Since 2014, June has been Immigrant Heritage Month in the United States, a time for Americans to remember our status as a nation of newcomers. So celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month along with us, until President Trump cancels it! After all, if you're here and you're not fully Native American, we guarantee that either you or an ancestor qualifies! As an extra bonus, we have Ken Jennings of Jeopardy! fame (and English/Welsh/Scotch-Irish stock) to school us about all the things we thought we knew about our ocean-crossing forebears.
The Debunker: Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's "Fourth of July"?
Boy oh boy do we white people look forward to the fifth of May! That's when we can wear sombreros and drink frozen Margaritas and feel like we're saluting diversity! After all, Cinco de Mayo is a pretty important holiday in Mexico. It's like their independence day, or something.
Well, here are few sobering facts, my bros, so please turn down the Los Lobos and take off that appalling fake mustache. Mexico actually celebrates its independence on September 16, commemorating the day in 1810 when Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla sounded the "cry of Dolores" that called for independence from Spain. Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates Mexico's 1862 victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla—not actually an important tactical victory in the war, but a big symbolic boost for the home team.
Many Americans, including but not limited to frat boys wearing J. Crew button-downs, would be surprised to hear that Cinco de Mayo isn't even a national holiday in Mexico today, though schools do close. It actually took off as a celebration on this side of the Rio Grande, as part of the "Chicano pride" civil rights movimiento of the 1960s. In the 1980s, Americans bars and beer companies realized they could take advantage of Cinco de Mayo to create a second drinking holiday every spring, and soon the United States had its very own Latin-themed St. Patrick's Day. ¡Salud!
Quick Quiz: In his 1985 movie debut, what popular character does a trademark dance to the Champs' instrumental hit "Tequila"?
Ken Jennings is the author of eleven books, most recently his Junior Genius Guides, Because I Said So!, and Maphead. He's also the proud owner of an underwhelming Bag o' Crap. Follow him at ken-jennings.com or on Twitter as @KenJennings.