May the 4th be with you - fun facts about Star Wars Day

If you are a Stars Wars fan, you'll already know what May the 4th is all about. However, you might be surprised to learn the origins of this unofficial holiday. Read more to learn about the day that gets its name from a line in George Lucas's 1977 film 'Star Wars: A New Hope.'

When 'Star Wars: A New Hope' hit theaters on May 25, 1977, producers never imagined that the film would be a smashing success and go down in history as it has done.

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'Star Wars: A New Hope' made over $775 million globally in 1977, which was huge at the time. After just one movie, it was a cultural phenomenon, and fourty-five years later it is still a huge hit.

According to USAToday, the phrase "May the fourth be with you" actually was first used in 1979 when the UK Conservative political party paid for a newspaper ad which said: "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!"

The phrase was published in The London Evening News back in 1979 on the day when Margaret Thatcher first took office as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Photo: Twitter / sw_holocon

Star Wars Day was started just by its fans and had nothing to do with either of the companies responsible for the franchise.

According to Steve Sansweet in 2013 on StarWars.com, fans appropriated the saying for online celebrations around a decade ago.

After that, a combination of internet and media coverage turned "May the 4th" into a thing that is celebrated around the globe.

In 2011 in Toronto at Underground Cinema, the first large organized event took place to commemorate the day. Fans gathered together to show off their Star Wars costumes, watch the famous films, and play games.

Photo: By GoToVan via Flickr

In 2015, astronauts aboard the International Space Station watched Star Wars on May 4 and tweeted about it with #Maythe4thBeWithYou.”

Image: ISS_Research/ Twitter

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the company also began to recognize the day, and in 2021 Disney+ even launched a new animated Star Wars series, 'The Bad Batch', in honor of May the Fourth.

In 2019 California legislature voted to officially turn May 4th into Star Wars Day, making it an official holiday in the state.

According to Democratic Assemblyman Tom Daly, the resolution was prompted by the creation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, which could bring an estimated $14 million in tax revenue to the southern California city of Anaheim every year. In addition, the day was also in recognition of Disney’s “decades-long record of enhancing the quality of life for people in California and beyond.”

As if one day dedicated to 'Star Wars' wasn't enough, fans had to take the puns a step further and add in May 5th, which has come to be known as "Revenge of the Fifth."

Photo: By Unknown author via Wikimedia

"Revenge of the Fifth" is a play on 'Star Wars: Episode II -Revenge of the Sith.' May Fifth is a day to celebrate the "dark side" or the Sith lords in the 'Star Wars' universe.

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