May 4 Holidays

Star Wars Day is grounded in the punning phrase “May the Fourth be with you,” a play on the franchise’s iconic line — the date was formalized as a fan observance in 2011 and now encompasses global screenings, merchandise drops, and Disney theme park events. International Firefighters Day was established after five Australian firefighters died fighting a bushfire on December 2, 1998 — their colleague J.J. Edmondson proposed April 4 (St. Florian’s Day) as the international observance, which was subsequently moved to May 4. Greenery Day is a Japanese national holiday in Golden Week, originally celebrating Emperor Hirohito’s birthday and re-designated in 2007 to honor nature and green spaces. Kent State Shootings Remembrance marks May 4, 1970, when National Guard soldiers opened fire on Vietnam War protesters at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four students. A pun, a hose, a forest, and four names on a memorial.