Hello! I’m here to share what I learned in May. (Also, I’m linking up with Emily P. Freeman, so when you’re done reading, head over to her blog to read other bloggers’ posts.)

1. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Peubla (May 5, 1862), not Mexico’s independence (Sept 16, 1810). In the United States it’s become a popular celebration of Mexican culture, and it’s sometimes celebrated in other countries (Canada, Australia, Jamaica, etc.).

2. The Governor General’s Literary Awards were founded in 1937 by John Buchan, Canada’s 15th Governor General and the author of adventure fiction like The Thirty-Nine Steps. A complete collection of the winning titles (over 550) resides in the library at Rideau Hall.

3. The most children born to one mother was 69 (16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets)! She lived in Russia in the 18th century. Guiness World Records shares contemporary accounts of the unlikely story here.

4. These Hungarian pigs (Mangalicas) look like sheep!

5. Today’s supermarket chickens are a product of the Chicken of Tomorrow contest held in 1948. Read more here.

6. Yo-yos used to be called bandalores.

What did you learn in May?