What happened This day in History on May 4th

For Those With Birthdays 4th May looking for specific year these years are Included on this date 1886, 1920, 1926, 1930, 1932, 1948, 1959, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1979, 1982, 1987, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, Born This Day,
2007 U.S.A Greensburg, Kansas Tornado 4th May 2007 : An EF5 tornado nearly 2 miles wide travels through the city of Greensburg, Kansas leveling most of the city and killing eleven people, the winds were estimated in the tornado to reach 205 mph. The video gives an idea of the complete devastation caused by the tornado.

1970 U.S.A. Kent State University Shootings 4th May 1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 4 were killed and a further 10 were injured. Crosby,Stils,Nash & Young sang about it with the song "Tin Soldiers"



1932 U.S.A. Al Capone 4th May 1932 : Al Capone begins life as convict 40886 in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary serving 11 years for Income Tax Evasion


1886 U.S.A. Haymarket Square Riot 4th May 1886 : A labor rally held in protest of the killing of a striker by the Chicago police the day before at Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois, ends with more violence as a bomb is thrown by the protesters and at the police and police responded with wild gunfire, killing several people in the crowd and injuring dozens more.

1920 France Paris Opera House 4th May 1920 : The Symphony Society of New York presented a concert at the Paris Opera House. This was the first time an American orchestra made a tour abroad to Europe.

1926 Great Britain General Strike 4th May 1926 : At the end of the second day of Great Britain General Strike the government has asked for approval of A State of Emergency with powers for the armed forces to take over important industries including transport and power supply, currently there are a number of major cities running on 1/3 of power and with food rotting in docks around the country.





1930 India Mahatma Gandhi 4th May 1930 : The leader of India's civil disobedience campaign, Mahatma Gandhi, was taken into British police custody .

1945 Holland German Troops Surrender 4th May 1945 : German forces in Holland and Denmark surrender to British Troops

1948 U.S.A. Rail Strike 4th May 1948 : The leaders of the three rail unions have threatened to call a national rail strike which will cripple the countries commerce and the federal government is looking at federal seizure of the railways as a way of keeping transport going.

1959 U.S.A. Grammy Awards 4th May 1959 : The first year of Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences are presented

1966 UK Doctors and Dentists 4th May 1966 : Following a pay review body recommendations doctors' and dentists' salaries are to be increased by up to 30%.

1969 U.S.A. Student Protesters 4th May 1969 : More arrests and demonstrations are happening state wide by student protesters on College and University campuses both against the Vietnam War and on grounds of civil liberties for Negro students , as a result more colleges are calling in National Guardsman to break up demonstrations which are in turn leading to more unrest.

1970 U.S.A. Kent State University Shootings 4th May 1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 3 were killed and a further 10 were injured

1979 UK Mrs Thatcher 4th May 1979 : Mrs Thatcher arrives at Downing Street to take over from the defeated labour leader James Callaghan after winning an overall majority in British Elections.

1982 Falkland Islands HMS Sheffield 4th May 1982 : Argentina strikes back at British Forces following the sinking of General Belgrano sinking the The British warship HMS Sheffield with an Argentine Exocet missile fired from an Argentinean fighter bomber.

1987 U.S.A. Iran-Contra Affair 4th May 1987 : The house and senate committee begin 3 months of hearings into Iran-Contra affair which was the sale of American arms sold secretly to Iran and some of the proceeds were diverted to Contra Rebels seeking to overthrow the Government of Nicaragua

2000 UK Ken Livingstone 4th May 2000 : Ken Livingstone an independent is elected as London's first elected mayor with a clear victory polling nearly 40% of first preferences in the mayoral election.

2002 Nigeria Plane Crash 4th May 2002 : A Nigerian BAC 1-11-500 aircraft crashes into the town of Kano and explodes in a densely populated section killing 148 people.
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Pakistan 2005 Pakistan Top al-Queda Suspect Captured

4th May, 2005 : Pakistani authorities captured and arrested suspected al-Queda chief Abu Faraj al-Libbi. The suspect was thought to be high ranking within the organization and critical to the planning and facilitating of al-Queda activities.

United States 2006 United States Picasso Painting Sold at Auction 4th May, 2006 : Picasso's portrait of his lover Dora Maar was sold at an auction at Sotheby's in New York for 95.2 million dollars. The portrait, painted in 1941, was considered the second most expensive painting at the time, under another Picasso painting that sold for 104 million dollars in 2004.

Haiti 2007 Haiti Migrants Dead After Boat Capsizes 4th May, 2007 : At least twenty migrants from Haiti are killed after their boat capsizes in the Atlantic Ocean. The boat carrying about 150 capsized just South of the Turks and Caicos Islands and many other passengers were rescued.

Guam 2008 Guam Obama Wins Democratic Caucus in Guam 4th May, 2008 : Barack Obama narrowly defeated Hilary Clinton at the Democratic caucus in Guam, a United States territory. While citizens of Guam cannot vote in a United States presidential election they have the ability to choose delegates to help select the Democratic presidential candidate.

North Korea 2009 North Korea North Korean Ship Saved 4th May, 2009 : A North Korean cargo ship was saved from an attempted pirate attack by a South Korean warship off the coast of Somalia. The South Korean ship answered the North Korean ship's distress calls and was thanked by the North Korean ship, despite the two countries being at war with each other for over fifty years.

United States 2011 United States Prince Charles Meets With President Obama 4th May, 2011 : Great Britain's Prince Charles made a visit to the White House to discuss the environment and energy issues with US President Barack Obama. The meeting rounded out the Prince's two day trip to the United States, during which he spoke at the Future of Food conference and met with US veterans in addition to meeting with the president.

United States 2012 United States Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Dies
4th May, 2012 : Rapper Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, died at the age of forty-seven after struggling with salivary gland cancer since 2009. Yauch was known for being a member of the ground-breaking rap group the Beastie Boys and for his lifetime of activism in the Free Tibey movement.