May the Fourth be with you

Happy Star Wars Day!

May 4 is called Star Wars Day because of the phrase "May the Force be with you." Star Wars film fans commonly say "May the 4th be with you" on this day.

When Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain's first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, her party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News that said "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."

In a 2005 interview on German news TV channel N24, Star Wars creator George Lucas was asked to say, "May the Force be with you." The interpreter interpreted the sentence into German as Am 4. Mai sind wir bei Ihnen ("We shall be with you on May 4").

The first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in 2011 at the Toronto Underground Cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual Star Wars Day took place on Friday, May 4, 2012.

May 5 is known as Star Wars Sequel Day; "Revenge of the Fifth," refers to the title of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

The Los Angeles City Council declared May 25, 2007, as Star Wars Day, in honor of the 1977 release date of Star Wars. A separate initiative for observing Geek Pride Day on May 25 is based on the Star Wars connection along with ties to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Discworld.

Let your geek flag fly!