Cinco de Mayo , (Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a yearly celebration
held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 which was led by General
Ignacio Zaragoza.
Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín (1829 – 1862)
Anonymous paintings depicting the Battle of Puebla.
On April 8, 1993, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off from
the Kennedy Space Center. On board was astronaut Ellen
Ochoa, soon to become the first Hispanic woman in space.
Ochoa started at NASA in 1988 after receiving a doctorate
in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Two
years later, she was selected as an astronaut.
On April 9, 1962, Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno become the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar, for her role of Anita in West Side
Story (1961).
Moreno, who was born in Puerto Rico in 1931 and grew up in Long Island, New York, began acting at a young age, landing her first Broadway role at the age of 13. She will turn 91 in December.
