Category: Entertainment

Looking to send heartfelt mother’s day quotes and images to your mom? You’ve landed on the right page!

We’ve curated a list of best mothers day images & quotes just for you!

You might not have a whole lot of money to buy flowers, jewelry, or gifts. But, a heartfelt text or handwritten mothers day card goes a long way.

You know that home is where your mother is! She is one person who accepts you as you are and loves you unconditionally. Need we say anything more? This Mother’s Day, celebrate the extraordinary woman in your life with our handpicked mother’s day quotes and messages!

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Quotes for Mom

You might fall short of words to describe what you feel towards your mother! So, we’ve curated a list of heart-touching mothers day sayings that could help you express your gratitude:

“It takes a lifetime to truly appreciate all the ways a good mom makes all the difference.”

– Ellen Brenneman

“Mother’s Day is for every woman who holds nothing back… who gives her heart, soul, and energy to those she cares about and still finds a way to love them more every single day.”

– Andrew Blackburn

“Mother’s Day is for celebrating the nurturers, the givers, the huggers and helpers, the day-makers and life-changers… and that’s just what you are!” 

– Keely Chace

“Let there be storybooks, cuddling, and laps. Let there be lullabies, blankies, and naps. Let there be hopes bright as stars up above. Let there be mamas and all their sweet love.” 

– Jeannie Hund

“Moms give us wings to fly and rides to the ER when we don’t understand what a metaphor is.”

– Andrew Blackburn

“A mom is like a best friend who knew you back when you pooped your pants.” 

– Russ Ediger

“Moms just know… How to help. How to heal. How to listen. How to love.”

– Bill Gray

“A mom loves you first. Then forever.”

 – Katherine Stan

“For every dream that has taken flight, there’s a mother who believed.” 

– Jennifer Fujita

 “She’s a woman of purpose, compassion, and strength… my hero, my mom.” 

– Suzanne Berry

Mother’s Day Quotes & Messages

“The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.”

– Jessica Lange

“My mother’s love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters.”

– Michelle Obama

 “I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.”

– Oprah

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“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”

– Dorothy Canfield Fisher

“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them.”

– Victor Hugo

“A mother understands what a child does not say.”

– A Jewish Proverb

“Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.”

– Emily Dickinson

“Once you’re a mom, you’re always a mom. It’s like riding a bike, you never forget.” 

– Taraji P. Henson

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”

– Charles R. Swindoll

“I can imagine no heroism greater than motherhood.”

– Lance Conrad

Caring Mother’s Day Quotes

“In the mother’s eyes, her smile, her stroking touch, the child reads the message: ‘You are there!’

– Adrienne Rich

“Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.”

– Kate Winslet

“The best place to cry is on a mother’s arms.”

– Jodi Picoult

“The best medicine in the world is a mother’s kiss.”

– Anonymous

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”

– Abraham Lincoln

“I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars.”

– E. M. Forster

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.”

– Cardinal Meymillod

“Nature’s loving proxy, the watchful mother.”

– Bulwer

“There is in all this cold and hollow world no fount of deep, strong, deathless love, save that within a mother’s heart.”

– Mrs. Hemans

“If love is as sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.”

– Stevie Wonder

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.”

– Mary Angelou

Inspirational Mother’s Day Quotes

“There will be so many times you feel like you failed. But in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child, you are super mom.” 

– Stephanie Precourt

“My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent.”

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“If I had a single flower for every time I think of you, I could walk forever in my garden.”

– Claudia Ghandi

“My mom is a strong-willed lady. She taught me to believe in myself no matter what anybody else said.”

– Tracey Edmonds

“My mother had a good deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.”

– Mark Twain

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”

– Robert Browning

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

– Agatha Christie

“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall. A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.”

– Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

“Maternal Love! Thou word that sums all bliss.”

– Pollock

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.”

– H.W. Beecher

Sweet Mother’s Day Wishes

“It is generally admitted and very frequently proved that virtue and genius, and all the natural good qualities which men possess, are derived from their mothers.”

– Hook

“One of the most important relationships we’ll have is the relationship we have with our mothers.”

– Iyanla Vanzant

“Only mothers can think of the future because they give birth to it in their children.”

– Maxim Gorky

 “A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” 

– Princess Diana

“We are born of love; Love is our mother.” 

– Rumi

“An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.”  

– Spanish Proverb

“Of all gurus, a mother is considered the foremost.”

– Anonymous

“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ It is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” 

– Erma Bombeck

“Call your mother. Tell her you love her. Remember, you’re the only person who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside.” 

– Rachel Wolchin

“Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” 

– Marion C. Garretty

“A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” 

– Tenneva Jordan

“If the whole world were put into one scale and my mother into the other, the world would kick the beam.” 

– Lord Langdale

“Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother’s love is not.”

James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Mother’s day card messages

“Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you had your mother at your back, you’d be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved.”

– Jojo Moyes, One Plus One

“Mothers… speak the same tongue. A mother in Manchuria could converse with a mother in Nebraska and never miss a word.”

– Will Rogers

 “Ain’t a woman alive who could take my mama’s place.” 

– Tupac

“I need her to make me some cocoa and tell me that everything that is going badly in my life will sort itself .” 

– Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail

“When you’re a mom, you get a front-row seat to the best show in town – Watching your kids grow up.” 

– Rebecca, This is Us

“What would a mom do if she couldn’t fuss over you and make you clean your room? And what would you do without her fussing and making you do it? Everyone needs a mom.”

– Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“When your children arrive, your heart becomes a room with wide open windows.”

– Amy Poehler

“He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark”

– J.K Rowling

“Mother was comfort. Mother was home.” 

– Ruta Sepetys, Salt to the Sea

 “Mothers were the only ones you could depend on to tell the whole, unvarnished truth.”

– Margaret Dilloway, How to Be an American Housewife

“You know every story, every wound, every memory. Their whole life’s happiness is wrapped up in you…every single second.”

– Isabel, Stepmom (1998)

“She’s my best friend—she’s everything to me. It’s always just been me and her against the world.” 

– Until the Last Star Fades

Happy mother’s day card messages

“You showed me when I was young just how to grow; You showed me everything that I should know; You showed me, just how to walk without your hands; ‘Cause mom you always were the perfect fan.”

– The Perfect Fan, Backstreet Boys

“It’s not easy being a mother. If it were, fathers would do it.” 

– The Golden Girls

“Maybe motherhood means honoring one’s mother.” 

– Sheila Heti, Motherhood 

“The woman who is my best friend, my teacher, my everything: Mom,” 

– Sandra Vischer

“I tell my daughter every morning, ‘Now, what are the two most important parts of you?’ And she says, ‘My head and my heart.'”

– Viola Davis

“My mother shed her protective love down around me and without knowing why people sensed that I had value.” 

– Mary Angelou, Mom & Me & Mom

“There is no shade like a mother, no resort like a mother, no security like a mother, no other ever-giving fountain of life!” 

– The Skanda Purana

“Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love, and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” 

– Stevie Wonder

“Mother — that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries.” 

– T. DeWitt Talmage

“No gift to your mother can ever equal her gift to you — life.” 

– Anonymous

“She raised us with humor, and she raised us to understand that not everything was going to be great – but how to laugh through it.” 

– Liza Minellie

Heart touching Mother’s day quotes

“The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.”

– Karl Lagerfeld

 “When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.” 

– Mitch Albom

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” 

– Jill Churchill

“There is no role in life that I swore essential than that of motherhood.” 

– Elder M. Russell Ballard

“Where you lead, I will follow.”

 – Carole King

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”

– Gail Tsukiyama, Dreaming Water

“Little souls find their way to you whether they’re from your womb or someone else’s.” 

– Sheryl Crow

“There is nothing as powerful as a mother’s love and nothing as healing as a child’s soul.” 

– Anonymous

“I think in a lot of ways unconditional love is a myth. My mom’s the only reason I know it’s a real thing.”

– Conor Oberst

“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.”

– Barbara Kingsolver

“Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me.” 

– Lady Gaga

“Dear mama, don’t you know I love you? Dear mama, place no one above you.” 

– Tupac, Dear Mama 

Happy mother’s day Quotes

“Mama said there’ll be days like this, there’ll be days like this, my mama said.” 

– The Shirelles, Mama Said

“Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.” 

– Erich Fromm

“Men are what their mothers made them.” 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” 

– Abraham Lincoln

“Mom, when thoughts of you are in our hearts, we are never far from home.”

– Anonymous

“No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement.” 

– Florida Scott-Maxwell

“Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.” 

– George Eliot

“Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.” 

– Harriet Beecher Stowe

Positive Wishes For Mother’s Day

“My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.” 

– Michael Jordan

“It takes a female to have a baby,

It takes a woman to raise a child,

It takes a mother to raise them correctly,

It takes a warrior to show them how to change the world.”

– Shannon L. Alder

‘Can anything harm us, mother, after the night lights are lit? ’Nothing, precious,’ she said; ‘they are the eyes a mother leaves behind her to guard her children.’”

– Peter Pan

“It’s a funny thing about mothers… Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.”

– Matilda

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Mother’s Day Quotes & Sayings

Alternatively, you could surprise your mom with a heartfelt text message! Here’s a list of handpicked wishes that you could send your mother to remind her how much she means to you:

1. You are an extraordinary woman, and I want you to know how important you are to me. Happy Mother’s Day!

2. All you need to do is smile, and everything in the world changes. What a wonderful woman you are. Happy Mother’s Day!

3. Like the flower that holds its dew, you held on to me whenever I needed you. Thank you. Happy Mother’s Day!

4. Thank you for always being there through the good and bad times. Happy Mother’s Day!

5. Your grace and cheerful nature are an inspiration to me. May you have an incredible Mother’s Day!

6. Mom, I want you to know that your hug is the best stress buster in this world. Happy Mother’s Day!

7. Whatever you do, you do it with grace, style, warmth, and a smile! Happy Mother’s Day!

8. The best thing about having you as my mother is that I am never short of a friend, Happy Mother’s Day!

9. Dear Mom, I hope you never lose your cheerful and enthusiastic spirit! Happy Mother’s Day!

10.  To my number one cheerleader and fan, thank you for supporting me in pursuing my dreams, even though they appear crazy! Happy Mother’s Day!

Fun Fact: In the United States, Mother’s Day is a popular day for Americans to dine out with their mums! In 2018, an article stated that 87 million adults plan to dine out on Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day Messages

1. Every home, every heart, and every moment of happiness is truly incomplete without you. To the woman who completes my world, Happy Mother’s Day! 

2. My heart crowns you with the “best mom” award every year. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

3. It’s the birthday of someone who has taught me everything about life. I can only say two sentences for you – “thank you” and “I love you.” Happy Mother’s Day!

4. Happy Mother’s Day! You have risen above all of the tribulations and trials of life. You are an incredible person to me.

5. Happy Mother’s Day to the sweetest and most beautiful mother. May this day be as bright as you are!

6. Happy Mother’s Day! I’m so blessed to have a fantastic mother like you! 

7. You are a woman of many virtues – honest, kind, patient, understanding, loving, and more. You are the perfect mom, and I couldn’t ask for more! Happy Mother’s Day!

8. No matter where I go, I always find my way back home for your scrumptious meals, your tender embraces, and your loving care. Happy Mother’s Day!

9. To the Wonder Woman of my life, Happy Mother’s Day! Your serenity, support, boundless love, and loving embrace have been the pillars of my strength throughout my journey!

10.  Though you held my hand for a short while, you hold my heart forever. Happy Mother’s Day!

Fun Fact:  People make more calls on Mother’s Day than on any other day! Here’s what an old Reuters article says about this – Mother’s Day sees highest call volumes of year.

Mother’s Day Wishes

1. I wish you could see from my eyes how much you are one gem of a woman! Happy Mother’s Day!

2. Happy Mother’s Day to my best teacher, friend, and guide.

3. Mom, this Mother’s Day, I’m grateful for your pure heart, infectious joy, and unconditional love. 

4. Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! You are the biggest star in my sky. Thank you for all that you do!

5. Mama, you have enriched my life with care, guidance, support, and love. I know I would not be where I am now without you! Happy Mother’s Day!

6. Happy Mother’s Day to the sweetest and the most beautiful mother! You light up my life just by being in it!

7. Hey Mama, there is no other woman I adore more than you! I admire your selfless, loving, graceful, and strong nature. 

8. Mom, you are my best friend and my greatest confidante. Thank you for always being there for me. Happy Mother’s Day!

9. Mom, I admire you for going above the tribulations and trials of life. You are an incredible person! Happy Mother’s Day! 

10. Just your smile is enough to make my day. I’m writing with a smile on my face because I know you’ll do the same while reading it. Happy Mother’s Day!

Fun Fact: Wearing carnations holds a special meaning for Mother’s Day. If someone wears a red carnation, it means their mother is still alive. A white carnation is worn by those who’ve lost their mothers. This tradition was started by Anna Jarvis.

Happy Mother’s Day Message

1. A Mother’s Day greeting for the world’s sweetest mom! I am genuinely grateful that I have you as my mother. Thank you for always believing in me and for all the support you have given me over the years!

2. Happy Mother’s Day! A mother works round the clock. She gets no vacations and cannot hand over her resignation letter when the going gets tough. That’s how difficult it is to become a mother!

3. Through the years, you have been the wind beneath my wings, taking me to places I needed to go. Thank you for being with me through the rollercoaster of life. Happy Mother’s Day!

4. If there is one person that I am sure loves me inside and out, it will be you, Mom. You have seen my demons and the very worst of me, and yet, you still think that I am beautiful. Happy Mother’s Day to the most remarkable woman of my life!

5. To the most special woman in my life, to whom I will forever owe my life, Happy Mother’s Day. Without your endless love, I would not have made it till here.

6. A mom is the by-product of love, the result of steadfast patience, and the sum of strength that no man can match. Happy Mother’s Day!

7. Happy Mother’s Day to my best friend and greatest support! I can’t imagine my world without your loving embrace. 

8. A child is the walking figure of a mother’s love and care. 

9. It is not easy to juggle being a daughter, a sister, a friend, and, to top it all, a mother. It takes patience, persistence, and strength to do the things that you do. Happy Mother’s Day!

10. If there is someone in the world whose love only grows stronger and steadier for me, I know it’s you, mom. Thank you for being a part of my journey. I love you! Happy Mother’s Day!

Fun Fact: Mother’s Day sees the highest number of fresh flower purchases after Christmas and Hanukkah. Here is what Mother’s Day Floral Statistics says about consumer purchases on Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day Wishes

1. No gifts can measure up to the love and gratitude I feel for you, mom. You have stuck by me at my worst and protected me from the perils of life. I love you always! Happy Mother’s Day!

2. There is absolutely no one who can replace a mother. No one can match the love that you have poured into me! Happy Mother’s Day!

3. You have set an example of good character and attitude, which is an indispensable blueprint in my life. Someday, I hope to become a great woman just like you. Happy Mother’s Day!

4. A mother is a well of endless love. Her love stretches beyond every corner and niche of the people she chooses to keep, etching roads of comfort in every heart she touches. Happy Mother’s Day!

5. Nothing in this world can match the love, patience, care, and happiness that you have given me! I will forever be indebted for the life you have given me and the chance to explore the world on my own two feet. I love you, mom! Happy Mother’s Day.

6. Your smile is unmatched, your love is limitless, and your beauty is incomparable. You are a woman like no other! Happy Mother’s Day.

7. On this Mother’s Day, remember that as a woman, life starts with you. So look at the world and smile. For without you, there would be no life!

8. Through the years, your serenity, support, boundless love, and loving embrace have been the pillars of my strength. Your presence in my life fills my heart with gratitude and love. Happy Mother’s Day!

9.  My best friend, my role model, my sage advisor, my first teacher, my favorite chef, and the woman I love most. Roll them all in one, and it is you, mom! Happy Mother’s Day!

Fun Fact: If mothers were compensated for all their work at home, they would receive a salary of more than $126,725. Here’s what insure.com says in its article- Mother’s Day Index 2022: Mom’s unpaid work worth 9.2% 

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When Did the Mother’s Day Tradition Start?

You might think Mother’s Day is a creation of corporate businesses. But that’s far from the truth. Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and Greece. Additionally, it has somewhat of a controversial history.

In Ancient Egypt and Greece, people worshipped deities like Goddess Isis and Goddess Rhea. Also, starting from the 16th century, a form of Mother’s Day was celebrated in the United Kingdom. It was called Mothering Sunday. 

Initially, the day was meant to honor Mother Mary. But soon after, the tradition expanded to include actual mothers as well. 

However, the invention of modern Mother’s Day is credited to three women. They were Ann or ‘Mama’ Jarvis, Anna Jarvis, and Julie Ward Howe. 

During the Civil War, Mama Jarvis would take care of wounded soldiers. Her lifelong mission was to promote peace, care for children, and get women the recognition they deserved. 

After the Civil War, she would organize a Mother’s Friendship Day so that soldiers from both sides could meet each other along with their mothers.

In 1905, Mama Jarvis passed away. Soon, her daughter – Anna Jarvis, took over to promote her mission. She demanded an official holiday to honor mothers from all over the world. In 1908, Anna held a public memorial for her mother in West Virginia.

Before Jarvis, another activist was also working on the sidelines. Her name was Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, Howe wanted June 2nd to be declared Mother’s Day. Eventually, all these appeals did pay off. 

In 1914, the then-US President, Woodrow Wilson, declared Mother’s Day an official holiday. It was set to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

However, things turned awry for Anna Jarvis. Evidently, card companies, florists, and charities took over and commercialized the day. 

Jarvis said the day was supposed to be a private and personal celebration. Ironically, Jarvis spent the remaining years of her life fighting to get Mother’s Day off the calendar. 

However, given Mother’s Day’s popularity today, we can say that she was quite unsuccessful in her attempt.

Here’s a video on the history and origin of Mother’s Day:

Fun Fact: When is mothers day celebrated? In most countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in the month of May.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you got a quote or two for this Mother’s Day! Feel free to use any of the above mother’s day quotes or images to put a smile on your mom’s face! 

If you want to go the Anna Jarvis way, the best thing to do would be to spend time with your mother or pen a beautiful mother’s day card for her. 

The importance of our mothers cannot be overstated. When you face danger, you think of your mother. When you are hungry, you dream of your mother’s food. When you’re in physical pain, you call out to your mother. 

This Mother’s Day, make sure to tell her just how much she means to you with these mother’s day quotes and images!

Looking for an exciting party game to break the ice? Truth or Drink questions are here to save the day! There is a lot that can happen over shocking truths, silly dares, and penalty drinks. This game will bring out a side of people that you might’ve never seen.

Truth or Drink questions are a fun way to connect! You could be anywhere – out for a girls’ weekend, having a low-key get-together, or sitting near the shores of the finest 100+ aesthetic beaches, this game will get the ball rolling!

We’ve created a massive list of X+ Truth or Drink Questions for your group! This list contains questions for all sorts of group dynamics – friends, couples, and acquaintances. We dare you to pick a question from our list!

How to Play Truth or Dare?

Truth or Dare is a pretty straightforward game! If you’ve ever played it, you most probably know all the rules. Nevertheless, it is worth re-stating them. Here are some practices that you need to keep in mind:

1. The Setting

This goes without saying – To play truth or dare, your group has to sit and form a circle.

2. Number of Players

Ideally, there should be a minimum of four players to play a fun game of Truth or Dare. However, this is not a rule that is set in stone! You can even play this game if you are two players.

3. Use a Prop to Get Started

The standard prop used in Truth or Dare is a bottle! You have to place the bottle in the middle of the circle. Next, one person in the group spins the bottle. The player facing the bottom of the bottle will ask the question. The player facing the bottleneck of the bottle has to answer the question.

4. Alternative to Using a Prop

If you don’t have a prop, don’t worry! You can start the game by asking a question to a random player and then moving in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.

5. Ask the Question “Truth or Dare?”

When you ask the question, the player has to choose between Truth or Dare. If they choose the truth, you can ask them any question related to their life. If someone in the group thinks that the player is lying, they get a punishment. Alternatively, if a player chooses dare, you can give them any silly or challenging task.

6. When the Player Refuses

If the player doesn’t answer the question or complete the dare, they get a punishment. The entire group can come up with a penalty for the player.

7. Most Common Penalty

If a player doesn’t answer the truth question or takes up the dare, you can ask them to take a sip of their drink. If you are looking for a family-friendly option, the penalty could involve taking a bite of a not-so-tasty food, etc.

8. No Points System

Unlike other games, Truth or Dare doesn’t have a point system. There is no end goal in this game and there are no winners or losers. You don’t score a point for answering a question or completing a task. 

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Truth or Drink Questions

1. What is the most childish thing that you still do?

2. What is the one thing you don’t like about the person sitting to your right?

3. Who is the person in this room who is most likely to cause embarrassment in public?

4. What is the most embarrassing secret you know about someone in this room?

5. Who do you think is the most miserly person in the room?

6. What TV show, series, or movie is your guilty pleasure?

7. Who was the last person that you stalked on social media?

8. What was the last thing you searched for on the internet?

9. What is the most shocking thing you’ve gotten away with?

10.  If you could have only three apps on your phone, what would they be and why?

Truth or Drink Questions For Couples

1. What is the worst date you’ve ever been on?

2. What is the most negative thing your friends have said about your partner?

3. What do you think is the most attractive quality about your partner?

4. Do you think you’ll always be with your current partner?

5. Have you ever bragged about your current partner to someone? What did you tell them?

6. Who ‘wears the pants’ in your relationship?

7. Have you ever cheated on any of your past partners?

8. Tell us your honest first impression of your current partner.

9. What do you think is the worst quality of your partner?

10.  What’s your favorite memory with your partner?

Truth or Drink Questions for Adults

1. What is the most embarrassing dream you’ve ever had?

2. Name one person in this room you would want to switch places with for a week.

3. What is something about you that people would be shocked to know?

4. When was the last time you cried, and what was the reason? 

5. Have you ever done anything that is illegal?

6. Who in this room has the worst fashion sense?

7. Have you ever lied about being sick to get out of work, and why?

8. Have you ever lied about being busy to avoid meeting someone?

9. Have you ever badmouthed a friend, colleague, or family member to someone? Why?

10.  If you could remove one person from a group chat, who would it be and why?

Dirty Truth or Drink Questions

1. How old were you when you had your first kiss?

2. What is the longest you’ve gone without bathing?

3. Tell us about the most embarrassing moment when you farted in front of someone.

4. Have you ever talked on the phone while you were pooping?

5. How many illicit drugs have you tried?

6. What is the most surprising thing that you’ve discovered about your own body?

7. What would a movie name about your intimate life be?

8. When was the first time you read erotic fiction?

9. What kinky thing have you asked someone to do for you?

10.  Name one person in this room who is most likely to star in an adult film.

Truth or Drink Questions Dirty Edition

1. Have you ever doubted your sexual orientation?

2. Have you ever fantasized about being with someone other than your current partner?

3. What is the most embarrassing thing your parents caught you doing?

4. When was the first time you visited an adult website? 

5. Have you ever paid to watch adult content? How much money did you pay?

6. Between you and your partner, who has had the most number of sexual partners?

7. How many people have you met on dating apps and hooked up with?

8. Have you ever had a one-night stand?

9. Name a person here you’d want to hook up with.

10.   Have you ever indulged in extreme PDA in public?

Truth or Drink Questions For Couples

1. What is something you would never give up to be with your partner?

2. Which of your partner’s friends do you find the most attractive?

3. Have you ever considered breaking up with your partner?

4. Have you ever fallen out of love with your partner?

5. If you broke up with your partner, is there someone on your mind that you’d want to date next?

6. Where does your current partner rank considering all your past partners?

7. What is the one thing you want to change about your partner?

8. Where do you see your relationship ten years from now?

9. Have you ever lied to your partner?

10.  Have you ever gone through your partner’s phone?

Couples Truth or Drink Questions

1. Would you let your partner read all your text messages?

2.  What is the longest relationship you’ve ever had?

3.  What are your fears about your current relationship?

4.  What is the one word you would use to describe your relationship?

5.  When did you know you wanted to be in a relationship with your partner?

6. Name one thing that your partner does that disgusts you.

7.  Do you think the person asking the question is an underachiever or an overachiever?

8. What is your favorite memory of your partner?

9. What is the one thing that you love about your partner that others don’t understand at all?

10.  Does your relationship bring out the best in you?

Truth or Drink Questions Rated R

1.  Do you have NSFW images on your phone right now?

2.  Have you ever sent nudes?

3.  How did your parents give you a talk about the birds and bees?

4.  Imagine that everyone over here is your child, how would you educate us about sex?

5. If someone made an adult film specifically tailored for you, what genre would it fall in?

6. If you could give a piece of advice to your teenage self about sex, what would it be?

7. Name a person here who is most likely to direct an adult film.

8. What parts of adult movies did you later realize were unrealistic?

9. What is the kinkiest thing someone else has asked you to do?

10.  Tell us the story behind your first kiss.

Truth or Drink Questions Dirty

1. Name a song title that describes your intimate life.

2. Do you openly discuss your fantasies with your partner?

3. Would you ever want to have a threesome?

4. If you were stuck in a desert with the person asking the question, would you two become lovers?

5. Name two people in this room that have the best sexual chemistry and explain your reasoning.

6. Have you ever hooked up with someone who was already in a relationship?

7. Has the person asking the question gotten sexier since you’ve known them?

8. Truth or False: If someone cheats on their partner, is it necessary to disclose the truth?

9. What is a bedroom skill that you are proud of?

10.  When was the last time you tested for a sexually transmitted disease?

Read More: How to Spot a Double Sided Mirror?

Truth or Drink Questions Friends

1. Who is the person you think is the most annoying in this room?

2.  Name a person that you pretend to be friends with but actually can’t stand.

3. If your partner told you to stop seeing your friend, would you do it?

4. Do you think your childhood was happier than the average person’s?

5.  If your best friend accidentally killed someone, would you help them cover it up?

6. If we lived in different countries, do you think we would stay in touch?

7. What is the one thing you have done while drunk that you wish you could take back?

8. Have you ever ghosted someone you were once friends with?

9.  Have you ever stolen something from a friend?

10.  Do you ever lie to your friends or partner about being busy because you couldn’t deal with them?

11.  Would you trust your friends with your kids for a whole week?

12.  What is the worst thing about traveling with your friends?

13.  What is the most unpopular opinion that you have?

14.  Do you think you are better than your friends?

15.  What is the meanest thing you’ve said about your friend behind their back?

16.  Tell us about a time someone in your life needed your help but you completely ignored it.

Juicy Truth or Drink Questions

1. What app on your phone do you spend the most time on?

2. What is your favorite memory of someone in this room?

3. What is the silliest superstition that you believe in? And why?

4. What’s a habit you wish you could quit?

5. Have you ever stolen something? What was it?

6. What is something a person in this room does that you hate?

7. What is the worst thing you’ve ever had to do at work?

8. Do you think you are better than the average person?

9. What is something that you pretend to like but absolutely hate?

10.  Do your best impression of a person in this room.

11. What was your first impression of every person in this room?

12.  Name one thing you hate about every person in this room.

13.  What movie describes your life?

14.  What is the worst fear that you have about your life?

15.  Who do you think makes the most money in this room?

16.  Have you ever peed in your pants as an adult?

17.  What are you most addicted to and why?

18.  What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done?

19.  What is the most desperate thing you’ve done to get into a relationship with someone?

20.  What is the weirdest thing you do that people would be disgusted to know?

Spicy Truth or Drink Questions

1.  What was the most publicly embarrassing thing that happened to you?

2.  What is something that everybody does that you think is overrated?

3.  What is the most embarrassing thing you had to Google and find out?

4.  When was the last time you laughed so hard that you peed in your pants?

5.  When was the last time you stalked any of your past partners on social media?

6. Have you ever pretended to be someone else on social media?

7. Have you ever forced someone to do something against their will?

8. Have you ever intentionally misled someone for your own personal gain?

9. What is the one time you lost your temper over something trivial?

10.  Have you ever lied on your CV/Resume?

11.  When did you let your ego get in the way of doing what’s right?

12.  Have you ever actively plotted against someone behind their back?

13.  Are you sometimes embarrassed to be seen with your friends or partner?

14.  How have your friends disappointed you?

15.   What do you think your friends will never understand about you?

16.  What is the one thing that you know would make you a better person, but you don’t want to do it?

17.  Have you ever faked sympathy for someone?

18.  What problem do you think the person asking the question is hiding from everyone but is quite obvious?

19.  What have your friends ruined for you?

20.  Do you feel like the person asking the question behaves in a fake way?

Good Truth or Drink Questions

1. Give three sincere compliments to every person in this room.

2. What is something that you are proud of that most people don’t know about?

3. What is that one bad habit that you were able to conquer?

4. What song are you embarrassed to admit that you love?

5. Which style of yours do you regret the most?

6. What is the one thing you thought you would hate but ended up loving?

7. Which is the song that you listen to the most on your phone?

8. Who in this room is most likely to believe in supernatural stuff?

9. Tell us about the worst disagreement you ever had with someone.

10.  What do you secretly think the person on your left would be horrible at?

11. What is the most annoying nickname you’ve ever been given?

12.  Liking what genre of movie and music would get someone your instant approval?

13.  What is the one thing you would do differently if you could go back in time?

14.  What is something that you never want your parents to find out about you?

15.  When was the last time you got teary-eyed?

16.  What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told someone?

17.  What is the stupidest thing you did as a teenager?

18.  Have you ever promised to not tell a secret but ended up breaking the promise?

19.  What was the most bizarre dream you’ve ever had?

20.  What is the cringiest thing you’ve ever posted on social media?

Truth or Drink Questions Quizlet

1. Is there anything that you said in your life that you wish you could take back?

2.  If we met today for the first time, would we still be friends?

3.  Do you think you are healthier than the average person?

4.  What type of person did you always want to date but never got a chance to?

5.  What is your biggest insecurity about yourself?

6.  Have you ever wanted to date a friend’s ex-partner?

7.  How is your partner wrong for you romantically?

8.  Describe the person asking the question in three words.

9.  Tell us a secret that you have kept from your parents.

10.  If you woke up as your best friend tomorrow, what would you do?

11.  What is the one popular word that people use that you can’t stand?

12.  What is the greatest thing you’ve done to cheer someone up?

Drinking Questions Truth or Drink

1. When was the most selfish you’ve ever been?

2. Have you ever hurt someone because you were angry with them?

3. If your friend was ever in a relationship with someone you hated, would you ever tell them? 

4. Who is someone you wish your partner was more like? And why?

5. Do you think your partner is too clingy or an attention seeker?

6. What are the negative things your friends have said about you that will stay in your memory forever?

7.  Name three people in this room who are too petty, too selfish, and too picky.

8. Do you think the person asking the question can be a good parent?

9. What one change could a person in this room make that will make their life better?

10.  If a person was interested in dating one of your friends in this room, what is that one thing you would say that will make them change their mind?

11. What do you wish your partner would just shut up about?

12.  Do you care about what your close friends think about you?

13.  What is something that you resent about your partner?

14.  Tell us about a time when you lost respect for someone in this room.

15.  What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

16.  What impact do you think you have on other people?

What Truth Questions to Ask

1. Describe two ways in which the person asking the question can increase their attractiveness.

2. What are you the most anxious about?

3. What is the worst thing you’ve done while in a relationship?

4. Where’s the weirdest place you’ve peed in?

5. What’s the strangest food you’ve ever tried?

6. If you could be a celebrity for one day, who would you choose to be?

7. Who is your celebrity role model?

8. Who do you think is the worst-dressed person here?

9.  Who is the one person you would swap lives in this room?

10.  If you had to cut out one friend from your life, who would it be?

11.  Have you ever said something about someone in this room that you now regret?

12.  What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done at work?

13.  What is the most serious crime you’ve ever committed?

14.  Do you think your partner is a bully or dominating?

Truth or Dare Questions Love

1. Is this the best your partner has looked since you met them?

2. What do you think your partner is the most ignorant about?

3. Do you think your partner just causes drama for the fun of it?

4. What is the most annoying thing that your partner does?

5. Do you ever warn people about your partner before he/she meets them?

6. Why did you break up with your last partner?

7. Do you think your life would’ve been better if you were single right now?

8. What’s the most awkward date you’ve ever been on?

9. What do you think your partner should just let go of?

10.  How long did it take for you to get over your ex?

11. What did you do to get over your ex?

12.  Are you actually over your ex-partner?

13.  Who initiated the breakup in your last relationship?

14.  Tell us about a time you wished you weren’t with your partner.

15.  Do you think your partner sometimes takes advantage of other people?

Truth or Dare Questions Embarrassing

Truth Ideas

1. What’s something that makes you angry about your partner?

2. Tell us the most embarrassing story about yourself.

3. What is your biggest fantasy?

4. What’s your dealbreaker in a relationship?

5. Do you have any fake social media accounts?

Dare Ideas

6. Give a personalized insult to everyone in this room.

7. Go out and say, “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom!”

8. Show us the most embarrassing photo of you that exists on social media.

9. Say something dirty to the person on your left.

10.  Call the person you last spoke to on your phone and howl like a wolf.

Truth or Dare Questions Over Text

Truth Ideas

1. Have you logged in to another person’s social media account and read all their messages?

2. Among your friends, who do you think is the most unattractive?

3. Tell me about a time that you pretended to be sad to get out of trouble.

4. Have you ever catfished someone? Who and why?

5.  Do you believe in superstitions?

Dare Ideas 

6. Let me order something from your Amazon account.

7. Find the oldest selfie of yourself and post it on Instagram Stories.

8. Send a video of you twerking.

9. Screenshot your Instagram DMs and send them to me.

10.  Order a pizza and send it to my address. 

Truth or Dare Questions Extreme

Truth Ideas

1. Describe your dream life.

2. Have you ever stolen stuff from your parents or your friends?

3. What is the most hurtful thing you’ve ever said to someone?

4. Tell us about a time when you were rejected. How did you feel?

5. Who is that one person you would do anything to get back in your life?

Dare Ideas

1. Continue playing this game without saying anything to anyone for the next 10 minutes.

2. Let the person next to you wax any part of your body.

3. Put makeup on without looking at the mirror and keep it for the rest of the day.

4. Show us your text messages from the last three people.

5. Complete at least 150 squats.

6. Give a lap dance to somebody in this room.

7.  Empty your bag and walk us through what’s in it.

8. Eat food without using your hands.

9.  Smell another player’s armpits.

10.  Do your best impression of a celebrity of your choice.

11.  Let one person tickle you and try not to laugh.

12.  Tell every person in this room their best celebrity look-alike.

13.  Tell us two truths and a lie and we will guess which one is a lie.

14.  Send a sext to the last person in your contact list.

15.  Yell the first word that comes to your mind.

16.  Try and make everyone in this group laugh within a minute.

17.  Order a pizza for the whole group.

Questions to Ask for the Truth or Drink Dirty

1. If your browsing history was made public, what search would be the hardest to explain?

2. How is your partner right for you romantically? Give us three reasons why.

3. What is something you’ve done for money that you are not proud of?

4. What is your partner’s greatest physical asset?

5. What is something about your personal hygiene that you could improve on?

6. What do you think about polyamorous relationships?

7. What’s the worst intimate experience you’ve ever had?

8. Have you ever peed in a pool?

9. Read out loud the last dirty text you sent to your partner.

10.  Do you see yourself committing to one sexual partner for the rest of your life?

Drinking Questions Truth or Drink

1. When you look back, what was the biggest mistake of your life?

2.  What is your favorite memory from when you were a child?

3. What movie or TV series quote gets you teary-eyed?

4. When did you ‘peak’ in life?

5. You become a multi-millionaire. What would you do for the rest of your life?

6. If you were a part of a romantic comedy movie, what role would suit you the best?

7.  What is the spookiest nightmare you’ve ever had?

8.  What is the nastiest prank someone has played on you?

9.  Did you ever cheat in school?

10.  What is that one fear that you overcame?

What Truth or Dare Questions to Ask a Boyfriend?

Truth Ideas

1.  When was the last time you lied to your girlfriend?

2.  Who was the last person you searched for on social media?

3.  If you could get back to your ex, who would you choose?

4. Have you ever had to apologize to someone for your girlfriend’s behavior?

5. Tell us about a time when you thought your girlfriend was weak.

6. How has your girlfriend changed for the worst since you met her?

7. Who do you think is more dishonest between you and your girlfriend?

8. Do you have any secrets that you’ve kept from your girlfriend?

9. What is that one thing that you’re girlfriend is completely ignorant about?

10.  What do you think your girlfriend is terrible at?

Dare Ideas

1. Show us the funniest photo of you as a kid.

2. Sing a song that you think is the most romantic.

3. Re-enact your favorite scene from a romantic comedy movie.

4. Say, “I Love You” while doing 30 push-ups.

5. Go on Instagram and like every post of the first person you see.

6. Talk in your girlfriend’s voice for the rest of the game.

7. Show the facial expression your partner makes when they get angry.

8. Retell the story of how you first met your girlfriend from your perspective.

9. Let your girlfriend DM someone from your Instagram account.

10.  Update your relationship status on social media to ‘engaged’.

Read More: Can you feed your dog Kiwi? Here’s what you need to know.

Conclusion

Old is gold! Classic games like truth or drink questions are a superb way to get to know people and have fun! The rules are simple – gather your friends and choose a player to begin the game. 

If the player refuses to answer or take up the dare, they will get a penalty! Penalties can be anything but the most common one is to ask the player to take a sip of their drink.

Hopefully, our exhaustive list serves as a starting point for you to prepare your own set of questions. Is your group also in the mood for some jokes? You can double the fun at parties by reading this 300+ Hilarious Knock Knock Jokes article.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Day was born. The month of May is a big deal for Star Wars fandom! It’s the day when the internet is flooded with may the 4th be with you meme.

If you are into Star Wars, you know all about it. However, if you need clarification about the day, we are here to help you out! By the end of this article, you can share may the 4th be with you memes with confidence!

We’ll look at the meaning behind Star Wars Day, its unusual origin story, its tradition, a brief history of the franchise, and a snippet of its fanbase.

Additionally, we have 50+ witty and may 4th memes to keep you glued this Star Wars Day! These memes are perfect to up your May the 4th social media game. Take the memes from our list and post multiple photos on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Finally, pair this article with our 300+ Hilarious Knock Knock Jokes for a laugh riot! 

What is Star Wars Day?

Star Wars Day is the unofficial holiday to celebrate Star Wars. Festivities include re-watching Star Wars movies, dressing up in Star Wars-themed costumes, and sharing may the 4th be with you memes. 

What makes Star Wars Day special is that it started as a ‘created by fans’ event. Unlike other commercialized holidays, Star Wars Day is not a making of the corporate world. In fact, fans celebrated this day on the internet till it became an actual event in 2011!

Fun Fact: The phrase “I have a bad feeling about this” is used in every Star Wars movie –

When is Star Wars Day?

Star Wars Day is celebrated every year on May 4th. It’s an unofficial holiday to celebrate all things Star Wars! Fans gather to share their love for the sci-fi franchise.

The month of May is big for Star Wars fans. Apart from Star Wars Day, the month also celebrates the birthday of its creator, George Lucas. 

Lucas was born on May 14th, 1944. Moreover, the month also marks the release of the first movie – Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. It was released on May 25th, 1977.

Those who don’t follow the series assume that May 4th celebrates the day the first movie was aired. But that’s not really the case.

Fun Fact: The South Pacific Island of Niue accepts limited collectibles as legal tender (i.e., money). Read More about it over here – Tiny South Pacific island to accept Star Wars coins as real money.

Why May the Fourth?

There is only one reason for celebrating Star Wars Day on May 4th. The reason is that “May the Fourth” rhymes with the most popular catchphrase in the franchise. It is a dialogue used by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope, “May the force be with you.”

In the franchise, characters often use this line to wish each other good luck. This usually happens when they are parting ways or going on dangerous missions. 

In Star Wars, ‘force’ is what makes a Jedi powerful. In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, force is “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.” 

Are you still confused by what force means? Don’t worry! The creator of the franchise has explained the philosophy behind it.

In a 1977 Star Wars documentary, George Lucas says that force is “boiling down religion into a very basic concept. The fact that there is some deity or some power, some force that controls our destiny or works for good and also works for evil, is always been very basic in mankind.” Here’s the video where George Lucas talks about the Force –

So, why is May the 4th celebrated as Star Wars Day? We will get into the details in a bit, but for now, the best explanation for it is given by writer Alysia Gray Painter. 

It will help you get a quick idea about the day! Here’s what she said:

“What’s so special about May 4, anyway…It’s based on “May” and “fourth,” and how much the word “fourth” sounds like the word “force”…well, you get the idea. May the fourth be with you. It’s wonderfully silly, it’s harmless, and we always welcome both of those things in a world that is too often neither.”

Alysia Gray Painter

So, what is may the 4th be with you? In short, the play on words between “May the Force” and “May the Fourth” has given us Star Wars Day.

Since 2011, fans have popularized “May the Fourth” on the internet. In fact, some fans have extended celebrating the franchise to May 5th and May 6th. 

These days are called “Revenge of the fifth and sixth,” where the villains of Star Wars are celebrated. It refers to the 2005 movie “Revenge of the Sith.” 

Fun Fact: Sir Alec Guinness, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Movie, apparently hated Star Wars. 

In a letter obtained by Mashable, the theatre actor wrote to his friends, “new rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wages of pink paper—and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable.” Check out the article here to learn more – Oscar Isaac reads brilliantly grumpy Alec Guinness letter from ‘Star Wars’ filming

List of May the 4th Be With You Images

1.

#MayThe4thBeWithYou
Or alternatively… pic.twitter.com/XTwrP0hFU4

— Master RBG (@MasterRBG) May 4, 2021

2.

If you were looking for #StarWars puns, you're looking in Alderaan places. If you were looking for the best Star Wars Merchandise, then look no further young #jedi https://t.co/2SphsLoOnI#StarWarsDay #Memes #MayThe4thBeWithYou #MayTheFourthBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/34kh3q3QGH

— Blow My Budget 💣 (@blowmybudget) May 4, 2021

3.

This is too funny #StarWars #Memes #ChristianPodcast #TheLoreBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/fcSZZeECh7

— Christian Fandom Geek (@thelorebewithy1) April 27, 2021

4.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝔸𝕟𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟💫 (@anakinskywalkerxo)

5.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TK61275 (Chris) (@tk61275)

6.

Let's celebrate #StarWarsDay by sharing your favorite Star Wars memes. We'll start. #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/PQb3KOwVOC

— Bandai Collectibles (@BandaiCollect) May 4, 2021

7.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sebastian Thul (@thulsebastian)

8.

Happy #MayThe4th everyone pic.twitter.com/S0oTylSAIO

— 𝔻𝕒𝕟 𝕂𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 (@DanRJKnight) May 4, 2021

9.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Skyguy (@skyguy.62)

10.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stormtrooper Outfitters (@stormtrooperoutfitters)

11.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brandon Mace (@macefaceactual)

12.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Depressed Darth (@depressed_darth)

13.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Star Wars Memes of IG (@starwarsmemes_ig)

14.

While watching Star Wars, a meme came up: pic.twitter.com/aDrwYl5ZHP

— Alex Salcedo 🦇 (@AlexBSD) May 4, 2020

15.

Star Wars meme for you pic.twitter.com/LIqxmkdE7X

— Ria Navarita (@dare_darou) May 4, 2020

16.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Star Wars Memes (@star_wars._memes)

17.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by STAR WARS (@_join_uss)

18.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Néo Kx (@nono.kx)

19.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by idk (@memesandanimeandgamesandstuff)

20.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MemZ (@memzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

21.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by dumb maymay (@dumbmaymay)

22.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @colonelcondor

23.

#MayThe4th #StarWarsMemes

Internet To Me During Online Tests And Classes – pic.twitter.com/OqqAEuO6hD

— Floorᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ༝ (@ImLagG3R) May 4, 2020

24.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Darth Humorous (@darth_humorous)

25.

#MayThe4th #StarWarsMemes #PUBG
Me While Rushing a Squad –

Me after Getting knocked – pic.twitter.com/83OIgzAeqG

— Floorᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ༝ (@ImLagG3R) May 4, 2020

26.

We encourage each other thru text messages and Facebook posts. A #StarWarsMemes can brighten someone’s day pic.twitter.com/7q76E6ZLAP

— Bruce A. Ketcham (@BAKetcham2009) May 4, 2020

27.

#StarWarsMemes #MayTheFourth

Teachers To Me During Viva Tests – pic.twitter.com/U0U8bMo0Vy

— Floorᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ༝ (@ImLagG3R) May 4, 2020

28.

#MayThe4th #StarWarsMemes
Me to My Junior for the Next Academic year – pic.twitter.com/FGCljymHl9

— Floorᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ༝ (@ImLagG3R) May 4, 2020

29.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Star Wars Memes of IG (@starwarsmemes_ig)

30.

A tease at what is coming up on the #craft #mead #blog Adventures In Meading: https://t.co/puqM7ZdqXh

This meme is always appropriate on this day #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWars #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/a03wB87vjP

— AdvnInMeading (@AdvnIn) May 4, 2021

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While watching Star Wars, a meme came up: pic.twitter.com/aDrwYl5ZHP

— Alex Salcedo 🦇 (@AlexBSD) May 4, 2020

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Where the Star Wars memes?
by u/Snarpkingguy in dankmemes

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Ooooo burn pic.twitter.com/HRWA0LGfUT

— Dank Star Wars Memes (@DankStarWars) April 20, 2020

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The perfect distance pic.twitter.com/pv9KaQ3rb3

— Dank Star Wars Memes (@DankStarWars) March 20, 2020

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So it is… ⚡🔝 #COVIDー19 #COVID19Aus #Covid_19ireland #COVID19ireland #COVID19Galaxy #starwars #memes #PandemiaCoronavirus #palpatine pic.twitter.com/mXQnESgpRT

— Sheev Palpatine (@TheSenateIsBack) March 15, 2020

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Sad Star Wars noises
by u/bondmemebond in dankmemes

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May the fourth be with you! Especially in these difficult times 💪 #StarWars thanks @Dr_CJFalconer for excellent meme! pic.twitter.com/BaNzPLMi5s

— Sue Brown (she/her) (@susiebookin) May 4, 2020

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Since it's May the 4th here now…#MayThe4th #MayTheFourth #MayThe4thBeWithYou #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #StarWars #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/P1PnsO5Hxt

— Craig Chivalry (@mactak95) May 3, 2022

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Judge me by my size, do you?#MaytheFourth pic.twitter.com/WvdvgJz3L7

— Butler Blue IV (@TheButlerBlue) May 4, 2022

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Who needs a wookie when you have a cookie?#MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/dhJJJxsVNO

— DnD Sesame Tweet (@DnDSesame) May 4, 2022

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I hope this one comes true…#MayThe4th #grogu #babyyoda #starwars pic.twitter.com/nNrSRs8ETJ

— FantasyFaire (@Fantasy_Faire) May 3, 2022

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May the 4th Be With You Baby Yoda

Here are a few Baby Yoda memes to brighten your day!

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me sipping coffee and watching the dumpster fire that is my life pic.twitter.com/LQhmpEtBoY

— jen 🏴‍☠️ (@afallenphoenix) November 30, 2019

55.

how dare you baby yoda

how dare you come to me now, when i am this https://t.co/HGo1aSJLSY

— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) November 19, 2019

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What the dog sees when the introvert at the party spots the good boi. #BabyYodaProblems pic.twitter.com/g4Z4lYPMff

— The Nerdosphere (@NerdosphereCast) January 14, 2020

57.

Grandma: i got u one of those baby yodas for xmas

The baby yoda: pic.twitter.com/asU2nCQaSs

— MC (@emcee2189) November 22, 2020

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Me watching a couple break up loudly on the street while I sip my latte inside the Starbucks pic.twitter.com/dVP9Jsf7bf

— Ryan Simpkins (@ryan_the_ryan) November 30, 2019

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We are witnessing the rise of Grogu pic.twitter.com/EtLPU6gHVG

— Cocaine Merchant (@eazyMullaSniper) November 27, 2020

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The #Mandalorian when he lays eyes on baby Yoda pic.twitter.com/gRtB4W5HY9

— Trevor Bell (@TehDaddyMac) November 13, 2019

61.

My daughter just sent me this tik Tok – I cant stope laughing pic.twitter.com/xlPAKcIKSV

— What the Force? (@Wtforceshow) December 1, 2019

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He protec. He atac. He also take nap.#BabyYoda pic.twitter.com/RN9N3pT6Mo

— Graeme Moore 🅿️ (@MooreGrams) November 16, 2019

63.

https://twitter.com/bonelesshannah/status/1195601663471390720?s=20&t=gbNiZiyf4g2OaFTI3a2uxg

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https://twitter.com/bonelesshannah/status/1195601663471390720?s=20&t=gbNiZiyf4g2OaFTI3a2uxg

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only baby yoda can judge me

— one of ur hoes (@miliondollameat) November 19, 2019

Read More: How to spot a double sided mirror?

The Legacy of Star Wars

If you’ve never seen Star Wars, we bet you’ve heard of it. The movie franchise has continued to dominate pop culture. Infact, you might even know all about the May 4th meme day!

However, probably, you are not a fan. Part of the reason might be that you don’t know where to start. The franchise has a bunch of mini-series, movies, and television shows. Also, not to forget its confusing timeline! It is no doubt a time-consuming venture. And you don’t have time for that sort of commitment. 

If you can’t make heads or tails about Star Wars, it is okay. We are here to help you out!  You can still participate in the upcoming Star Wars Day. We will give you a rundown on all things Star Wars! 

In theory, the story of Star Wars doesn’t seem all that unique. So, what was its X factor? In part, it was the timing of its first release. The first movie in the franchise was released in 1977. 

As journalist Bill Moyers notes about Star Wars, “Timing is everything in art….You bring it out just as the war in Vietnam is ending when America feels uncertain of itself, and the old stories have died, and you bring it out at that time, and suddenly it’s a new game.”

If you want us to summarize the entire story in a single line, it is this: A young boy destined for greatness defeats the evil empire and saves the world. 

Star Wars World

We’ll give you a rundown of the Star Wars world. This is just a broad explanation of the story so that you are in the know-how of this cinematic universe.

This summary covers only the first three movies, namely, Star Wars: New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). There’s a lot that happens in this franchise! But this overview should give you a fair idea about the Star Wars world.

1. Before Our Hero Was Born

Two knights, Qui-gon Jin and Obi-wan Kenobi, formed an order called the Jedi. We come to know that there is a prophecy in this order. 

According to the prophecy, an individual who brings balance to the force will appear. When both the Jedis visit a planet called Tatooine for their mission, they find a boy who matches this prophecy.

The name of the boy was Anakin Skywalker. The Jedis offer to provide Anakin with training at an academy on the planet – Coruscant. 

During this time, the Galatic Republic (the representative government in the Star Wars World) was fighting a civil war against a group of Separatists called CIS (or Confederacy of Independent Systems). 

The CIS is a bunch of traders looking to secede from the Republic. During this civil war, Qui-gon Jin gets killed by the separatists.

After the death of Qui-gon Jin, Obi-wan Kenobi and the Jedi master, Yoda, take care of Anakin. They try to train him to be on the Jedi’s or the so-called good side. But, as the movies pan out, we find out that things go a bit haywire with Anakin.

As Anakin trains with Obi-wan, he also falls in love with Padmé Amidala. They both have a secret affair, as having such a relationship is forbidden by the Jedi order. The next few years see a clash between the Republic and the Separatists. This time is dubbed the “Clone Wars.”

After a few years, a chancellor named Palpatine gets kidnapped by the CIS. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker set out to find and rescue the chancellor. They find him and return to start their search for the commander of CIS, General Grievous. 

However, rescuing Palpatine proves to be costly. As time passes, Palpatine and Anakin grow closer. The chancellor begins to persuade him to join the dark side, the evil counterpart of the Jedis called the Sith. 

Unknown to the Jedis, Palpatine is a Sith Lord looking to take over the galaxy. He knows about Skywalker’s affair with Amidala and uses that information to his advantage.

Palpatine succeeds in his efforts to sway Anakin and gives him the name “Darth Vader.” Moreover, the chancellor also becomes the head of the Galactic Republic and goes on a mission to slaughter the Jedi order. 

Anakin, who supports Palpatine in his mission, decides to kill Amidala. While he chases her down, Obi-Wan comes to Amidala’s rescue. He defeats Anakin and wounds him so severely that he has to wear a mechanical suit to survive.

On the other hand, unknown to Anakin, Amidala dies after giving birth to their kids. The two kids are named Luke Skywalker and Leia Skywalker. 

Somehow, Yoda and Obi-Wan survive the attack on the Jedi and are tasked with ensuring the safety of the two kids. 

2. The Birth of Our Hero – Luke Skywalker

While Luke is sent to the planet of Tatooine, Leia goes to the planet of Alderaan. Both are watched over by Obi-Wan and Yoda.

Fast-forward a few years, Leia becomes a leader of the rebellion against Palpatine and his Empire. She sends a message to Obi-Wan asking for his assistance in the fight against the Empire. 

The Jedi knight sends Luke and a smuggler named Han Solo to save Princess Leia. At this point, Luke is unaware of his connection to Leia and doesn’t know his family history. Luke, Han Solo, and an alien named Chewbacca travel on a spaceship named Millenium Falcon to rescue Princess Leia.

We see Luke, Leia, and Han Solo put up a fight against the Empire. Luke returns to Yoda and continues training to become a Jedi Knight. During this time, Princess Leia falls in love with Han Solo. 

Eventually, we see Luke come face to face with Darth Vader. Vader tells him that Luke is his son. When Luke is taken to the Death Star, he meets Darth Sidious, aka Palpatine. 

Palpatine tries to convince Luke to kill Darth Vader and join him. When Luke refuses, he is electrocuted. Ultimately, Darth Vader grabs Sidious and kills him.

Luke takes off Vader’s mask and sees his father for the last time before leaving the station. Han Solo, Leia, and Luke save the galaxy and escape the war unscathed. Finally, Solo and Leia get married, and Luke commits to protecting the Jedi order.

3. The First Order Strikes Back

Is that the end of the Empire? Not quite. In the Revenge of the Jedi, we see the rebels fighting a reorganization of the Evil Empire called the First Order. Han Solo and Leia’s child Kylo Ren joins the dark side and kills Han. Another force-sensitive kid named Rey locates Luke Skywalker and undertakes training to become a Jedi.

The First Order defeat the rebels. Moreover, Kylo kills the leader of the First Order to assume his position. Ultimately, Luke Skywalker sacrifices himself to save Rey and her allies.

What Is the Timeline of Star Wars?

Folks who haven’t seen Star Wars have a common complaint. The timeline of the series is confusing, to say the least. 

The countless movies, tv shows, and mini-series are no help either. The first movie in the series is Episode IV, and a couple of movies down the line, it is Episode I. This could leave any movie buff scratching their head!

If all the May the 4th meme has inspired you to watch this sci-fi drama, we can help you! Here’s a timeline of how things unfold in this world.

You can watch the movies in chronological order! In our list, we have ignored the release date of the movies. If you want to go from A-Z, it is best to start in this order. Here it is-

1. Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi (2022)
2. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
3. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
5. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
6. Star Wars: Tales of The Jedi (2022)(Ahsoka Tano’s Story)
7. Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-Present)
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
9. Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)  
10. Star Wars Rebels (2014)
11. Andor (2022-present)
12. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
13. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
14. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
15. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
16. The Mandalorian (2019-Present)
17. The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)
18. Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020)
19. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
20. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
21. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Here’s a chronological timeline of the Star Wars series:

Fun Fact: The original ending for the Return of the Jedi was to send Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Apparently, George Lucas contemplated the idea of Luke removing Darth Vader’s mask, putting it on, and saying, “Now I am Vader.” Read more about it here – Return Of The Jedi’s Original Luke/Vader Twist Would’ve Been Too Absurd.

Read More: Can you feed your dog Kiwi? Here’s what you need to know

Who Are the Fans of Star Wars?

It’s been 46 years since Star Wars first premiered.

Most people have a particular image of Star Wars fans. They consider fans to be a part of the geek or nerd culture. In fact, many say that Star Wars “created a paradise of nerds.” However, research suggests that fans of the franchise are actually a diverse group of people!

The franchise has a cross-generational fan base. This means that you’ll find these fans in every age demographic. 

Even though the fanbase mainly consists of men, women aren’t far behind. In the figures, 27% of male internet users and 20% of women internet users are fans of the franchise.

According to a report by GWI, every one out of four users on the internet is a fan. Moreover, they are a cosmopolitan group, with most residing in North America.

Most fans also consider themselves to be cinephiles. Apart from Star Wars, these movie buffs also follow other sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero genre films. 

These movies include Harry Potter, Marvel films, Spiderman, X-Men, and other Disney films. Out of these, Marvel films are followed by 56% of fans.

Also, these fans are a part of online communities like Reddit and Twitch. Infact, 2 in 3 fans say that the internet makes them feel closer to other people. Because of these fans, Star Wars is valued at $68 billion today!

If you want to read more about this Fan Profiling, here’s the report by GWI – The Fandom Menace: Profiling Star Wars’ Influential Fanbase

Fun Fact: The original name for Yoda was Buffy. It was changed to Minch Yoda and then shortened to Yoda. The name Buffy was decided during the initial stages of writing for The Empire Strikes Back. Moreover, the original plan was to have a monkey play Yoda. Read more about it over here – Yoda was originally named Buffy.

How Did the Tradition Start?

There is an assumption made by people who don’t follow Star Wars but know about May the 4th. They believe the 4th meme marks the release of the first movie in the franchise. The guess isn’t far-fetched! 

Star Wars: New Hope hit the screens in the month of May 1977. But the film was released on May 25th, not May 4th. So, how did we arrive on May the Fourth?

1. The British Connection

Believe it or not, the May the Fourth pun has a connection to British Politics. Back in 1979, the UK’s Conservative Party (aka the Tories) paid for a newspaper advertisement that said, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!”

Did you know? #MayThe4thBeWithYou was actually first used in a U.K. Conservative Party newspaper ad congratulating Margaret Thatcher’s election. In 2008, a Facebook group celebrating “Luke Skywalker Day” used the slogan and it has since been used as a day to celebrate #StarWars pic.twitter.com/cASCHz2Z4m

— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) May 4, 2019

Confused? Don’t be! The then Prime-Ministerial candidate for the Conservative Party was Margaret Thatcher. Coincidentally, she assumed office as the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on, you guessed it, May 4th, 1979.

So, the UK’s Conservative Party gets the credit for the origin of the pun. However, other accounts say the pun was already used as early as 1978. 

Apparently, American news publications would use the phrase to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day on July 4th.

The news publications were confident that the pun would be well received. Why? Because after the release of Star Wars: New Hope, the phrase was used regularly on posters and buttons to sell different items.

Strangely, British politics seemed to be fascinated with the Stars Wars pun. 

In 1994, the phrase made its way back to the British Parliament. The opposition Labor party’s member, Harry M. Cohen, mentioned the term in the House of Commons. 

During a discussion, Cohen sarcastically said that the Defense Budget should be discussed on May 4th. Why? He said that the day was appropriate since it was Star Wars Day. 

Furthermore, Cohen added that he was talking about the movie Star Wars and not the name critics of President Regan gave for his missile defense plan. 

In 2012, Boris Johnson used the phrase during his re-election acceptance speech as the Mayor of London.

2. Other Influence

Interestingly, StarWars.com mentions the influence of Randy Thom on the day. For the unaware, Thom was the location sound recordist for Revenge of the Jedi. For many years, he would use the phrase to write an annual message to the company.

3. The Internet Phenomenon

But, how does all this translate to the May the 4th be with you meme? Well, it took 20 years for the May the 4th meme to enter our mainstream pop culture. Like any other fad, finding evidence of its first use on the internet is challenging.

But, during the early 2000s, fans constantly mentioned the saying on social media. Soon, it caught the public’s imagination, and the phenomenon exploded. 

When Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005, the franchise used the pun as a marketing tactic. They released a newspaper ad with Baby Yoda on it and the phrase “May the Fourth Be With You” as the heading of the poster.

It wasn’t long before we had the May 4th unofficial Star Wars holiday. Infact, Toronto Underground Cinema was the first to celebrate the day as a big event on May 4th, 2011. For its may the fourth be with you activities, they had themed festivities, a costume contest, and a movie marathon.

The grassroot fandom of Star Wars led to the initial rise of the pun. However, there is another player that commercialized the May the Fourth Be With You meme. And that is Disney.

4. Disney’s Hand in May the Fourth

In 2012, Disney acquired the film and television company, LucasFilms. For the unaware, the creator, George Lucas, owned LucasFilms. During its first year as the franchise owner, Disney used the pun as a marketing tactic.

The company turned May 4th into an actual event for fans. This event included invitations to its theme parks, Star Wars-themed fireworks, dance parties, and people dressed as characters from the franchise.

Disney even gave Star Wars merchandise at discounted rates. Over the years, Disney and LucasFilms have monetized the May 4th event. What started as a purely community-driven day has become a corporate phenomenon.

The news publication, The Verge, has called it a tale in “brand activation.” On every May the 4th, we see something new. During a particular year, we saw the International Space Station watching Revenge of the Sith from space.

Just watching @starwars. In space. No big deal. #StarWarsDay #Maythe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/iG7Pn0Fvj6

— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) May 4, 2015

In 2013, Disney celebrated the day by backing the evil empire. They released a ‘joke’ ad where we saw the empire declare, “Say No to May the 4th.” 

Another year saw Star Wars team up with NASA to deliver a special message from the International Space Station.

Even though it is now a way to market the franchise, it didn’t start as one. It is unlike other corporate commercialized days like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or National Enchilada Day. Star Wars Day was created by fans celebrating their love for the franchise.

Though it is an unofficial holiday, the California legislature voted to declare May 4th as Star Wars Day. Here’s a report – California votes to officially declare May 4 ‘Star Wars Day.’

Read More: What does the yellow heart 💛 and other heart emojis mean?

Conclusion

May the Fourth is an important day for all Star Wars fans. As we mentioned, the popularity of this day has a connection to British politics, the Star Wars fanbase, and the now-owner of the franchise, Disney.

There is only one reason for choosing May 4th as Star Wars Day. It is because May the Fourth rhymes with the famous catchphrase in the series, “May the Force Be With You.” 

Hopefully, our curated list of may the 4th be with you meme serves as a great starter pack for you to celebrate Star Wars Day. If you are looking to binge-watch movies, check out this list of 18+ movies about the life of Princess Diana.

With the release of Top Gun: Maverick, the highly-grossing sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, there has been a lot of interest in his stunts in the movie. This movie, released in 2022, was a massive success and was widely praised for its realistic portrayal of fighter pilots. Intense stunts and daredevil action sequences have become a trademark of Cruise’s action movies, and his latest movie does not disappoint. 

The movie follows the story of  Pete Maverick Mitchell, a test pilot, and graduate of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, popularly known as Top Gun. 

Cruise always advocated for realist portrayals in his movies and wanted the usage of CGI  to be as minimal as possible. He performs most of his stunts, and even at 60, Cruise is still trying out new things and fulfilling his passions. 

For Top Gun: Maverick, he ensured that all his co-actors were well acquainted with the workings of the aircraft and trained them himself. They also learned to film while working inside the planes, like Cruise had to do for a few of his previous movies.

The biggest question is, ‘Is Tom Cruise a pilot?’ The possibility of an actor having an aviation background can be unbelievable. However, for a movie star like Tom Cruise, who is constantly pushing the limits of his work, it’s not very hard. 

Can Tom Cruise Fly a Plane?

Yes, Tom Cruise can fly a plane. He has held a pilot license since 1994. Cruise got his private pilot’s license in 1994 and then obtained his commercial license in 1998.  

Although the US military did not let him fly the F/A-18 Super Hornet used in Top Gun: Maverick, he pilots the P-51 Mustang he owns. 

It was speculated that money had something to do with it. The aircraft costs nearly $70 million, which was half the movie’s budget. Due to this, giving insurance for such an expensive plane must have been beyond the producer’s limits.

Another reason could be that Tom Cruise did not necessarily have enough experience or skill to pilot that sophisticated fighter jet, which was risky. Trained Navy pilots performed all the scenes with the F/A-18. 

The P-51 Mustang, which belongs to Cruise, is seen in his appearance on James Corden’s The Late Late Show, where he takes Corden on two rides. Cruise’s level of aviation skills can be seen in this promotional video, as he easily maneuvers his P-51 Mustang and the Aero L-39 Albatros, borrowed from the Patriots Jet team. To be able to pilot such an aircraft, Tom Cruise must have over 1000 hours of jet flying experience.  

Along with his Mustang, Cruise also owns a Gulfstream IV G4 jet. This luxurious aircraft, estimated to cost around $35 million, has a seating capacity of 19 passengers and has an in-built jacuzzi and movie-screening facilities.

In an interview with Hello Magazine, Cruise told them, “All I ever wanted to be was a pilot or an actor, so Top Gun was a huge moment in so many respects, including my passion for aviation.” It is indeed quite amazing to see an actor finding the time and motivation to fulfill all his passions. 

Read More: What Is the Coldest Place in the Universe?

How Did They Fly a Plane in Top Gun: Maverick?

In the movie Top Gun: Maverick, the scenes with planes and flying were applauded for being highly realistic. Anybody would believe that the actors flew all the complicated aircraft and performed the stunts, but that is not true! 

It was not feasible to let inexperienced actors fly the Navy’s assets, like the F/A-18. All the actors flew as passengers with military pilots. However, they had to undergo intense training to work efficiently in those extreme conditions. Tom Cruise himself headed these sessions for his co-actors. They had to prepare well to increase their tolerance to fly without getting sick and prepare for emergencies.

 The team coordinated with the Navy to find the perfect spots to place their cameras inside the plane, which would not disrupt the plane’s navigation systems. The actors had to switch on the cameras themselves because of which, Joseph Kosinski, the director, could see the footage only after the planes returned to the ground. Moreover, the film’s aerial coordinator and camera pilot, Kevin LaRosa, helped them achieve this efficiently.

In an interview with the Men’s Journal, Miles Teller, who plays the role of Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, spoke about the extent to which the team went, to ensure that the film was portrayed realistically. 

“There is no green screen in a Top Gun movie. Every shot, every stunt, was the result of the work, the real sweat, that we all put into it. The production was over the course of a full year, which was definitely the longest shoot I have ever been a part of.”

Miles Teller

Talking about his flying experience and training, the actor sounded quite excited. “They would have me go up in an F-18 for an hour or hour and a half, pulling anywhere around seven-and-a-half Gs. Getting to fly around with the best naval aviators in the world.”

The team also had to pass tests for all their training. Teller told them, “Before we got into the jets, we had to pass the Naval Aviation Survival Training course in San Diego.”

Which Movies Has Tom Cruise Flown a Plane In?

1. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

In his recent film, Top Gun: Maverick, we see Tom Cruise as a pilot, with his P-51 Mustang, and flying as a passenger in the F/A-18 Super Hornet. “I got to actually fly in an F-14 jet which was a dream come true, and play a character I loved in Maverick,” said Cruise about his experience while shooting for the movie. 

Cruise wanted to reduce using CGI as much as possible and ensured that all his co-actors were well acquainted with the aircraft. 

Top Gun: Maverick has also become instrumental in inspiring more young Americans to join the armed forces. The way the military has used films to exert their influence has always evoked a sense of patriotism and thrill and this movie is a perfect example of the same. The impact is an Instagram handle that recently posted about this. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Impact (@impact)

The actors had to film themselves flying in the airborne cockpits, and the director could see the video only after they reached the ground. A lot of training went into ensuring that the actors could handle it. Kevin LaRosa designed an extensive training program for the actors so they could act and maneuver the aircraft. Even though Cruise did not pilot the F/A-18, all that training he received was enough to make his acting as realistic as possible. 

In the original Top Gun(1986), Cruise did not do any flying. Professional navy pilots handled all the stunts and flying. Tom Cruise was either in the backseat of the fighter jet or in a set that mimicked a cockpit. Things changed a lot when the sequel came out in 2022. Cruise had a pilot’s license, and they trained the other actors too. 

2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Mission: Impossible Fallout had Cruise piloting a helicopter. He completed over 2000 hours of helicopter flying to be well-trained. That was a long and dangerous sequence in the movie, and some of the stunts could have resulted in Cruise’s death if the execution had not been perfect. 

In the same movie, Cruise also pulled off a HALO jump, the first ever to be done by an actor. He trained in a big, vertical wind tunnel. Cruise has over 100 hours of skydiving experience, and for this stunt, he jumped from over 20,000 feet and used a parachute at about 2000 feet. 

3. American Made (2017)

In American Made, Cruise hones his aviation skills in a few scenes. The movie follows the story of American pilot Barry Seal, played by Cruise, who transports drugs for the CIA. A controversy did arise from this movie’s set when two pilots died while another was severely injured. 

4. Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation (2015)

Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation, the fifth movie in this franchise, had Tom Cruise hang outside an Airbus A400M as it took off and completed the circuit. There were multiple retakes and Cruise was being supported by just a cord. His commitment to performing such stunts as realistically as possible is commendable. 

Read More: 5 Ways to Get Water Out of Charging Port

How Did Tom Cruise Learn to Fly a Plane?

Tom Cruise is a multi-engine, instrument-rated commercial pilot. He has a private and commercial pilot license. After the first Top Gun movie, he was motivated to undergo training to obtain his pilot license. In the first movie, Cruise could not handle the experience in the cockpit with the flight pilot and felt nauseous. Now, he can easily pilot the plane and perform complex maneuvers. 

Cruise must have hired a private instructor to train him. He owns a few planes as well, and he regularly practices and flies them. His first step was to obtain a private pilot’s license. 

The process of obtaining a private pilot license is not very complex. 

• After an orientation flight, the interested person can apply for a student pilot’s license. They should fulfill certain conditions– should be of the eligible age (14-16 years and above) and be well acquainted with English. 

• They should also have a medical form called Third Class Medical from an Aviation Medical Examiner(AME). After obtaining both these documents, the student should find a Certified Flight Instructor(CFI). Flight schools, flight training programs, or any certified person with an aircraft could teach you. After training, you should have a certain number of solo flight hours and other requirements. 

• The FAA conducts a written test before the check ride. After this, you will have your “check ride” with a Designated Pilot Examiner. This exam has two parts- oral and practical. You can find additional information regarding this procedure on the FAA website. 

• Based on the performance, the student will receive your PPL (Private Pilot’s License). Obtaining a commercial pilot’s license (after receiving your PPL) has almost the same procedure. 

Cruise has a multi-engine instrument rating. This rating involves more training and tests because the usual pilot’s license is for a single engine. Obtaining a multi-engine instrument rating requires more aeronautical knowledge and flight training. The student has to be prepared for any scenario or emergency, as the examiners will evaluate their ability to handle complex aircraft and face any situation that could arise. 

Tom Cruise should have followed the above-given processes to obtain his license. He also holds an aerobatic rating which helps him to perform all the stunts. 

He must have acquired his helicopter license the same way, and the process isn’t very different. Tom Cruise pushed to gain over 2000 hours of helicopter flying experience for his movie Mission: Impossible- Fallout. 

His expertise is evident when he performs complex maneuvers, in mountainous terrains, like the ‘corkscrew dive’ or the 360-degree downward spiral in Fallout. 

To use the kind of aircraft he pilots (like the Albatros), Tom Cruise must have a type rating, a high-performance endorsement, and more than 1000 hours of jet flying. Type rating essentially means the license to fly a specific model of aircraft. A high-performance endorsement allows the pilot to be the pilot-in-command of heavier and more complex aircraft. The FAA conducts additional training and tests for interested people. 

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Who Are a Few Other Celebrities That Can Fly a Plane?

Many Hollywood celebrities own pilot licenses and, like Cruise, have fulfilled their aviation dreams. Some of them include the following:

1. Angelina Jolie – Angelina Jolie is an award-winning actress and humanitarian who is also a pilot. She got her license in December 2004. Soon, she also bought a Cirrus SR22-G2, a single-engine plane. Her son Maddox was her inspiration to take up aviation, as he was interested in aviation at a young age. The actress has revealed that her son has taken up flying classes now. 

2. Morgan Freeman– Along with being a renowned American actor and filmmaker, Morgan Freeman also nourishes a love for aviation. He loved war films and eventually received an opportunity to become a fighter pilot. However, Freeman realized his heart was more inclined towards acting and left the Air Force. His love for flying remained, and he got his license in 2002. He owns two planes – a Cessna Citation II and a Cessna 414. 

3. Dennis Quaid– Known for his comedy and drama movies, Dennis Quaid, the American actor, is also a pilot. For the film The Right Stuff, Quaid overcame his fear of flying and learned the skill. He owns a Cessna 421 twin-engine and a Cessna Citation II and uses them frequently. 

4. Clint Eastwood– Clint Eastwood is an American actor, musician, and politician. He finds himself on this list since he owns a pilot’s license. In an interview in 1997, Eastwood revealed that his favorite hobby is flying and has held a chopper license for a long time. He also owns an Aerospatial AStar helicopter.

5. Kurt Russell– He is an American actor who also loves flying. He has owned a license for more than 28 years and has received the Aviation Mentor Award. He also possesses multiple aircraft and has several hours of flight experience.

How Difficult Is It to Become a Pilot?

Theoretically, it is not very difficult in the USA. If the person is eligible and has the time and resources to train themselves, becoming a pilot is quite accessible.

The entire process was explained in the article in detail earlier. However, several factors could make it difficult for people to pursue their aviation dreams. 

1. The Cost

Becoming a pilot is not a cheap affair. To obtain good training and to be able to practice sufficiently, you must have access to such resources. These can be very expensive. The minimum cost to acquire a private pilot’s license is nearly $7600. This rate could differ based on other factors, such as the student’s location and expertise.  

2. English Ability

The student should be able to read and comprehend English quite well. If this poses a problem for the student, it can be quite easily solved if the student is willing to take lessons for the same.

This is a requirement that migrants might find difficult to fulfill, but it won’t be too difficult to master the basics in a short period. 

3. Medical and Physical Fitness

A pilot needs to remain healthy. The student’s health conditions determine the eligibility for the license. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that you meet the health guidelines issued by the FAA.

For a private pilot’s license, you only require a third-class medical certificate, but for further certification, you need advanced medical certificates.

From the accounts of the actors who worked in Top Gun: Maverick, it is quite obvious that air sickness, tolerance, and breathing are the first major difficulties that new aviators face.

They had to regularly fly and remain in shape during the entire shoot. Hence, it is quite important for pilots to be healthy and have strong bodies.

4. Demanding Lifestyle

The lifestyle and working hours in a pilot’s career can be challenging. When you consider being a pilot as a career path, you would have to prioritize your professional life over your personal life to a large extent.

Frequent traveling and staying from home for extended periods would become the norm. This work-life balance is not everybody’s cup of tea, so you should consider this seriously before taking aviation as a career. 

If you are willing to put in time and effort consistently, it will not be too hard to become a pilot. Aviation enthusiasts who want to obtain a license for recreational purposes would not find the process challenging, especially after obtaining the license.

Discipline is required when it comes to the job, and you will have to sort out your priorities carefully. 

Conclusion

An actor, a multi-engine, instrument-rated commercial pilot, a producer, and so much more is what makes Tom Cruise such an exceptional inspiration. Even after crossing 50, he hasn’t slowed down or given in to the limitations imposed on you as you age. 

His dedication and drive to achieve what he wants are admirable. In a day and age in which anything is possible through CGI and editing, making the actor’s job much easier, Tom Cruise is an exception. It is quite enthralling to see an actor committed to giving maximum respect to the story and the action sequences. 

With the resources and wealth that Cruise amasses, he does find it easy to fulfill all his passions. Hard work and perseverance brought him to his present glory, and he never disappoints. Cruise’s dedication to becoming both the things that he always wanted to be, a pilot and an actor, is something we can all learn. 

The only limits are the ones we create for ourselves, and if we put our minds to them, we can achieve at least a few things we love and cherish. Becoming a pilot might sound like a scary path, but with the correct guidance, it is possible!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does Tom Cruise have a pilot’s license?

Yes, Tom Cruise has owned a pilot’s license since 1994. 

2. Is Tom Cruise a real pilot?

Yes, Tom Cruise is a multi-engine,instrument-rated commercial pilot and owns several planes. He owns a P-51 Mustang and a luxurious Gulfstream IV G4 jet. 

3. Is Tom Cruise a jet pilot?

Tom Cruise owns a pilot’s license that he uses for personal and professional needs. 

4. Is Tom Cruise a certified pilot?

Yes, Tom Cruise is a certified pilot and owns a license. He has a private as well as a commercial license. 

5. Is Tom Cruise a fighter pilot?

No, Tom Cruise is not a fighter pilot. He owns a private and commercial license but he does not work with the military. 

6. Is Tom Cruise a helicopter pilot?

Yes, he has a helicopter license as well. He had trained for more than 2000 hours for the helicopter flying scenes in Mission: Impossible- Fallout.

7. How much is Tom Cruise paid per movie?

At the beginning of his career, he was not paid hefty salaries. He received around $50,000 for one of his early movies, Taps. Gradually, he gained international fame and recognition. His roles in the first Top Gun movie and the romantic drama Jerry Maguire contributed to the same. 

Over the years, his paycheck has increased significantly. From the 1990s onwards, he has received almost $12 million to $100 million per movie through backend deals from his massively successful and profitable projects. 

Imagine that you are sitting at your work desk sipping on a cup of steaming hot coffee and from your misty window, you watch the snowy white ornaments hanging off trees in your backyard. You are compelled to feel a shiver of cold run through your skin.

At this junction of imagination, I compel you to wonder about the coldest place on the Earth. Do you think of frosted expanses of land, tormenting temperatures and houses adorned in snow? Then, you’re quite spot-on.

But, now, I ask you to condense an image of the coldest place in the universe – an ever-expanding abyss with no center. What comes to your mind? Certainly not a glowing, light-radiating dying star. Yet, indeed, it is a seemingly bow-tie-shaped preplanetary nebula known as the ‘Boomerang Nebula’ that according to Guinness World Records is felicitated with the title of ‘the coldest place in the universe’.

In this article, we will talk about this naturally-occurring enigma and how it came to be cold enough to be deemed as the coldest spot in the cosmos.

The Coldest Place in the Universe

If you would like to take a trip to the coldest spot in the cosmos, you would have to cover a distance of approximately 5000 light years away from the Earth in the direction of the constellation of Centaurus. Then you would have to halt at the sight of a red and orange object that has gained a reputation in the meme world for resembling an Among Us Crewmate.

Wow thanks gamers! Anyone interested in learning more about this lil guy should check out the original press release: https://t.co/xen6hlm9Bm and I will take any non-sus questions you may have 🙂

— National Radio Astronomy Observatory | NRAO (@TheNRAO) February 7, 2022

The identity of this astronomical object is not limited to its uncanny resemblance to the video game character, it is in fact a protoplanetary nebula.

To shed light on what a protoplanetary nebula is, we would have to begin by talking of a low-mass star in its concluding stages of life. As the star reaches its dying stage characterized by scant nuclear fuel in its core, it starts expanding into a red giant. Its outermost molecules start cooling and clumping into dust, this gas and dust is pushed outward by the core’s depleting energy.

Eventually, the core collapses into a hot, white dwarf. At this stage, the core emits ultraviolet light which causes the outward shroud of gases to glow and the object takes the appearance of a planetary nebula. In the final stage, the nebula expands away into space and the white dwarf is left behind to slowly cool down.

Our ‘Boomerang Nebula’ is in the early stages of turning into a planetary nebula – the dusty fog of the gas phase, so to say, and thus, it is called a pre- or proto-planetary nebula. It is expected to remain in this phase for a rather brief cosmic span of some thousand years (universal time!).

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How Cold Is Boomerang Nebula?

To fully understand the extreme cold that is held in Boomerang Nebula, we would have to recapitulate the phenomenon of absolute zero. Absolute zero is the theoretically lowest possible temperature of matter at which it captures no heat whatsoever.  

Although unobservable in nature, it is supposed to occur at 0 K temperature which is equivalent to –273.15 ℃ or –459.67 ℉.

The enigma surrounding Boomerang Nebula can be attributed to its chilling interior temperature of -272.15 ℃ or 1 Kelvin, which is but a degree warmer than absolute zero – making our nebulae a cosmic freezer indeed! This temperature means that the Boomerang Nebula is over five times colder than Oymyakon, Russia – the coldest place in the world where humans live permanently.

Radio Image of the Week 📡 This cool image shows the coldest known spot in space! This is the Boomerang Nebula, and it has a temperature of just 1 Kelvin 🥶 Cold gas doesn't emit much light, but the sensitive detectors of @almaobs have captured its faint radio glow…(1/2) pic.twitter.com/walEcLj2qq

— National Radio Astronomy Observatory | NRAO (@TheNRAO) February 4, 2022

How Was the Coldest Place in the Universe Discovered?

In the year 1980, a lopsided curved nebula was observed by astronomers Keith Taylor and Mike Scarrott through the eyepiece of their ground-based telescope in Australia. Due to the rudimentary nature of their astronomical tool, they mistook the nebula to resemble the throwing tool or “boomerang” and thus, named it the Boomerang Nebula.

It was only later in 1995 that a team of astronomers led by Dr. Raghvender Sahai discovered the astonishing fact about the nebula which has made it an object of fascination and intrigue amongst researchers. The question now is how did they ascertain the temperature of a cosmic object?

It is undoubtedly impossible to stick a thermometer in such an object, however, the team was able to study radiations emitted by carbon monoxide gas particles present in the nebula using a Swedish ESO Submillimetre Telescope in Chile and thus, reliably calculated its extreme temperature. 

Notably, the team also observed that the nebula was absorbing background radiation from the empty space surrounding it. The background radiation or Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is left-over energy from the Big Bang which sets the minimum temperature of the cosmos to around -270.4℃ making it remarkably cold.

However, the absorption of this CMB radiation by the nebula confirmed that it is even colder than CMB temperature (and a frosty, chilly and unnerving, cosmic freezer by all means, if you ask me!)

Why Is Boomerang Nebula So Cold?

The plausible reason behind the extraordinarily cold temperature of Boomerang Nebula has been hypothesized by a crew of astronomers led by Dr. Sahai and his colleague Dr. Lars-Åke Nyman in a paper published in Astrophysical Journal (2017).

The paper was published after the team conducted measurements of the age, mass and kinetic energy of Boomerang Nebula, as well as the rate of outflow of gases from its center, using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) – located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile (2013).

Dr. Sahai proposed that the story of Boomerang Nebula began when as a red giant, it collided with another companion star. Ordinarily, when a red giant’s outer layers expand to form a preplanetary nebula and gases are expelled outward, a cooling effect occurs because fewer molecules cover a larger area.

However, in the case of Boomerang Nebula, the expansion of the outer layers of gas and dust occurs at a rate that is 10 times higher than what would have been observed had it not undergone collision with a binary companion star (i.e., it is impossible for a single, red giant star to produce!)

As stated by Dr. Sahai:

“The only way to eject so much mass and at such extreme speeds is from the gravitational energy of two interacting stars which would explain the puzzling properties of the ultra-cold outflow.”

It is indeed, this rapid expulsion of cosmic mass by the combined capacity of two stars to never before seen distances of about 120,000 AUs and the consequent outflow of gas and dust, that has made Boomerang Nebula ultra-cold (to the extent that is even cooler than CBM radiation!)

It is unfortunate, however, that this observed phase of Boomerang Nebula is rather short-lived and its days as the ‘coldest place in the known universe’ will eventually come to an end when it meets its destined fate of transitioning into a white dwarf (but more on that later!)

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Top 5 Coldest Places on Earth

All this talk about the coldest place in the universe seems incredibly unfathomable but what we humans can surely wrap our heads around is a list of teeth-chattering places right here on our planet Earth.

Most of the locations listed here are uninhabitable for humans – cold enough to freeze your skin like a popsicle and cause your breath to crystallize midair! So, pull your sweaters tighter around as we begin listing the coldest places in the world today:

 1. Dome Fuji, Antarctica

Home to a Japanese research station, this dry and cold desert tops our list of the coldest places in the world. In August 2010, the lowest ever air temperature recorded on the planet was observed here at -92.3 °C. Temperatures in Dome Fuji can range between -30 °C being the warmest and -80 °C being the chilliest.

Although, there is nothing human-friendly about either of these temperatures, humans have managed to establish means of livelihood in this elevated region on the Antarctic plateau. Nonetheless, be warned of bone-chills if you ever plan to visit Dome Fuji!

2. Vostok Research Station, Antarctica

Established in 1957 by the Soviet Union, this research station is located above Antarctica’s largest sub-glacial lake. Ever since 1983, when Vostok Research Station recorded the frosty temperature of -89.2 ℃, it had been regarded as the coldest place ever until 2010.

It has been a location of prime interest for research on the polar ecosystem of Antarctica and records the lowest mean annual temperature of any weather station on the planet. Surprisingly, for being one of the coldest places, this region receives a lot of sunlight – more than 22 hours in the month of December.

3. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

With a recorded temperature range between -13.6° C and -82.8° C, this station located close to 3,000m above sea level is one of the coldest in the world. Established in 1956, the average population here is around 150 people.

As described by a scientist working in the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, winters here are close to intolerable:

“…will endure six months of darkness, cold below negative 100 degrees F, nothing but frozen food, and an isolation that can’t be matched anywhere on the planet.”

4. Denali, Alaska

Located more than 6000m above sea level, Denali is the largest mountain peak in North America. This mountain is a sight to behold and has temperatures to run away from – unless you have exceptionally thick skin and warmers!

The lowest recorded temperature here is -73.8 ℃ which is nothing short of frosty and chilly.

5. Verkhoyansk, Russia

A town housing over 1000 inhabitants where an average day involves people clad in thick fur hats and coats procuring drinking water by boiling blocks of ice, Verkhoyansk holds the title of the northern ‘Pole of Cold’.

This Russian town located in the Arctic circle is indeed the coldest region in the Northern hemisphere logging its lowest temperature of -69.8 ℃ in 1892.

The range of temperatures experienced by the town between 38 ℃ in the summers and around -69 ℃ in winters is unbelievably large, and it holds a Guinness World record for the same. The extreme cold in this region is attributed to the build-up of cold, dry air called the Siberian High.

The Mysterious Shape of Boomerang Nebula

Did you think that the mystery of our beloved Boomerang Nebula ends with its acclaimed chill? Think again!

It turns out that its shape has puzzled astronomers just as much as its chilling temperature. In 1980, when it was originally discovered, our Australian astronomer friends named it ‘Boomerang Nebula’ owing to the asymmetrical glowing shape they saw.

But then, in 1980, when a research group took its image with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, they observed that it looked nothing like a boomerang! Instead, it looked akin to a bow tie this time.

If you see this Hubble image carefully, you would think it would have been more appropriate to call our cosmic object ‘Bow-tie nebula’ – with ghostly streaks of outward glow and faint arcs diffusing into a hazy bow-tie.

But you would be incorrect again! The group of astronomers that observed the nebula even more closely using the ALMA radio telescope in 2013 were knocked off their chairs when they saw that Boomerang Nebula was actually a diffused, rounder cloud of expelling dust and gas.

The double-loped shape that Hubble captured was merely a distortion of Earth’s light due to the heavy sprinklings of dust around the star. These dust chunks form a kind of ring around the nebula partially obscuring the light coming from the central star and thus, trick us with the bow-tie shape.

If your eyes are sharp, you would recognize this ALMA image from the tweets and memes shared by gamers!

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The Future of Boomerang Nebula

Do you recall the cosmic thousand years that a low-mass star spends in the preplanetary nebula phase? Our Boomerang Nebula has already spent 1500 years propelling cosmic matter at nearly 100 miles per second, which means that it won’t be too long (or already has) before our beautiful star inevitably loses the ultra-coldness that has made it the ‘coldest place in the universe’.

But worry not, studies conducted on our cosmic boomerang have suggested that there may be more nebulae out there which would be acting as cosmic freezers, it is only a matter of finding them! Don’t believe me? Look at what Dr. Nyman from the Joint ALMA observatory in Chile said about this:

“We see this remarkable object at a very special, very short-lived period of its life. It’s possible these super cosmic freezers are quite common in the universe, but they can only maintain such extreme temperatures for a relatively short time.”

Dr. Nyman

As for our beloved Boomerang Nebula, the central red giant star is expected to continue on its journey to becoming a planetary nebula shedding off its outer layers and forming a veil of dust and gas around.

This will be accompanied by the shrinkage of the star which will become hotter and warm up the nebula of gas around it accentuating its luminating glow.

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Conclusion

The extensive research conducted by astronomers on Boomerang Nebula has offered us precious information about the way stars die and a look into what might happen to our Sun in a few billion years. Scientists are hoping to reveal the fate of our Sun, wondering if it will also metamorphize into an unimaginably cold, gaseous nebula.

These findings have also provided invaluable insight into the interactions of stellar companions – the consumption of a binary companion by a dying larger star and the aftermath of their fate together fused into a cosmic freezer.

Learning about cosmological objects like Boomerang Nebula forms precursor to all that humans can know and explore the cosmos and its hidden secrets, especially of the binary companion systems lurking in space waiting to be found.

Even more so, it is a favorable remark on our capacity as humans to undertake the challenging task of uncovering nature’s tremendous workings. It has revealed the marvellous ability of instruments like ALMA to resolve the unseen in the cosmos and produce high-resolution information about puzzling objects in the expanded darkness of our universe. Only time will tell what more is out there.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Can Hubble see the coldest place in the universe?       

Yes, certainly it can. It was in fact using the Hubble Space Telescope in the late 90s that researchers R. Sahai, J. Trauger and the WFPC2 Science Team captured high-resolution images of Boomerang Nebula for the first time.

Hubble’s detailed image of the coldest spot in space revealed patterns and currents in the central star of the gaseous nebula which the ground telescope in 1980 could not expose. It was because of the bow-tie shape of Boomerang Nebula seen in Hubble images that astronomers believed that it should have been named “Bow-tie Nebula” and not after the boomerang.

2. Can the James Webb telescope see the coldest place in the universe?       

No images of the Boomerang Nebula have been taken by the James Webb Telescope yet. But it is claimed to be 100 times more powerful than Hubble and can peer much farther and deeper into the secrets of the universe with its high-tech and more evolved production.

So, it is safe to assume that it can very well capture the coldest place in the universe, and with possibly much greater detail than Hubble did. Another ground to base this bet on is the fact that the James Web Telescope captured stunningly detailed images of the Orion Nebula very recently.

 3. How do we know for certain that the Boomerang Nebula is the coldest place in the universe?

Boomerang Nebula is certainly the coldest place in the universe. A group of astronomers in 1995 successfully conducted the determination of its interior temperature to be 1 Kelvin or -272.15 ℃ by studying the radiation coming from its centre.

If such an astonishing and unimaginably low temperature which is a mere degree above absolute zero was not enough evidence in support of this claim, then the fact that it absorbs the background radiation or CMB made it apparent for the researchers. This is because only an object colder than CMB (2.725 Kelvin) can absorb its passing radiation.

4. Where’s the coldest place in the world?

The coldest place in the world is the Dome Fuji in Antarctica which only displaced Vostok Research Station from the title in 2010 after recording the lowest ever air temperature of -92.3 °C measured on our Earth.

The cold and dry desert located at an altitude of 3810m above sea level forms the site of the Japanese research station. In summers, the temperature witnessed in Dome Fuji does not rise above -30 ℃ and drops until -80 ℃ during the usual winters.

5. Are black holes cold inside?     

The interior of black holes is freezing cold in stark contrast to the scorching heat on their outside. The temperature of black holes is by virtue of the Hawking radiation that they emit and according to Stephen Hawking’s analysis, it is inversely proportional to the mass of the black hole.

The temperature of supermassive black holes – the most massive black holes in the universe having mass that is millions of times the mass of the Sun is estimated to be 1.4 x 10^-14 Kelvin. That is extremely cold, almost touching absolute zero! 

If you’re a true blue SNL fan, you definitely have a favorite sketch. Are you a fan of More Cowbell, MacGruber, or Debbie Downer? There are too many to pick from! But, out of the many sketches, there is one gag that continues to confuse the audience. It is the Sidney Applebaum joke!

During the 2012 Halloween sketch, many wondered why Bill Hader and Seth Meyers couldn’t keep a straight face while performing the skit. On the internet, you’ll find many people searching for questions like – Who is Sidney Applebaum? What is his connection to the Jewish Dracula? 

There are many layers to this joke. And we are here to help you figure it out! 

In this article, we will look into what the SNL joke is about, how it came to be, where it draws its inspiration from, and the top ten moments in SNL.

What is Saturday Night Live?

Saturday Night Live, or SNL, is your typical late-night live television sketch. It airs on NBC and is often credited as one of the longest-running shows in American television history. In 2022, the show was well on its way to its 48th season!

It started under the title NBC’s Saturday Night on 11th October 1975. The show’s creators are Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. SNL parodies everything about contemporary culture – politics, the entertainment industry, etc. 

It is said to take inspiration from the 1965 British show hosted by David Frost called That Was the Week That Was. Moreover, the show relies heavily on improv comedy.

The format of SNL remains the same for every episode. You’ll see an ensemble of regular comedic actors, a celebrity guest host, and a musical performance. The celebrity host usually starts the show with an opening monologue and performs in a few sketches throughout the episode. 

SNL has been a launchpad for many comedic actors. Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, and Andy Samberg, to  name a few.

During the cold open sketch, the actors break character and exclaim, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”. This is considered to be the signature phrase of the show.

The show is filmed before a studio audience and broadcasted live on television. 

What is the SNL Joke About?

The context is essential to understand the Applebaum joke. On SNL, Bill Hader plays the character of Stefon. This character is a city correspondent that appears for SNL’s satirical news segment called Weekend Update.

For the Weekend Update sketch, Hader is joined by actor Seth Meyers. In the sketch, Stefon is shown to be a know-it-all when it comes to parties and nightclubs in New York. 

Their Halloween sketch for 2012 was called Weekend Update: Stefon on Halloween’s Hottest Tips – SNL. 

Stefon begins the program by giving Halloween tips to tourists in New York. He talks about human pinatas, a club guarded by an army of hobo cops, and the Jewish Dracula.

The Weekend Update sketch has a fixed format. Usually, Hader starts the sketch by saying, “New York’s hottest club is…..” Then, he proceeds to make absurd sounds and mentions nonsensical club names. 

Thereon, Seth Meyers interrupts him and asks for family-friendly city spots. But that doesn’t stop Stefon! He continues to talk about outlandish New York clubs and parties. 

Fun Fact: Chevy Chase was the first to say the lines from the opening sketch, “Live From New York, Its Saturday Night Live.” Here’s the first sketch of SNL and Chase’s opening line.

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How Did the Applebaum Joke Play Out?

For the Jewish Dracula joke, here’s how the conversation unfolded:

Stefon: New York’s Hottest Club is …[growls and hisses]

Stefon: Located in an abandoned whitefish factory in Little Israel. This place is going to have everything: Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, my son! 

Stefon: On the dance floor, you’ll find both guys from Wham! Wearing a two-man horse costume. Spoiler alert: They’re both in the back. Plus, there’s a special guest – Have you heard of Blacula, the Black Dracula? 

Meyers: Yes!

Stefon: Well, they have a Jewish Dracula.

Meyers: Oh, What’s his name?

Stefon: Sidney Applebaum!

Why Was the Joke So Funny?

You see the audience and Bill Hader break into a fit of laughter. However, some viewers are genuinely confused by it. 

There are three reasons why the Applebaum joke was funny. These are – the nature of the name, Hader breaking character, and the Woody Allen movie reference. Let’s look into it!

1. Nature of the Name

The line Blacula – the Black Dracula is a setup. When Hader starts talking about the Jewish Dracula, you expect the name to be similar to Blacula. 

Also, Jewish names have a reputation for being difficult to pronounce. So, you’d think the name would be something complicated or clever. But, it’s neither. It turns out to be an ordinary and random name – Sidney Applebaum!

2. Hader Breaks Character

Another thing that the audience finds amusing is Bill Hader himself. Hader is known to easily break his character and start chuckling. For the audience, this is funny because they see Hader trying to maintain a straight face while delivering his line and failing at it.

We now know that Hader goes into sketch without knowing the entire script. The writer, John Mulaney, is said to add a few extra lines here and there as the show goes live. So, Hader is part of the reason why it’s funny.

3. The Woody Allen Connection

The Applebaum joke comes from the Woody Allen movie “Love and Death.”  In the film, we see a French General talk about how the world will remember his name. 

Then, he proceeds to mention the name, which is Sidney Applebaum. Since the name is so random and ridiculous, you are caught off-guard as an audience.

Woody Allen is known to use non-sequiturs in his work. This is just one of the many examples!

Fun Fact: Tina Fey was the first female head writer in the history of SNL.

So, Where Does the Inspiration For Applebaum Come From?

Short Answer: Woody Allen’s comedy movie Love and Death (1975)

As we mentioned, the Applebaum joke is an ode to the Woody Allen movie. 

The 1975 movie is a satire on Russian Literature. The plot revolves around two characters who hitch a plan to murder Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812.

The story follows the life of a ‘cowardly’ Russian villager named Boris Grushenko. Grushenko is shown to be in love with his cousin, Sonja. However, Sonja has feelings for his brother, Ivan.

When Ivan gets engaged to another woman, a heartbroken Sonja marries an elderly merchant. Meanwhile, Grushenko is forced to join the Russian Army. In a turn of events, he accidentally becomes a war hero after he hides a canon that hits the enemy camp. Back home, Sonja’s husband passes away. 

On his return, Grushenko proposes to Sonja, who agrees to marry him if he wins a duel. 

When Napoleon invades Russia, Boris is all set to flee the country. However, Sonja hatches a plan to assassinate the French military commander. 

The two engage in a lot of philosophical babble while debating their plan. 

Eventually, Boris gives in, and they both go ahead. But their plan fails, and Boris is executed while Sonja escapes arrest. 

So, where does the Applebaum joke finds a mention in the movie? The Applebaum joke comes in when a supporting character called General Leveque remarks:

“They call me mad, but one day when the history of France is written, they will mark my name well – Sidney Applebaum!”

The line is considered amusing because it’s absurd. As we mentioned, Allen is known to employ non-sequiturs in his movies. 

Non-sequitur is the Latin word for the phrase “it does not follow.” It simply means that the statement made is nonsensical and confusing. Non-sequiturs do not follow a line of logic. In everyday conversations, non-sequiturs are rarely used.

However, they are used in literature and movies for comedic purposes. It is utilized to catch the audience off-guard or to shock them. 

When the General talks about France remembering him, we anticipate a heavy-weight name. But he proceeds to say Sidney Applebaum, which makes the audience chuckle. The name is lame and random.

Fun Fact: Actor Jim Carrey auditioned to be a part of Saturday Night Live. However, he was rejected twice. He did show up as a guest host in 1996, 2011, and 2014! Here’s the reason why – Why Jim Carrey’s Original Saturday Night Live Audition Was Rejected.

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How Did the Applebaum Joke Come to Be?

So, how did the Sidney Applebaum joke materialize?

Let’s rewind a bit! For the unaware, Saturday Night Live has a revolving set of actors and comedians. In 2020, the show bid adieu to some of its veteran cast members. One of them was Bill Hader, who played the popular role of Stefon. 

After spending eight years at SNL, Hader sat down for an interview to discuss his journey. The actor spilled beans on the behind-the-scenes action at SNL.

Hader stated that Weekend Update sketches were hard for him. He found it challenging to keep a straight face while playing the character. 

He revealed that writer John Mulaney would change a few details in the script right before they went live. So, Hader would shoot for the live show without knowing a part of the script. The surprised reaction and the struggle to stay in character are all very real.

Moreover, the actor said they rarely added a whole new joke in the sketch. Sidney Applebaum was an exception. 

Mulaney wrote the Applebaum joke at the last minute. So, Bill Hader saw the card for the first time when the show went live and cracked up.

To quote Hader, “The Jewish Dracula named Sidney Applebaum made me laugh really hard, not because that’s such a funny joke of that name, but that name is from one of our favorite jokes in the Woody Allen movie Love and Death, where a guy is talking about how history will mark his name, Sidney Applebaum, and it’s just the lamest name. It just made us laugh. So it was all very personal.”

But why did Hader break character? What was so funny?

Bill Hader said that he would start laughing at the idea of Mulaney finding the joke funny. Basically, Hader and Mulaney were laughing at their own sense of humor. Even the writing staff would ask Hader, “Why did you laugh at that?”

After a point, Mulaney tried getting Hader to break character as much as possible. This is what Mulaney said about where the inspiration for Stefon came from: 

“I knew a guy who was trying to start, not a club, but like, do you remember when in New York, sort of pre-Bloomberg, there’d be club spaces? There’d be like a boat that was haunted on the river near the West Side Highway, and people would go, ‘let’s party in there, and maybe we’ll die too. And he would list things- ‘this is gonna have everything, this is gonna have jacked old men… people dressed as babies… farm animals. He would just list and stare.”

Here’s a video where John Mulaney talks about creating the character – Behind the Sketch: Stefon with John Mulaney – SNL

Fun Fact: Eddie Murphy was hell-bent on getting his break on SNL. The veteran actor would call up the talent co-ordinator, Neil Levy, every day for a week to get the role. When he was called for an audition, Murphy was so good that he was given a contract immediately!

Real-Life Sidney Applebaum – A Natural at Grocery Business

Does the real-life Applebaum have any connection to the joke? No, not really.

But it’s worth talking about this grocery mogul! The real-life Sidney Applebaum was a mammoth figure in the grocery retailing business. 

Born in 1924, Applebaum had eight other siblings. He was the second youngest child and the youngest son in the family. His parents, Oscar and Bertha Applebaum immigrated to the United States from Russia.

Grocery Business In His Blood 

In 1900, Applebaum’s parents settled in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Soon after, his father started a grocery store in the locality. He had a horse-drawn cart and would go door-to-door to sell grocery products. In 1924, Oscar set up a fruits and vegetable market at 7th Street, St.Paul.

Sidney studied at Humboldt Senior High School in Saint Paul. Moreover, Sidney was a helping hand in his father’s business. 

He would bag rice, bundle soap, and deliver fruits and produce. By 1932, the family saw a rise in fortunes. During 1930-1950, they kickstarted additional stores at St.Clair and Payne Ave. As adults, Sidney and his brothers learned the tricks of the trade and became a part of Applebaum’s management.

During this time, Sidney met Lorraine Smith and married her in 1946. With Smith, he had three children – Nancy, Jay, and Ellen.

Applebaum’s Rise

Applebaum’s business saw a spectacular rise in the 1960s. They gained local and national fame as the go-to grocery chain. They had over thirty stores spread out from Duluth to Minnesota. With the help of his kids, Sidney also co-founded Big Top Liquors and Sid’s Discount Liquors in 1978.

In the 1970s, Sidney and his brothers established “Applebaum’s Food Markets.” However, the founder of National Tea, D.B Reinhart, took over the Applebaum Food Markets in 1979. 

For the unaware, National Tea ran the Gateway Foods enterprise. In 1979, Applebaum merged with the National Tea Corporation of Rosemount III. 

With this takeover, 26 Applebaum markets merged with the National Tea Corporation of Rosemount III. This made Applebaum the biggest grocery retailing business in Twin Cities. After taking over Applebaum Markets, Reinhart put Sidney in charge of the twin cities’ retail operations.

Rainbow Foods 

During this time, Sidney suggested converting a few Applebaum outlets to create new stores. In 1982, the new stores were launched under the name ‘Rainbow Foods.’

Rainbow Foods was a supermarket-styled outlet. With Sidney at the helm, the market saw explosive success in the 1980s. 

When it started out, it had just a 5 percent share in the Twin Cities Market. However, by 1993, one-third of the groceries consumed in the Twin Cities Market came from Rainbow Foods.

However, Rainbow Foods did shuffle through different owners. This included Fleming Foods, Roundy’s, Supervalu Inc., Lund’s, Byerly’s, etc. But, Sidney continued as the CEO of the chain till 1996. 

After his tryst with Rainbow Foods, Sidney went on to buy four shops of ‘Holiday Foods.’ These shops were in Plymouth, Burnsville, Fridley, and Bloomington. But in 1998, he sold the stores to Supervalu Inc. After retiring, he focused all his attention on expanding his family’s liquor stores. Sidney maintained an active interest in work until he died in 2016. 

Personal Life

Sidney was often described as a family man. He had eight grandkids and five great-grandkids. Moreover, he had a strong work ethic and continued to work till the week before he died.

Every morning, Sidney would wake up at 6:00 am and go to Perkins in St. Paul with his daughter. Then, he would go to work with a walker and spend 4-5 hours there.

He was passionate about making his mark in the Twin Cities and was a community man. He died on 6th August 2016.  Sidney and his wife, Lorraine, would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on September 17th, 2016 

Talking about his father, Jay said, “He loved people and people loved him. Whether it was the concrete people in the parking lot or carpenters or electricians or the highest executive, he treated everybody the same and loved to be with everybody. People gravitated toward him.”

Fun Fact: Alec Baldwin has hosted SNL for a record 17 times! Here’s a piece by NBC on the same – Alec Baldwin’s Record-Breaking History as ‘SNL’ Host.

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What Are Some Top Saturday Night Live Moments?

The Sidney Applebaum joke is just one of the many highlights of SNL. This American comedy institution has given us many cult sketches. 

The show first aired in 1975. It is also the successor of the 1960s show called Laugh-In. Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of character sketches, impressions, and iconic moments. 

The show sees a rotating staff of actors and writers. However, the format has remained the same. 

“Live From New York, It’s Saturday Night”

Here’s a roundup of our favorite Saturday Night Live sketches:

1. Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton Address the Nation

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s SNL era have given us some of the best moments. One of them is their political impersonation of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

The skit was titled “A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton.” 

We see Clinton and Palin take a stand against the prevalent sexism during the 2008 United States presidential election. The duo also takes subtle digs at each other throughout the skit.

2. Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood

The sketch is a parody of the famous show called Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. It starred the famous comedic actor Eddie Murphy. 

Murphy plays the role of a criminal who is wanted by the police for petty crimes. He teaches kids about illegal activities like shoplifting, breaking into homes, and stealing groceries. 

3. Black Jeopardy

Black Jeopardy is a recurring segment that tackles race issues. The 2016 Black Jeopardy sketch starring Tom Hanks has to be one of the best! 

Hanks plays the role of a white man who supports the MAGA philosophy. The show’s format remained the same: the quiz game has three contestants – two black and a white contestant.

Most of the questions are tackled by the black contestants. The third contestant usually fails to answer any questions.

4. Dear Sister

A homage to the second season drama of the millennial show, The O.C. Dear Sister starred Andy Samberg, Shia LaBoeuf, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig. 

We see a soap opera-level drama with a lot of gunfire. The parody makes fun of the over-the-top song that plays in the background as Marissa shoots Trey in The O.C.

5. The Californians

A recurring sketch on SNL, The Californians is a parody of soap operas. It stars Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Trey, and Vanessa Bayer. 

The highlight of the sketch is the valley girl accent that the characters speak in. The melodrama also involves a lot of talk about freeways and traffic in L.A. The famous catchphrase from the sketch is “Stay off the 405!”

6. Debbie Downer

A fan-favorite skit that starred Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer. Dratch is a natural at playing a pessimistic person. In this skit, we see an Ohio family visit Disney World. Here, Debbie Downer ruins the fun for everyone by talking about depressing issues.

The skit starred Jimmy Fallon, Lindsay Lohan, Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, and Horatio Sanz. During the show, most cast members couldn’t keep a straight face, nor could they complete their lines.  

7. The Lonely Island Era

Regarding Andy Samberg, The Lonely Island is his best on SNL. We saw digital shorts like “I’m on a Boat,” “Great Day,” and “Motherlover.” However, a favorite among these digital shorts would be “D*** In a Box.” 

Here, Samberg is joined by Justin Timberlake as they figure out the perfect gift for their girlfriends.

8. Van Down By The River

Chris Farley plays the role of a motivational speaker like no other! In this skit, Stacy (played by Christina Applegate) and Brian (David Spade) are caught with a bag of marijuana.

To straighten them up, their parents call home a motivational speaker. Matt Foley, a 35-year-old, thrice-divorced motivational speaker, shows up and tries to scare the kids. 

He tells them that if they don’t mend their ways, they might end up living “in a van down by the river.” The skit tries to mock the motivational speaker trend!

9. Wayne’s World

Another fan-favorite sketch was Wayne’s World. The skit presented two metalhead fans recording their show from their parent’s basement. It gave us catchphrases like “Schwing!”, “Party On!” “We’re not Worthy!”. 

The skit was so famous that Paramount Pictures produced a full-feature film of the same name in 1992.

10. Celebrity Jeopardy

Celebrity Jeopardy used to be a recurring sketch on SNL. It was a parody of the game show called Jeopardy. Here, every celebrity competes to win the quiz game. 

It was revived during SNL’s 40th anniversary special in 2015. This particular skit was a favorite among fans because it had just the right mix of celebrity guests and comedians. 

Kate Mckinnon’s Justin Bieber, Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin’s Tony Bennett, and Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek impressions were on point!

Fun Fact: American voters have admitted that political sketches on SNL have influenced their voting choices! Here’s an infographic by Bustle showing the political impact of SNL- How ‘SNL’ Does & Doesn’t Influence Politics.

Conclusion

It’s been more than 45 years since Saturday Night Live first aired on television. Over the years, the show has given us many pop culture moments. One of them being the Sidney Applebaum joke. 

As we mentioned, viewers laugh at the joke for three reasons. One, SNL fans love to see Bill Hader break character. Next, the Jewish Dracula comment makes you think the name would be clever, but it isn’t. Finally, the joke is an ode to Woody Allen’s movie Love and Death.