May 20 is Eliza Doolittle Day – named after the female, lead character in My Fair Lady. In the song Just You Wait, from the musical, Eliza sings: “One evening the king will say, ‘Oh, Liza, old thing – I want all of England your praises to sing. Next week on the twentieth of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!’”

So in honor of Eliza Doolittle, sing I Could Have Danced All Night, speak with proper grammar and enjoy “lots of chocolates.”

On May 19 1962 Marilyn Monroe sang a birthday greeting to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Monroe sang a sexy rendition of “Happy Birthday” which has become famous and fueled speculation about their relationship.

American film director, Frank Capra, was born May 18, 1897. Many of his movies were wholesome, feel-good films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can’t Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It’s a Wonderful Life. His movies It Happened One Night and Arsenic and Old Lace are two of the best romantic comedies ever made.

May 17, 1875 was the first running of the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is America’s premier horse race but it is also a day for drinking Mint Juleps and wearing romantic fashion. Hats worn to the Derby are particularly fetching. From the Kentucky Derby website: “Within the seated sections of Churchill Downs, you will find hats of elegance and style. Generally speaking, women wear wide-brimmed, “Southern Belle” inspired Kentucky Derby hats. The hats can be decorated with flowers, feathers, bows and ribbons of any color to express creativity and individuality. Men’s Derby hats are generally solid in color and inspired by the style from the 1920s.”

On May 16, 1836 poet Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia. Theirs was a loving marriage and Poe was devoted to her. She died very young 10 years later of tuberculosis. Virginia was the inspiration for some of Poe’s most famous poems, including Annabel Lee…

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

On May 15, 1930, Ellen Church became the first airplane stewardess. She flew on a US Airways flight from Oakland, California to Chicago, Illinois. Church had convinced Boeing Air Transport that having a nurse on board would quiet passengers’ fear of flying. Early stewardesses had many responsibilities. They loaded the baggage, made small repairs to the planes and pushed the planes back into the hangar at the end of the flight. Ellen Church was also a certified pilot. The image of a stewardess morphed over the years into a romantic and, at times, erotic character in fiction and film.

Silent film actress, Billie Dove was born May 14, 1903. She started her career as a Ziegfeld Girl at age 15, but moved to Hollywood and began acting in silent films. She was one of the most popular actresses in the 20’s, starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Black Pirate. She became known as The American Beauty after the title of one of her films. One of her most persistent suitors was Howard Hughes. They were engaged to be married but she unexpectedly called off the wedding.

Motown singer, Mary Wells was born May 13, 1943. She had a string of hits in the 60’s, most of which were written by Smokey Robinson. She was one of the first superstars that emerged from the Motown era and was known as “The Queen of Motown.” Her most famous hit was My Guy.