Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog obam here. The first time the phrase may the fourth be with You appeared in the world was in nineteen seventy nine, just a smidge less than two years after what's now known as Star Wars
Episode four A New Hope premiered. May four of nineteen seventy nine was the day that Britain's first female Prime Minister was elected to that office, and the phrase appeared in a newspaper ad congratulating Margaret Thatcher on her historic victory. But that seems like a long time ago in a
galaxy far far away. Since then, there have been eight additional movies in the Skywalker Saga alone, plus other films, a holiday special, animated and live action television series, video games, books and on and on, and now May fourth is something of an international Star Wars holiday. May has traded no only been a month for Star Wars. The first six films in the Skywalker Saga all debuted in May during their years of release. It's also the month that
boasts the birthday of the creator himself, George Lucas. On May fourteen, a compelling argument was made at one point by Star Wars fans that May would be the best to day for a Star Wars day, as it's the date that a new hope was originally released in nine, but that idea never quite gained traction. It was the Internet and social media that eventually revived the May the fourth be with You word play. In the twenty teens, fans across platforms began talking about May fourth as Star
Wars Day and tagging posts as such. They've used it as an excuse to watch the movies all over again if you need such an excuse, and to talk about it under unified hashtags like May the four before the article. This episode is based on How Stuff Work. Spoke by email back in with Amy Ratcliffe, a writer for Star Wars dot com um and a correspondent for The Nartist. She said that the best thing about this new holiday
is that there's no set way to celebrate quote. I've seen fans throw special parties with themed food and cocktails for the occasion. I've seen fans gather at restaurants, bars, and comic book shops. I've seen fans head to Disney parks to celebrate with special events or by riding Star tours. Since there are no official guidelines for the holiday, there's no wrong way to celebrate it. To that end, other organizations have gotten in on the festivities to support great causes.
For instance, Rancho Obiwan, a Star Wars museum run by former Lucasfilm head of fan Relations Steve Sansweet, has used this week to highlight a fundraiser for their Education and Preservation Mission, and the US Rebel Alliance, an organization created by fan activist Andrew Slack, has used the day to talk about the importance of mentors and teachers by way
of Yoda, using the hashtag teach me You did. They've tried to make the Hall Day an opportunity to honor the teachers of our lives, and for many, Star Wars itself is that teacher. However, people celebrate. It's good news for Disney and Lucasfilm as it's essentially free publicity, a Ratcliffe said, and the holiday has gained traction in the media in the last five or so years, to the point where even people who don't know Star Wars, like my mom, will text me to say May the Fourth
be with you. Of course, the owners of Star Wars and their merchandising partners get in on this celebration as well. The sales on every type of Star Wars merchandise available abound on May fourth, and let's be honest, it wouldn't be a true American holiday without this feature. But however you decide to celebrate, one thing is certain. The fourth
will be with you always. Today's episode is based on the article why exactly is May fourth a Star Wars Holiday on how stuff works dot com written by Brian Um. To hear more from Brian about Star Wars, check out his podcast Full of Sith, also co hosted by Holly Fry of Stuff You Missed in History Class. Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with has
stuffworks dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.