May 11 Birthday
On May 11, 1927, thirty-six people gathered at a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The idea was MGM head Louis B. Mayer's — he wanted an organization that would mediate labor disputes without unions. It failed at that, but it succeeded at another purpose: the Academy Awards. The first ceremony was held in May 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel and lasted fifteen minutes. There were twelve categories. Today, the ceremony lasts four hours, has twenty-four categories, and is watched by 10 to 40 million people worldwide. The Oscar statuette is 13.5 inches tall, weighs 8.5 pounds, and is gold-plated bronze. In 1949, Siam was officially renamed Thailand. The name means "Land of the Free," and it was chosen to emphasize that Thailand had never been colonized by a European power — though Japan occupied it during World War II. Siam had been the country's name for over 700 years, since the first kingdom was established. The name change was ordered by Field Marshal Phibun, a military dictator who had been a Japanese ally and then switched sides. The country reverted to Siam from 1946 to 1948 and has been Thailand since. Salvador Dalí, born this day in 1904, arrived at a lecture in a diving suit, holding a billiard cue and accompanied by two Russian wolfhounds. He was the most famous surrealist painter and possibly the most shameless self-promoter in art history. The Persistence of Memory (1931) — with its melting clocks — was inspired by Camembert cheese melting in the sun. He designed the Chupa Chups lollipop logo. He was expelled from the Surrealist movement for his sympathy toward Franco. He died in 1989, and his body was embalmed and is on display at his museum in Figueres, Spain. People born on May 11 fall under the zodiac sign of Taurus. The birthstone is Emerald and the birth flower is Lily of the Valley. Historical events on May 11 include 1927: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founded, 1949: Siam officially renamed Thailand, 1996: ValuJet Flight 592 crashes in Everglades, killing 110. Famous people born on May 11 include Salvador Dalí (1904), Martha Graham (1894), Phil Silvers (1911).