On the fifth of May, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the commemoration of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of the Puebla in 1862. France’s Napoleon III wanted to establish a French empire in Mexico. On May 5, 1862, his well-trained army was defeated at the Battle of Puebla by a far smaller force of Mexican militia. The events of May 5 unified the Mexican people during a long struggle to maintain their own independence. Many Americans, especially those with Mexican heritage, celebrate the outcome of the battle with festivals, food, and music.
Every Year
1810s
1820s
1860s
1900s
- 1900: THE BILLBOARD (LATER KNOWN AS JUST BILLBOARD) MAGAZINE BEGAN WEEKLY PUBLICATION
- BORN 1903: JAMES BEARD (CHEF & FOOD WRITER)
- 1904: CY YOUNG BECAME THE FIST MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER IN BASEBALL’S MODERN ERA TO THROW A “PERFECT” GAME
1910s
1920s
1940s
1970s
1980s
2000s
- DIED 2002: HUGO BANZER (FORMER PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA)
- 2004: PICASSO’S BOY WITH A PIPE SET A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR THE MOST EXPENSIVE PAINTING EVER SOLD AT AUCTION WHEN IT SOARED TO $104,168,000 AT SOTHEBY’S. THE PRICE, WHICH INCLUDED THE AUCTION HOUSE’S COMMISSION, EASILY ECLIPSED THE OLD MARK OF $82.5 MILLION SET BY VAN GOGH’S “PORTRAIT OF DR. GACHET,” WHICH HAD STOOD SINCE 1990
- DIED 2008: IRVINE ROBBINS (CO-FOUNDER OF BASKIN-ROBBINS)
2010s
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