El ocho de mayo/May 8th

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Enrique Iglesias! (1975- )

Often called "The King of Latin Pop," Iglesias is a Spanish singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer who has lived in Miami since he was a child. He has sold over 100 million records and holds the record for #1 Spanish language singles on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart (he has 27). Iglesias was born in Spain in 1975 to socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler and legendary singer Julio Iglesias. His parents divorced in 1979, and for a few years, Iglesias and his siblings stayed with their mother in Spain, but after their grandfather was kidnapped by the Basque terrorist group ETA in 1981, it was decided that Spain was not safe for them, so Enrique and his brother went to live with their father in Miami. There, he was raised mostly by his nanny, Elvira Olivares, to whom he dedicated his first album. He graduated from Gulliver Prep School and then went on to University of Miami, where he planned to study business, but he left school after a year to pursue music full-time. He didn't want to make it because of his father's name, however, so for his first demo tape he borrowed money from his nanny and shopped his tapes to producers under the name Enrique Martinez (read more HERE). He was signed to a label, and by 1996 he has a Grammy for "Best Latin Performer." The awards and accolades have kept coming. One of Iglesias' recent hits is the 2017 song Súbeme la radio, whose video he recorded in Havana, Cuba. The song Move to Miami, which he recorded with Puerto Rican singer Pitbull, was released in May of 2018. Iglesias and his longtime partner, retired tennis pro Ana Kournikova, whom he met when he cast her in a music video in 2001, recently welcomed twins Nicholas and Lucy (December 2017) (read more and see photos, HERE, and see the video of Iglesias covering Lucy in kisses HERE).

 For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other May 8th birthdays of note:

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811): Mexican priest who is credited with starting the Mexican War of Independence with the Grito de Dolores in 1810 (still reenacted every September 15th in Mexico City). He had studied French and the literature of the Enlightenment. May 8th is celebrated in Mexico as "Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Day."

Adrían Gonzalez ("A-Gon" o "Gonzo") (1982-    ): Professional baseball player (the Marlins, the Padres, the Red Sox, and the Dodgers). He is from California and now lives in la Jolla, near San Diego, with his wife and children. His parents are Mexican and as a child he lived in Tijuana. He frequently speaks about his faith and its importance in his life.