History of May 4th you may not know about
Many of our Unilife students who are studying British politics or history will be aware that May 4th is an important date in British political history. On this date in 1926, the UK General Strike commenced. On May 4th 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first female UK Prime Minister, and on this date in 2000, Ken Livingston became the first Mayor of London.
May 4th Be With You!
The significance of this date for a far larger audience all around the globe, and it has absolutely nothing to do with political history! May 4th is the annual commemorative day on which millions of fans around the world celebrate the epic output of George Lucas' Star Wars space fantasy media franchise.
Known to many as 'Star Wars Day', May 4th celebrates what started as a single film called Star Wars. It is produced by American producer – George Lucas, and released in 1977, and has expanded into a fictional cult phenomenon, with film sequels, prequels, a TV series, novels, comic books and video games. Indeed, many fans of the Star Wars films and its spin-off media and merchandise attend Star Wars conventions, and some have set up Star Wars online chatrooms, clubs and social media groups, with thousands of worldwide followers.
The date of May 4th for "Star Wars Day" was chosen as a take on the 1977 film's famous line "May the Force be with you" to replace "May 4th be with you" and is used as a greeting by Star Wars fans around the world. This date has been embraced by Lucasfilm (the Star Wars founder's original company) and its parent company, Walt Disney, as an annual celebration of Star Wars; celebratory events and festivities are held at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, annually.
Unilife
Here at Unilife, if it was not for the "Social Distancing", we'll be getting into the spirit of Star Wars and showing a selection of the epic films on our big screen in the communal area. Unilife regularly hosts 'movie nights', it is when we screen brand new releases, handing out free popcorn and snacks as our students recline in our comfy lounge sofas. It is part of the social events we organise for our students.
We're delighted to see that Star Wars fans around the world will be staging their celebrations on Monday. Rumour has it (according to his social media profiles) that our own Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, marks the day every year, although this year he might be a little busy trying to sort out the COVID-19 and tending to his newborn baby boy.
In 2015, astronauts in the International Space Station watched the Star Wars film on this special day – which truly goes to show how this franchise's popularity transcends not just countries but also extends into space!
The finale season of the long-running 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' TV series was aired this Monday, May 4th, on Disney+. We hope you are watching it in the comfort of our Unilife ultimate living accommodation in Portsmouth, Winchester and Southampton.
Why not watch The Clone Wars TV series finale and let us know what you thought about it on our Facebook page? Rate it out of 10 and say what you liked/didn't like about it. We'll publish all reviews posted and reply to you with our thoughts.
