So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.
May 24th - holidays
- Aldersgate Day (Methodism)

- Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

- Bermuda Day (Bermuda)

- Christian Feast Day

- Commonwealth Day (Belize)

- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia in 1993.

- Lubiri Memorial Day (Buganda)

- Victoria Day; celebrated on Monday on or before May 24. (Canada)
National Patriots Day or Journée nationale des patriotes. (Quebec)

- Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Eastern Orthodox Church) and its related observance:

May 24th - events
- 2006 - An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary film about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming, is released.

- 2004 - Communications in North Korea: North Korea bans mobile phones.

- 2002 - Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.

- 2001 - Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest.

- 2001 - The Versailles wedding hall disaster in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster.

- 2000 - Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.

- 1994 - Four men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

- 1992 - The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests.

- 1991 - Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.

- 1991 - Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

- 1990 - A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both.

- 1989 - Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, is awarded £600,000 in damages (later reduced to £60,000 on appeal) after winning a libel action against Private Eye.

- 1988 - Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, is enacted.

- 1982 - Liberation of Khorramshahr: Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during the Iran–Iraq War.

- 1980 - The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January.

- 1976 - The London to Washington, D.C. Concorde service begins.

- 1976 - The Judgement of Paris takes place in France, launching California as a worldwide force in the production of quality wine.

- 1973 - Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords.

- 1970 - The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union.

- 1968 - FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.

- 1967 - Egypt imposes a blockade and siege of the Red Sea coast of Israel.

- 1962 - Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.

- 1961 - American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.

- 1961 - Cyprus enters the Council of Europe.

- 1960 - Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.

- 1958 - United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.

- 1956 - Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibb?na.

- 1956 - The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland

- 1943 - Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

- 1941 - World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Battleship Bismarck sinks the then pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, killing all but three crewmen.

- 1940 - Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.

- 1935 - The first night game in Major League Baseball history is played in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Reds beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Crosley Field.

- 1930 - Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight).

- 1921 - The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti opens.

- 1915 - World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.

- 1901 - Seventy-eight miners die in the Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales.

- 1900 - Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State.

- 1895 - Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted.

- 1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.

- 1861 - American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.

- 1856 - John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas.

- 1846 - Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.

- 1844 - Samuel Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland to inaugurate the first telegraph line.

- 1832 - The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference.

- 1830 - Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale is published.

- 1830 - The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Baltimore, Maryland and Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.

- 1822 - Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito.

- 1798 - The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.

- 1738 - John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.

- 1689 - The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded.

- 1626 - Peter Minuit buys Manhattan.

- 1621 - The Protestant Union is formally dissolved.

- 1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.

- 1487 - The ten-year-old Lambert Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland with the name of Edward VI in a bid to threaten King Henry VII's reign.

- 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral.

- 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.

May 24th - births
- 1995 - Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein

- 1993 - Oliver Davis, American actor

- 1992 - Travis T. Flory, American actor

- 1991 - Erika Umeda, Japanese singer

- 1990 - Joey Logano, American race car driver

- 1989 - Adel Taarabt, Moroccan footballer

- 1988 - Monica Lin Brown, American soldier

- 1988 - Billy Gilman, American singer

- 1987 - Guillaume Latendresse, Canadian hockey player

- 1986 - Jordan Metcalfe, English actor

- 1986 - Mark Ballas, American professional dancer

- 1985 - Tim Bridgman, British racing driver

- 1984 - Sarah Hagan, American actress

- 1984 - Brodney Pool, American football player

- 1984 - Ryan Wieber, American visual effects compositor and amateur filmmaker

- 1983 - Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (d. 2009)

- 1983 - Alan Lastufka, American author, musician and artist

- 1982 - Issah Ahmed, Ghana football player

- 1982 - DaMarcus Beasley, American footballer

- 1981 - Marketa Janska, Czech model

- 1980 - Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer

- 1979 - Tracy McGrady, American basketball player

- 1979 - Frank Mir, American UFC fighter

- 1979 - Kareem McKenzie, American football player

- 1978 - Brian Ching, American footballer

- 1978 - Bryan Greenberg, American actor

- 1978 - Brad Penny, American baseball player

- 1978 - Johan Holmqvist, Swedish hockey player

- 1978 - Elijah Burke, American wrestler

- 1977 - Kym Valentine, Australian actress

- 1976 - Alessandro Cortini, Italian multi-instrumentalist (Nine Inch Nails)

- 1976 - Catherine Cox, Australian netballer

- 1976 - Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer

- 1975 - Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater

- 1975 - Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer

- 1975 - Maria Lawson, British singer

- 1974 - Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian

- 1974 - Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player

- 1974 - Sébastien Foucan, French actor and free-runner

- 1973 - Bartolo Colón, Dominican baseball player

- 1973 - Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter

- 1973 - Ruslana, Ukrainian singer

- 1973 - Vladimír Šmicer, Czech footballer

- 1972 - Greg Berlanti, American television writer and producer

- 1972 - Joanna Wi?niewska, Polish discus thrower

- 1971 - Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings)

- 1970 - Tommy Page, American singer

- 1969 - Rich Robinson, American musician (Black Crowes)

- 1968 - Mo Willems, American author and screenwriter

- 1967 - Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player

- 1967 - Eric Close, American actor

- 1967 - Steve McDonald, American bassist (Redd Kross)

- 1967 - Bruno Putzulu, French actor

- 1966 - Eric Cantona, French footballer

- 1966 - Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver

- 1966 - Russell Kun, Nauruan politician

- 1965 - John C. Reilly, American actor

- 1965 - Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director

- 1964 - Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer

- 1964 - Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1963 - Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver

- 1963 - Michael Chabon, American author

- 1963 - Joe Dumars, American basketball player

- 1963 - Kathy Leander, Swiss singer

- 1963 - Rich Rodriguez, American football coach

- 1962 - Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003)

- 1962 - Héctor Camacho, Puerto Rican boxer

- 1960 - Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress

- 1960 - Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits)

- 1960 - Doug Jones, American actor

- 1959 - Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish hockey player (d. 1985)

- 1956 - Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman

- 1956 - Richard B. Bernstein, American constitutional and legal historian

- 1956 - Larry Blackmon, American singer (Cameo)

- 1955 - Rosanne Cash, American singer

- 1955 - David Leonard, American guitarist, singer and songwriter

- 1953 - Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor

- 1953 - Nell Campbell, American actress, singer

- 1950 - Larry Seidlin, American judge

- 1949 - Jim Broadbent, English actor

- 1949 - Sybil Danning, Austrian actress

- 1949 - Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician

- 1947 - Martin Winterkorn, German automotive executive (Volkswagen Group)

- 1946 - Irena Szewi?ska, Russian-born Polish sprinter

- 1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress

- 1944 - Patti LaBelle, American R&B singer, songwriter and actress

- 1943 - Gary Burghoff, American actor

- 1942 - Ali Bacher, South African cricketer and administrator

- 1941 - Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter

- 1941 - George Lakoff, American linguist and political activist

- 1940 - Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)

- 1938 - Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian

- 1938 - David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)

- 1937 - Archie Shepp, American jazz saxophonist

- 1937 - Roger Peterson, pilot who drove the plane on The Day the Music Died (d. 1959)

- 1936 - Harold Budd, American composer and poet

- 1935 - Joan Micklin Silver, American director

- 1934 - Jane Byrne, 50th Mayor of Chicago

- 1934 - Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist

- 1933 - Aharon Lichtenstein, French-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva

- 1932 - Arnold Wesker, English dramatist

- 1931 - Michael Lonsdale, French actor

- 1930 - Hans-Martin Linde, German conductor

- 1928 - William Trevor, Irish writer

- 1926 - Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor

- 1925 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish-born entertainer (d. 1994)

- 1923 - Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986)

- 1916 - Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat (d. 2002)

- 1914 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986)

- 1914 - Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone (d. 2007)

- 1911 - Barbara West, English survivor of the Titanic sinking (d. 2007)

- 1909 - Wilbur Mills, U.S. House of Representative from Arkansas (d. 1992)

- 1905 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)

- 1903 - Milo Burcham, American aviator (d. 1944)

- 1901 - José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968)

- 1900 - Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954)

- 1900 - Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984)

- 1899 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938)

- 1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)

- 1895 - Samuel Irving Newhouse, American publisher (d. 1979)

- 1891 - William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)

- 1887 - Edward "Mick" Mannock, Irish World War I pilot (d. 1918)

- 1886 - Paul Paray, French conductor and composer (d. 1979)

- 1885 - Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist (d. 1948)

- 1879 - H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and founder of H. B. Reese Candy Co. (d. 1956)

- 1878 - Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972)

- 1874 - Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1878)

- 1870 - Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938)

- 1870 - Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950)

- 1868 - Charlie Taylor, American mechanic, associate with the Wright brothers (d. 1956)

- 1863 - George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938)

- 1855 - Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright (d. 1934)

- 1854 - John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy (d. 1918)

- 1836 - Joseph Rowntree, British social reformer (d. 1925)

- 1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897)

- 1819 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)

- 1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German-born painter (d. 1868)

- 1810 - Charles Clark, 24th Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877)

- 1810 - Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874)

- 1803 - Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist (d. 1866)

- 1794 - William Whewell, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1866)

- 1743 - Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary (d. 1793)

- 1689 - Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician (d. 1769)

- 1686 - Gabriel Fahrenheit, German inventor and thermometer maker (d. 1736)

- 1671 - Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1737)

- 1616 - John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (d. 1682)

- 1544 - William Gilbert, English natural philosopher (d. 1603)

- 1522 - John Jewel, English Bishop of Salisbury (d. 1571)

- 1494 - Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)

- -15 - Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19)
