NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE DAY | May 2

(Last Updated On: May 1, 2023)

NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE DAY

National Life Insurance Day is on May 2nd and marks the anniversary of the first day that life insurance became available in the U.S. The observance also brings awareness of the benefits of life insurance.

#LIFEINSURANCEDAY

Life Insurance has a long, interesting history. Starting in 1760, when the sale of life insurance in the U.S. began. The Presbyterian Synods in Philadelphia and New York City created the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers in 1759.

On May 2, 1759, the charter recorded for the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. Episcopalian priests created a comparable relief fund in 1769. Between 1787 and 1837, more than two dozen life insurance companies were started, but fewer than half a dozen survived.

Life insurance can do some pretty amazing things for people. It can buy loved one time to grieve. It can also pay off debts and loans, providing surviving family members with the chance to move on with a clean slate. Life insurance allows families to remain in their homes and pre-fund a child’s college education. When families own a business, life insurance will enable them to keep the business in the event of an untimely death. It also provides a stream of income for a family to live on for a period of time.

CELEBRATION LIFE INSURANCE

1. Learn more about the different types of life insurance policies available today.
2. Educate yourself and your family to determine your needs.
3. Review your life insurance policy to make any adjustments because of age or other situation.
4. Share life insurance policy information with a responsible family member.
5. Use #LifeInsuranceDay to on social media.

NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE DAY HISTORY

In 2014, Liran Hirschkorn, an Independent Insurance Agent at Best Life Quote, submitted National Life Insurance Day to commemorate the anniversary of life insurance becoming available in the United States. The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed the day to be observed each year on on May 2. 

5 Celebrated History on May 2

1. 1885 – The popular periodical Good Housekeeping makes its publishing debut. Its full title was Good Housekeeping Conducted in the Interests of the Higher Life of the Household. (You think some of today’s books have long titles!) For the price of $2.50, the advice and scholarly information of Good Housekeeping experts were delivered to households across the country every two weeks. The magazine later changed to a monthly publication.
2. 1908 – Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth register a copyright for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” a catchy tune that continues to be a tradition during summer baseball games.
3. 1920 – The Negro National League debuted with a doubleheader in Indianapolis, Indiana between C.I. Taylor’s Indianapolis ABCs and the Chicago Giants. Taking place at Washington Park, the game hosted 6,000 fans. The home team didn’t disappoint, delivering two wins 4-2 and 11-4.
4. 1935 – After nearly 5 years, construction on Boulder Dam is complete. Twelve years later it was renamed Hoover Dam in honor of Herbert Hoover, the nation’s 31st president and the secretary of commerce who helped make the project possible.
5. 2021 – At just before 3 AM EST, the space capsule Resilience returned to Earth with four astronauts on board. Resilience splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City, Florida. It was the first nighttime splashdown with astronauts since the 1968 splashdown of Apollo 8 astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell. The NASA mission led by SpaceX began in November 2020 to take crew members to and from the International Space Station.

May 2nd Celebrated Birthdays

1. Mary Bowersock Mendenhall was born in Adams County, Pennsylvania in 1813. She delivered 980 babies in Northern Indiana and never lost a mother in her care. She nursed the people in her communities for more than 40 years. Mendenhall lived a long 98 years and was an asset to those she provided her care.
2. Elijah McCoy (1844) became known as the prolific inventor who patented more than 50 of his inventions during his lifetime. Born in Canada, McCoy focused his efforts on lubricants for steam engines. His life is the focus of Andrew Moodie’s play “The Real McCoy” which illustrates how the son of runaway slaves develops a product that no knockoff could replace.
3. Nannie Helen Boroughs (1879) became a well-known African American suffragist for her belief in education of females. In 1909, she helped the National Baptist Convention to open the National Training School for Women and Girls.
4. Dr. Benjamin Spock (1903) was an American pediatrician who wrote Baby and Child Care . This indispensable book of the Baby Boom era helped raise generations of children, many of whom are great-grandparents today.
5. Gray Baker (1925) was known for his UFO investigations. He published the Mothman mystery The Silver Bridge. Barker is best known for his book The Men in Black: The Secret Terror Among Us.
6. Engelbert Humperdinck (1936) is an unforgettable singer (and not just because of his name) whose ballads have been touching hearts for generations.