We celebrated Black History Month in March, and now May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month! 
What's the historical stuff behind it? Well, in 1976, the president of the Organization of Chinese American Women, Jeanne Jew , was worried that Asian Pacific Americans weren't being included in our country's bicentennial celebration . She worked hard to change that…and BAM! On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the first 10 days of May Asian Pacific Heritage Week!
Fast forward 14 years, and President George H. W. Bush proclaimed May as the official Asian Pacific Heritage Month. He signed the bill into law on October 23, 1992. Woot!
Oh, if you're wondering to yourself, "Why May?", it's because two special things happened: The first Japanese arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the Transcontinental railroad was finally finished on May 10, 1869 — most of the workers were Chinese immigrants .
So while we celebrate, there are some special people we should pay tribute to. Let's see…
There's Bruce Lee , known for being the most influential martial artist of the 20th century — not to mention a HUGE cultural icon. (Yes, I own the collectible figurines!) Then we have Chien-Shiung Wu , the "First Lady of Physics," who's known for her expertise in radioactivity and her work on the Manhattan Project .
Don't forget about architect Maya Lin , who designed and created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Civil Rights Memorial .
And Tommy Kono , U.S. weightlifter, who won gold medals in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games. He also set world records in four different weightlifting classes! Now THAT'S muscle power!
What other special Asian Pacific Americans can you think of? And how are you celebrating this month?
