Via Starwars.com:

With the launch of the Star Wars Rebels episode “Empire Day,” it seems fitting to serve up a little piece of forgotten Star Wars history associated with this specific term. Back in 1980, when The Empire Strikes Back was set to open with a royal premiere in London on May 20, someone on the promotional team at Lucasfilm or 20th Century Fox was inspired to resurrect the British “Empire Day” holiday, which had been observed by members of the British Empire between 1902 and 1958 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday on May 24. Though the “Empire Day” name would later change to British Commonwealth Day and finally to Commonwealth Day in 1966, the promoters were betting that there would still be enough cultural memory to make the “Empire Day” moniker resonate with the public for Empire’s launch.

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