Daily post that discusses fun, interesting, historic and important events from today's date. Maybe you need a topic of conversation between family, friends or coworkers. Perhaps you need something to celebrate or remember. If anything, you can learn a thing or two, which is never a bad thing! Give me an upvote and/or follow to show you enjoyed this and I'll make sure to keep up with this.

What happened on May 1st?

Dwarf planet Pluto officially named (1930)

We are all familiar with the fact that Pluto was demoted from a planet (it is now just a dwarf planet). On this date, Pluto received its name.

The discovery of the “planet” made headlines all over the world, and suggestions of the name flooded in. The name Pluto was suggested by an eleven year old school girl. This, among two other names, Cronus and Minerva, were among the top 3 to be voted on by the Lowell Observatory. Pluto received every vote.

Pluto was discovered earlier in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. In 1992, it was speculated that it was to be an actual, defined planet, as other objects similar to it were discovered in it’s home, the Kuiper belt. The dwarf planet Eris, discovered in 2005, is 27% larger than Pluto and this eventually lead to the International Astronomical Union to formally define a “planet” in 2006. Pluto did not meet the criteria.

Spongebob Squarepants first airs (1999)

He lives in a pineapple under the sea. He’s absorbent, yellow and certainly porous, and on this date in 1999, Spongebob Squarepants made his debut. The preview of the soon-to-be series was aired right after the 1999 Kids’ Choice Awards. The series officially premiered on July 17, 1999.

The show was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who is not only an animator, but also a marine biologist. He worked on it using ideas from his unpublished comic book “The Intertidal Zone.” Development of the show began in 1996 after the cancellation of Rocko’s Modern Life. The original name of Spongebob was Spongeboy and the show to be called “Spongeboy, Ahoy!” The current name sounds silly, but to be honest this sounds even worse.

The show was a huge hit, generating $13 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon. There was both a movie and a sequel. The show has won a vast amount of awards, including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, 4 Emmys, 12 Kids’ Choice Awards and two BAFTA Children’s Awards.

In 2011, a new species of fungi was named after the cartoon character. This species is called “Spongiforma squarepantsii.”

Osama bin Laden killed (2011)

On this date in 2011 (United States time, as it was May 2nd in Pakistan), the man considered to be the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, was shot dead. TV, radio and the internet exploded, as this arguably the biggest story in the US since the actual attacks in 2001.

The mission, formally called Operation Neptune Spear, was the planned raid on Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and was launched from Afghanistan. Robert O’Neill was identified as the SEAL who shot him. According to sources, bin Laden was unarmed and cowering in fear and was shot dead on the spot. Within 24 hours, he was buried at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Despite the fact that over 90% of America supported the raid, as well as support from the UN, Nato and the European Union, there was still controversy. One argument was that it was not ethical to gun him down when he was not armed and not acting violently. There is also speculation about whether he is actually dead, as no photographic or DNA evidence was given to the public, despite Al-Qaeda confirming the death several days later.

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Hopefully you learned a thing or two. See you tomorrow!