National Weather Observer’s Day – May 4
“Meteorologists have the right perspective. They ground themselves in the current conditions (today’s highs/lows). They briefly acknowledge significant events of the past (record temps). And they keep an eye on the future (five-day forecast). Honor your past accomplishments, live in the present moment, and look to the future. “
– Clifton Anderson
“In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
– Mark Twain
Space Day – May 5
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
– Astronaut Neil Armstrong, 1969
“The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter.”
– Astronaut Sally Ride, 1983
“If you are in a spaceship that is traveling at the speed of light, and you turn on the headlights, does anything happen?”
– Stephen Wright
“There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”
– Marshall McLuhan
“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.”
– Carl Sagan
Cinco de Mayo – May 5
“Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day is also known as Battle of Puebla Day.”
– history.com
National Teacher Day – May 9
“A good education can change anyone. A good teacher can change everything.”
– Unknown
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”
– Mark Van Doren
“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”
– Colleen Wilcox
“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.”
– Karl Meninger
International Nurses’ Day – May 12
“Nurses are the heart of health care.”
– Donna Wilk Cardillo
“You know you’re a nurse if you can drink a pot of coffee and go directly to sleep.”
– nursetheory.com
“Nurses are there when the last breath is taken, and nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although, it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death.”
– Christine Bell
Mother’s Day – May 14
“The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children.”
– Elaine Heffner
“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.”
– Laura Stavoe Harm
“If evolution really works, how come mothers have only two hands?”
– Milton Berle
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had.”
– Linda Wooten
International Museum Day – May 18
“The best introduction to art is to stroll through a museum. The more art you see, the more you’ll learn to define your own taste.”
– Jeanne Frank
“A country that has few museums is both materially poor and spiritually poor…Museums, like theaters and libraries, are a means to freedom.”
– Wendy Beckett
Visit Your Relatives Day – May 18
“Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.”
– Les Dawson
“Whoever came up with ‘Visit Your Relatives Day’ must be a travel agent for family guilt trips.”
– Maxine
Armed Forces Day – May 20
“Armed Forces Day, above all, honors the dedicated individuals who wear the uniforms of their country. Each serviceman, wherever he may be, whatever his task, contributes directly and importantly to the defense of the nation. The task of each one is the task of all the armed forces: to protect the freedoms which underlie the greatness of America.”
– General Earle G. Wheeler
“It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world.”
– President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Memorial Day – May 29
“We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”
– G.K. Chesterton
National Pet Week – first week of May
“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.”
– John Grogan
National Police Week – third week of May
“Law enforcement officers are never ‘off duty.’ They are dedicated public servants who are sworn to protect public safety at any time and place that the peace is threatened. They need all the help that they can get.”
– former Senator Barbara Boxer
American Bike Month
“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle