Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! May 26 is Sally Ride Day

We can't take credit for it, of course, but last year we suggested Sally Ride Day as a worthy celebration for May 26 and this year a number of the Usual Suspects proclaim tomorrow to be Sally Ride Day.

Sally Ride, if you don't remember, was the first American woman to fly in space. That's Dr. Ride at left, on board Challenger during her first space mission, STS-7, in 1983. (Ride rode Challenger into orbit again, in 1984, as part of the crew of STS-41-G.) Unfortunately, Dr. Ride passed away last July.

Al Jolson was born Asa Yoelson on May 26, 1886, in a little town that is now in Lithuania. He died in 1950. Jolson never flew in space, but he was the star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer. George Jessel never forgave him.

In Australia, Sunday is National Sorry Day. All over the world, Sunday is Bob Day, a celebration of the regular guy, the guy next door, a day to honor all the guys who are just plain Bob. In Indianapolis, Indiana, they also run some sort of automobile race.