Friday is Clean Up Your Room Day

The picture of these forlorn children is lifted from Mental Floss's article on May holidays. Mental Floss and most of the Usual Suspects concur on this one: Friday, May 10 is Clean Up Your Room Day.

Friday will also be Military Spouses Day, honoring the spouses of the men and women who serve in the military. Military spouses bear a heavy burden, particularly when their loved ones are deployed.

The Blog of Days hereby exempts all military spouses from any obligations that might otherwise be imposed by Clean Up Your Room Day. It's not much, but it's something.

Friday is also World Lupus Day. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can be fatal. Far more women than men suffer from the disease.

Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president on May 10, 1994. Winston Churchill first became Prime Minister of Great Britain on May 10, 1940, the very day that Nazi Germany began its invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Friday will also be the 38th anniversary of Sony's introduction of the ill-fated Betamax videocassette recorder (May 10, 1975, in Japan). If you remember the Betamax you may still be angry about it.

Two infamous assassins were born on May 10. The guy who shot Lincoln was born on May 10, 1838. The guy who shot John Lennon was born on May 10, 1955. Yes, even our crack research staff knows who 'these guys' are -- but why give them the publicity? ESPN's Chris Berman was also born on May 10, 1955, but he didn't murder anyone, except sometimes the English language.