May Holiday Resources

Lesson Plans, Videos, and Infographics on May "Holidays":

“A day of remembrance: The history of Cinco de Mayo” (video), NBC News, May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWTt-luxw1s

“The Fascinating Numbers Behind the Kentucky Derby 2026” (infographic), Twin Spires, Apr 2026, https://www.twinspires.com/edge/racing/kentucky-derby/the-151-year-pivot-how-data-is-redefining-the-kentucky-derby-infographic/

“Fathers Day vs Mothers Day” (infographic), Statista, Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/chart/30207/fathers-day-spending-vs-mothers-day/

“The History (and Spending) of Mother's Day” (video), The World from A to Z with Carl Azuz, May 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBH368LdjyA

“How 23 Million Flowers Are Delivered From Farm To Doorstep” (video), The Economics Of from The Wall Street Journal, May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TavGPxcMIMo

“How The Fastest Horse In The Kentucky Derby® Was Bred And Raised To Win” (video), Big Business from Business Insider, Jun 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwNogMdG5dk

“Indy 500: By The Numbers” (infographic), IndyCar, May 2014, https://www.indycar.com/-/media/Files/2014/News/05222014_VICS_Indy500_ByTheNumbers.pdf (NOTE: some of the numbers on the infographic are out of date, but most – like the data on the track – are not. Either way, it is still the best one out there on the Indy 500)

“Inflation: How much will a BBQ cost you this Memorial Day weekend?” (video), Yahoo Finance, Jun 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbi1Wp9Ps8A

“Marriott Bonvoy’s 2026 ‘Ticket to Travel’ research” (w/infographic), Marriott Bonvoy, https://marriott.pressarea.com/en/imagelibrary/details/MjAzNDM2

“Math Monday: Highlighting AAPI Mathematicians in the Classroom (2025)”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), May 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/math/math-monday-highlighting-aapi-mathematicians-in-the-classroom-2025/

“PBS Kids: Cinco De Mayo” (video), PBS Learning Media, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O20HgEL0t8I

“Planned total expenditure on Mother's Day in the United States from 2007 to 2026” (infographic), Statista, Apr 2026, https://www.statista.com/statistics/289496/us-mother-s-day-expenditure/

“Question of the Day [AAPI Heritage Month]: What percent of Asian American households own a business?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), May 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-aapi-heritage-month-what-percent-of-asian-american-households-own-a-business/

Economist Blogs and other "Expert" Resources for May "Holidays":

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” Facts for Features, U.S. Census, Apr 2026, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2026/asian-american-pacific-islander.html

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Fun Facts”, U.S. Census, Apr 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/aapi.html

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”, National Archives, May 2026, https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month

“The History of Mother’s Day: From Global Peace to Greeting Cards”, Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, May 2024, https://womenshistory.si.edu/blog/history-mothers-day-global-peace-greeting-cards

“Máquina de Margaritas Heladas” (The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine), Smithsonian National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1294740

“Mothers Day Fun Facts”, Apr 2023, U.S. Census, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/mothers-day.html

“Virtual Bookshelf: Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month”, National Endowment for the Humanities, Apr 2024, https://www.neh.gov/news/virtual-bookshelf-asian-american-and-native-hawaiianpacific-islander-aanhpi-heritage-month

Other general ECON/PFL/Social Studies articles on May “holidays”:

“2023 Kentucky Derby Facts & History”, WalletHub, Apr 2023, https://wallethub.com/blog/kentucky-derby-facts/20836

“2025 Memorial Day Facts”, WalletHub, May 2025, https://wallethub.com/blog/memorial-day-facts/21363

“7 Mother’s Day Traditions Around the World”, History Channel, updated May 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/mothers-day-world-traditions

“Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”, WGBH-TV Boston, Apr 2026, https://www.wgbh.org/collections/celebrating-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month

“Cinco de Mayo Economic Impact: What It Means for Your Business and How to Benefit”, Metrobi, Mar 2025, https://metrobi.com/blog/cinco-de-mayo-economic-impact/

“Cinco de Mayo, explained: how a Mexican battle cry became an American holiday”, VOX.com, May 2018, https://www.vox.com/2016/5/5/11580366/what-is-cinco-de-mayo

“Cinco de Mayo has been distorted into a day of drinking. Denver groups are reclaiming the holiday’s true meaning”, Colorado Sun, May 2023, https://coloradosun.com/2023/05/03/reclaiming-cinco-de-mayo/

“The economics of the Kentucky Derby, in 5 charts”, WDRB-TV Louisville, Apr 2024, https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/the-economics-of-the-kentucky-derby-in-5-charts/article_c02f3300-0726-11ef-bada-bb8d5b3b02dd.html

“Five Key Facts Highlighting the Economic Importance of 5 de Mayo In the US”, Bloomberg Línea, May 2023, https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/five-key-facts-highlighting-the-economic-importance-of-5-de-mayo-in-the-us/

“The History of Cinco de Mayo and How It’s Celebrated”, New York Times, May 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/article/cinco-de-mayo-celebration.html

“The History of Mother’s Day: How an Antiwar Protest Became a Commercial Holiday”, Yahoo Finance, May 2018, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/history-mother-day-antiwar-protest-100053515.html

“A History of the Kentucky Derby” (written by author Laura Hillenbrand), American Heritage Magazine, May/Jun 1999, https://www.americanheritage.com/history-kentucky-derby

“Horsepower in the Bluegrass: The Economic Impact of Horse Racing”, KentuckyDerby.com, Apr 2023, https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses/news/horsepower-in-the-bluegrass-the-economic-impact-of-horse-racing/

“How Cinco de Mayo Helped Prevent a Confederate Victory in the Civil War”, History Channel, updated May 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/cinco-de-mayo-battle-puebla-civil-war

“How Mexican-imported beer helped Cinco De Mayo become an American holiday”, Quartz, May 2023, https://qz.com/cinco-de-mayo-mexican-beer-sales-1850405528

“How Mother’s Day became its founder’s worst nightmare”, National Geographic, May 2023, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/mothers-day-history-holidays-anna-jarvis

“Kentucky Derby 150 could have a $405 million boost on Louisville. Here's why that matters”, Louisville Courier-Journal, Feb 2024, https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/events/kentucky-derby/2024/02/16/louisville-could-see-405-million-impact-from-kentucky-derby-150/72522524007/

“Kentucky in a ‘golden age’ of horse racing supercharged by bigger prizes and more gambling”, Louisville Public Media, Apr 2026, https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-04-30/kentucky-in-a-golden-age-of-horse-racing-supercharged-by-bigger-prizes-and-more-gambling

“Mothers Day – Holiday and Shopping Trends”, National Retail Federation, May 2026, https://nrf.com/research-insights/holiday-data-and-trends/mothers-day

“National Road Trip Day: Frugal Fun on the Open Road”, MoneyFit, May 2023, https://www.moneyfit.org/national-road-trip-day-frugal-fun-on-the-open-road/

“Safe Driving Tips for National Road Trip Day”, SmartFinancial, May 2025, https://smartfinancial.com/national-road-trip-day

“The Surprisingly Sad Origins of Mother's Day”, Time Magazine, updated Apr 2024, https://time.com/4771354/mothers-day-history-origins/

“The Tangled Roots of Memorial Day and Why It’s Celebrated”, New York Times, May 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/article/memorial-day-history.html

“What Cinco de Mayo really celebrates”, PBS NewsHour, May 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-cinco-de-mayo-really-celebrates

“What Is the Ancient Celtic Festival of Beltane?”, History Channel, updated Apr 2026, https://www.history.com/articles/beltane

“Why the Kentucky Derby is a 151-year-old celebration of hats”, National Geographic, Apr 2025, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/kentucky-derby-hats-history-celebration

“Will the 2025 Kentucky Derby break a previous economic impact record? Here's what to know”, Louisville Courier-Journal, Feb 2025, https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/events/kentucky-derby/2025/02/20/2025-kentucky-derby-expected-to-bring-441m-in-impact-to-louisville/78191841007/