On This Day — May 4

Famous events, births, and deaths from May 4 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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46 events · 195 births · 95 deaths recorded for May 4.

🕰️ Notable Events on May 4

2014 — Three people are killed and 62 injured in a pair of bombings on buses in Nairobi, Kenya. Wikipedia ↗
2007 — Greensburg, Kansas is almost completely destroyed by a 1.7 mi wide EF5 tornado. It was the first-ever tornado to be rated as such with the new Enhanced Fujita scale. Wikipedia ↗
2000 — Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London. Wikipedia ↗
1998 — A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty. Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord, granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Iran-Contra affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges; the convictions are later overturned on appeal. Wikipedia ↗
1988 — The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of Space Shuttle fuel detonate during a fire. Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia ↗
1978 — The South African Defence Force attacks a SWAPO base at Cassinga in southern Angola, killing about 600 people. Wikipedia ↗
1972 — The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to "Greenpeace Foundation". Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city of Kent the weekend before, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the Cambodian Campaign of the United States and South Vietnam. Wikipedia ↗
1961 — American civil rights movement: The "Freedom Riders" begin a bus trip through the South. Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather attain a new altitude record for manned balloon flight ascending in the Strato-Lab V open gondola to 113,740 feet (34.67 km). Wikipedia ↗
1959 — The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held. Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea. Wikipedia ↗
1949 — The entire Torino football team (except for two players who did not take the trip: Sauro Tomà, due to an injury and Renato Gandolfi, because of coach request) is killed in a plane crash. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — In San Francisco Bay, U.S. Marines from the nearby Treasure Island Naval Base stop a two-day riot at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary; 5 people are killed in the riot. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath includes all Wehrmacht units in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before. Wikipedia ↗
1932 — In Atlanta, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion. Wikipedia ↗
1926 — The United Kingdom general strike begins. Wikipedia ↗
1919 — May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan. Wikipedia ↗
1912 — Italy occupies the Greek island of Rhodes. Wikipedia ↗
1910 — The Royal Canadian Navy is created. Wikipedia ↗
1904 — The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal. Wikipedia ↗
1886 — Haymarket affair: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The police fire into the crowd. Wikipedia ↗
1871 — The National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Wikipedia ↗
1869 — The Naval Battle of Hakodate is fought in Japan. Wikipedia ↗
1865 — Surrender of the Confederate departments of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana at Citronelle, Alabama. Wikipedia ↗
1859 — The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall in England. Wikipedia ↗
1836 — Formation of Ancient Order of Hibernians Wikipedia ↗
1814 — Emperor Napoleon I of France arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile. Wikipedia ↗
1814 — King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism. Wikipedia ↗
1799 — Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam: The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is invaded and Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris. Wikipedia ↗
1776 — Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III. Wikipedia ↗
1686 — The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines. Wikipedia ↗
1675 — King Charles II of England orders the construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Wikipedia ↗
1626 — Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw. Wikipedia ↗
1493 — Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Line of Demarcation. Wikipedia ↗
1471 — Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury: Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Wikipedia ↗
1436 — Assassination of the Swedish rebel (later national hero) Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson Wikipedia ↗
1415 — Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. Wikipedia ↗
1256 — The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on May 4

1995 — Shameik Moore, jamaican actor and rapper Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Joseph Tapine, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Jānis Bērziņš, Latvian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Victor Oladipo, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Brianne Jenner, Canadian women's ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Irina Falconi, American tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Ryan Morgan, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Dániel Gyurta, Hungarian swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Henna Lindholm, Finnish figure skater Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Rory McIlroy, Northern Irish golfer Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Aris Tatarounis, Greek basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — James van Riemsdyk, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Radja Nainggolan, Belgian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Devan Dubnyk, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1986 — George Hill, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Ravi Bopara, English cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Anthony Fedorov, Ukrainian-born American singer and actor Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Jamie Adenuga, English MC and rapper Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Brad Maddox, American wrestler and referee Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Sarah Meier, Swiss figure skater Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Montell Owens, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Kevin Slowey, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Daniel Christian, Australian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Robert Zwinkels, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Giorgos Tsiaras, Greek basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Dallon Weekes, American singer-songwriter and musician Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Andrew Raycroft, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Kristin Harmel, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Marie Poissonnier, French pole vaulter Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Lesley Vainikolo, Tongan rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Erin Andrews, American sportscaster and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Igor Biscan, Croatian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Brett Burton, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Vladimíra Uhlířová, Czech tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — John Tripp, Canadian-German ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Ben Grieve, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Jason Michaels, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Indrek Visnapuu, Estonian basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Tony McCoy, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Matthew Barnaby, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentinian footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1973 — John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Mike Dirnt, American bass player and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Joe Borowski, American baseball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Miles Stewart, Australian triathlete Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Gregg Alexander, American singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Will Arnett, Canadian actor and producer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian jazz musician Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Dawn Staley, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Paul Wiseman, New Zealand cricketer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Franz Resch, Austrian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Kate Garraway, English journalist Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Ana Gasteyer, American actress and singer Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Jane McGrath, English-Australian activist, co-founded the McGrath Foundation (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Jay Aston, English singer-songwriter and dancer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Andrew Denton, Australian television host and producer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Werner Faymann, Austrian politician, 28th Chancellor of Austria Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Valdemaras Chomičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Randy Travis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Bob Tway, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Delbert Fowler, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Keith Haring, American painter (d. 1990) Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Jane Kennedy, English politician Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Caroline Spelman, English politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Jaak Huimerind, Estonian architect Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Kathy Kreiner, Canadian skier Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Peter Sleep, Australian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Marijke Vos, Dutch educator and politician Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Michael L. Gernhardt, American astronaut and engineer Wikipedia ↗
1956 — David Guterson, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Ryan Cayabyab, Filipino pianist, composer, and conductor Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Pia Zadora, American actress and singer Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Belinda Green, Australian beauty queen and 1972 Miss World Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Colin Bass, English bass player, songwriter, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Colleen Hanabusa, American lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Jackie Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Darryl Hunt, English bass player Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Graham Swift, English novelist and short story writer Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Alison Britton, English sculptor and educator Wikipedia ↗
1947 — John Bosley, Canadian businessman and politician, 31st Canadian Speaker of the House of Commons Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Ronald Sørensen, Dutch historian and politician Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Trivimi Velliste, Estonian politician, 17th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Wikipedia ↗
1946 — John Barnard, English car designer Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Gary Bauer, American political activist Wikipedia ↗
1946 — John Watson, British race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Jan Mulder, Dutch footballer and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Russi Taylor, American voice actress Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Georgi Asparuhov, Bulgarian footballer (d. 1971) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Mihail Chemiakin, Russian painter and sculptor Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Prasanta Pattanaik, Indian economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Nickolas Ashford, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1941 — George Will, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Robin Cook, American physician and author Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Neil Fox, English rugby player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Amos Oz, Israeli journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Leon Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Tyrone Davis, American blues and soul singer (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican journalist, author, and critic (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Gillian Tindall, English historian and author Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Ron Carter, American bassist and educator Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Wim Verstappen, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — El Cordobés, Spanish bullfighter Wikipedia ↗
1933 — J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Alexander MacAra, Scottish epidemiologist and academic (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Jan Pesman, Dutch speed skater (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor and educator Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Thomas Stuttaford, English physician, journalist, and politician Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Roberta Peters, American soprano (d. 2017) Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family; mother of Michael Jackson Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Thomas Kinsella, Irish poet, translator, and publisher Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian air marshal and politician, 4th President of Egypt Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Betsy Rawls, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Wolfgang von Trips, German race car driver (d. 1961) Wikipedia ↗
1926 — David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon, English politician Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman and philanthropist Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Ed Cassidy, American jazz and rock drummer (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and producer (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — John Toner, American football player and coach (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Paul-Émile Charbonneau, Canadian archbishop (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — John van Kesteren, Dutch-American tenor and actor (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Edo Murtić, Croatian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Dory Funk, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1973) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Basil Yamey, South African-English economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Nick Joaquin, Filipino writer, journalist and historian (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Richard Proenneke, American soldier, carpenter, and meteorologist (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Yokozuna (d. 1971) Wikipedia ↗
1913 — John Broome, American author (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1913 — Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗