Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In the US, Cinco de Mayo is most commonly known as a day to eat fajitas and drink Coronas and margaritas. Many Americans mistake Cinco de Mayo as Mexican Independence Day.

It's not. It's a day commemorating the victory of 4000 Mexican soliders over a French army of 8000 in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. It's not even really considered that big of a holiday in Mexico. It's us crazy Gringos north of the border that feel the need to celebrate it.

But that's not the only thing that ever happened on May 5.

Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on the island of St. Helena in 1821.

Bob Fosse's baseball musical "Damn Yankees" opened on Broadway in 1955.

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr because the first American space traveler in a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral on this day in 1961.

My brother felt the need to point out that political theorist and author of "Communist Manifesto" Karl Marx would be 192 today.

Of more interest to me is that Nellie Bly, groundbreaking female newspaper writer who challenged herself in an around-the-world race, was born on this day in 1864. (She would be 146.)

Today is also the birthday of R&B singer Chris Brown (21), 2009 Grammy-winning Best New Artist Adele (22), rap, R&B, and pop star Craig David (29), former Family Ties actress Tina Yothers (37), NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams (51), First Lady of County Music Tammy Wynette (68), Brady Bunch housekeeper (Alice) Ann B. Davis (84).

Oh yeah. And me. :) I turned 33 this morning.