In July 1980 Del Rey Books published Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, by Alan Arnold. In his diary entry for May 4, 1979, Arnold noted the election victory of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of England. He said her party took out a half-page ad in the London Evening News stating, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.”
Naturally, I had to check this ad for myself, since I’ve been involved with acquiring, and cataloguing, published information about the original Star Wars trilogy since 1977, for the Star Wars Historical Sourcebook.
I’ve visited the UK four times in doing research, combing the British National Library at St. Pancreas, the British Newspaper Library in Colindale (since relocated), the British Film Institute and the main library at Cambridge. I unspooled the microfilm record of the Evening News, only to discover … that the ad was published May 3. Not May 4. Not May 5. And the words were different. They were:
“Dear Maggie, May the Fourth Be With You. Your Party Workers.”
There was no statement of congratulations. Why would there be? The election was that day, May 3. There was no guarantee Thatcher would win. The ad was placed by well-wishers—that is, her party.
But she was victorious and she became England’s first woman Prime Minister. The next day. May 4.
No ad expressing congratulations in the British press, at least, that I could find.
Eventually “May the Fourth” caught on with Star Wars fandom and has become an annual day of celebration worldwide: Star Wars Day. It’s been acknowledged as such in California by Assemblyman Tom Daly, in 2019.
Somewhere along the way, a fan produced an ad with Thatcher’s picture, echoing the sentiment that Alan Arnold claimed in Once Upon a Galaxy. It is purported to be genuine.
Is it? I engaged the reference librarians at the British National Library and they found nothing other than the ad in the London Evening News on May 3. Neither did I find it in my own research.
Meanwhile, the bogus ad has been cited not only on the internet, but in various media news outlets, such as ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas. Starwars.com spokesman Lucas Seastrom perpetuated the myth in his article about the fan holiday, “May the 4th Be With You: A Cultural History,” May 2, 2022. He claimed the ad was “full page” placed by “another clever newspaper writer” and published May 4.
Not so. The May 3, 1979 ad is prima facie primary source documentation. The other ad is unsubstantiated.
Regardless, “May the Fourth” is a good excuse for fans to celebrate their favorite franchise.
Enjoy.
