This is not a public holiday, that is why no one receives a day off, but at the same time it's one more reason to celebrate motherhood and show love and respect to all mothers.
Children's Day is celebrated in the Maldives every year on May 10. This holiday is awaited by children as well as by their parents and teachers.
Festivals on May 10, 2014
- Koroneburg Old World Renaissance Festival in Corona, USA
- La Ceiba Carnival in La Ceiba, Honduras
- Norfolk & Norwich Festival in Norwich, United Kingdom
- Ottawa Children’s Festival in Ottawa, Canada
- Genuss Festival (Vienna Culinary Festival) in Vienna, Austria
- East European Comic Con in Bucharest, Romania
- Marcon (Multiple Alternative Realities Convention) in Columbus, USA
- Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival in Istanbul, Turkey
- Ottawa Comiccon in Ottawa, Canada
- Southside Fringe Festival in Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Canada
- Rochester Lilac Festival in Rochester (NY), USA
- RHS Malvern Spring Festival in Malvern, United Kingdom
- EUROPAfest in Bucharest, Romania
- Turin International Book Fair in Turin, Italy
This Day in History
- 2022 Queen Elizabeth II missed the State Opening of the UK Parliament for the first time in 59 years. The session was opened by Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on her behalf.
- 2022 Died: Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician best known as the first modern president of Ukraine, serving from December 1991 until his resignation in July 1994.
- 2013 The final component of One World Trade Center's spire was installed, making it the tallest building in North America and the Western Hemisphere.
- 2012 Two car bombs were detonated outside of a military intelligence complex in Damascus, Syria, killing 55 people and injuring almost 400 others.
- 2012 Died: Evelyn Bryan Johnson, nicknamed Mama Bird, American aviator who was the female pilot with the most number of flying hours in the world.
- 2005 In Georgia, Vladimir Arutyunian attempted to assassinate US President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
- 2001 Died: Deborah Walley, American actress who is primarily remembered for her role as Gidget in the 1961 film Gidget Goes Hawaiian.
- 1999 Born: Michael Gandolfini, American actor. He is known for playing the role of Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark, which was originally portrayed by his late father James Gandolfini.
- 1999 Died: Shel Silverstein, also known as Uncle Shelby, American author of children's books, poet, screenwriter, cartoonist, and singer-songwriter.
- 1995 Born: Gabriella Papadakis, French ice dancer. With her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, she is a 2022 Olympic champion, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion, and a five-time consecutive European champion (as of 2024).
- 1994 Nelson Mandela was inaugurated, becoming the first black president of South Africa. His inauguration was televised to a billion viewers all over the world.
- 1993 Born: Halston Sage, American actress. She is known for her roles as Grace on How to Rock, Amber on Crisis, Alara Kitan on The Orville, and Ainsley Whitly on Prodigal Son.
- 1992 Born: Jake Zyrus (born Charice Pempengco), Filipino singer who is known for playing the role of Sunshine Corazon on the FOX TV series Glee (prior to his transitioning to male).
- 1985 Born: Odette Annable, American actress best known for her roles as Dr. Jessica Adams on House, Beth McIntyre in Cloverfield, and Samantha Arias / Reign on Supergirl.
- 1977 Died: Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), American film and television actress who won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Actress.
- 1975 Sony released the Betamax videocassette tape recorder in Japan. Subsequently, the Betamax and VHS formats competed in a fierce format war.
- 1967 Died: Lorenzo Bandini, Italian motor racing driver who raced in Formula One. He died in an accident during the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix.
- 1957 Born: Sid Vicious (born John Simon Ritchie), English bass guitarist and vocalist primarily remembered as a member of the punk rock band The Sex Pistols.
- 1955 Born: Mark David Chapman, American who is known for murdering John Lennon. He was imprisoned in 1981 and is still in prison as of 2024 after being denied parole several times.
- 1949 Born: Miuccia Prada, Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur behind the labels Prada and Miu Miu. Her grandfather Mario founded Prada.
- 1938 Born: Marina Vlady (born Marina de Poliakoff-Baidaroff), French actress, winner of the Best Actress Award at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.
- 1933 The Nazis ceremoniously burned approximately 25,000 volumes of "un-German" books. So the era of state censorship in the Third Reich began.
- 1930 Born: George E. Smith, American applied physicist who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Charles K. Kao and Willard S. Boyle.
- 1927 John Edgar Hoover became the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (then the Bureau of Investigation). He served until his death in 1972.
- 1923 Born: Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general, politician, and statesman who served as the 3rd President of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003
- 1899 Born: Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz), American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, and musician whose career spanned more than seven decades.
- 1889 Died: Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian editor and writer, a major Russian satirist of the 19th century. He is best known for his novel The Golovlyov Family.
- 1838 Born: John Wilkes Booth, American stage actor who is best remembered as the person who assassinated US President Abraham Lincoln.
- 1829 Died: Thomas Young, English polymath who made significant contributions to solid mechanics, musical harmony, physiology, Egyptology, and other fields.
- 1824 The National Gallery in London opened to the public. At the time, it was located at Pall Mall. The gallery was founded by John Julius Angerstein.
- 1798 Died: George Vancouver, English officer of the British Royal Navy best known for his 1791–1795 expedition. The Canadian city of Vancouver was named after him.
- 1796 The Battle of Lodi was fought during the French Revolutionary Wars. French forces led by General Napoleon Bonapart defeated Austrian troops.
- 1774 Died: Louis XV of France, known as Louis the Beloved, monarch of the House of Bourbon. He ruled the country from 1715 until his death.
- 1773 The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, granting the British East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade in North America.
- 1760 Born: Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French army officer who is known for creating La Marseillaise, the national anthem of France.
- 1692 Died: Sarah Osborne, one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft in the infamous Salem witch trails of 1692. She died in jail.
- 1503 Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles he encountered.