How did the term May Day originate?

The "mayday" procedure word was originated in 1923, by a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. The officer, Frederick Stanley Mockford, was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. read more

May Day' is a spring holiday and, in some places, a celebration of working people. The terms sound similar, but they have different origins. They are not spelled the same way. read more

The word derived from the French 'M'aidez' meaning 'help me'. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency by many groups, such as police forces, pilots, firefighters, and transportation organisations. read more