This Day in Pop Culture for May 14

1904: America Hosts Its First Olympic Games

It was on this day in 1904 that the United States hosted its first Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally, the games were supposed to be held in Chicago, Illinois but plans were changed since next World Exposition was to be held in the city as well. As it turned out, the games were poorly organized, and the Expo overshadowed the events. And it was hardly a time for the world to come together. Most of the athletes competing were Americans and of course, the U.S. won the majority of the medals too. (Image: Wikimedia)

National Dance Like a Chicken Day

A favorite at skating rinks and wedding receptions everywhere, The Chicken Dance was written by Werner Thomas, a Switzerland accordion player, in the 1950’s. However, its original name was “Der Ententanz” which actually means “The Duck Dance.” Thought to have been a drinking song, the song got a new name (“Vogerltanz” or “The Bird Dance”) in the late 1970’s. Over 140 versions of the song have been recorded worldwide. There is a story that during an Oktoberfest celebration in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a German band wanted to demonstrate how to perform the dance, but they couldn’t find a duck costume to use, so they used a chicken costume instead and it has been called “The Chicken Dance” ever since.