This Day in History
May 4

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: May 4?

On May 4 in ...

  • 1006 - Birth of Abd-Allah Ansari Persian mystic/poet (Monadjat).
  • 1303 - Flemings conquers Middelburg.
  • 1471 - Battle of Tewkesbury - King Edward IV defeats ex-Queen Margaretha.
  • 1493 - Spanish Pope Alexander VI divides non-Christian world between Spain and Portugal.
  • 1540 - Venice and Turkey sign Treaty of Constantinople.
  • 1572 - Veere sides with Geuzen.
  • 1594 - Paul Buys Grand Pensionary of Holland, dies at age 62.
  • 1605 - Ulisse Aldrovandi Italian biologist/medical, dies at age 82.
  • 1609 - Japanese forces complete their capture of the Ryukus Islands.
  • 1611 - Birth of Carlo Rainaldi composer.
  • 1622 - Birth of Juan de Valdés Leal Spanish painter/sculptor.
  • 1626 - Dutch colonist Peter Minuit purchases Manhattan from Indians for $24 worth of brass buttons and cloth.
  • 1626 - Peter Minuit becomes director-general of New Netherlands.
  • 1631 - Birth of Mary I Henriette Stuart daughter of Charles I/Queen of England.
  • 1634 - Johan van Walbeecks fleet departs to West-Indies.
  • 1635 - Birth of Willem van Outhoorn Dutch Governor-General (Dutch East Indies).
  • 1652 - Battle at Etampes: French army under Turenne beats Fronde rebels.
  • 1655 - Birth of Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori Italy, piano builder.
  • 1715 - French manufacturer debuts first folding umbrella (Paris France).
  • 1728 - Georg F Händels opera "Tolomeo, re di Egitto" premieres in London.
  • 1747 - Willem IV appointed viceroy of Overijssel.
  • 1776 - Rhode Island declares independence from England.
  • 1783 - William Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus.
  • 1796 - Birth of Horace Mann; US educator/author/editor (pioneered public schools).
  • 1796 - Birth of Joseph Pannell Taylor; US Brigadier General (Union Army) (dies 1864).
  • 1814 - Bourbon reign restored in France.
  • 1817 - An explosion aboard the Constitution steamship on the Mississippi River near Bayou Sara scalds to death 11 people.
  • 1818 - Netherlands and England sign treaty against illegal slave handling.
  • 1820 - Birth of Joseph Whitaker in England; publisher, founded Whitaker's Almanack.
  • 1820 - Birth of Julia Gardiner; second wife of US President John Tyler.
  • 1826 - Birth of Frederick Church; US romantic landscape painter (Hudson River School).
  • 1830 - President-dictator Simon Bolivar resigns from office in Colombia.
  • 1843 - Great Britain annexes Natal.
  • 1846 - Birth of Emile Gallé; French glass/marble/ceramic artist (Gallé Glaze).
  • 1858 - War of the Reform (México); Liberals establish capital at Vera Cruz.
  • 1860 - Birth of Emil Nikolaus Von Reznicek in Vienna, Austria; composer (Donna Diana).
  • 1862 - US General George McClellan halts his troops before Yorktown, Virginia as it is full of armed torpedoes left by Confederate Brigadier General Gabrial Rains.
  • 1865 - Battle of Citronville, Alabama; Richard Taylor surrenders.
  • 1865 - Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, is buried in Springfield, Illinois.
  • 1871 - New constitution of German Empire comes into force.
  • 1871 - First baseball league game (National Association of Baseball Players), (Fort Wayne Keiongas 2, Cleveland 0) Deacon Jim White gets first hit, a double. Bill Lennon becomes first catcher to throw a runner out trying to steal second.
  • 1874 - The United Kingdom issues first postage stamps for use in Dominica, featuring Queen Victoria.
  • 1875 - Birth of Ramiro de Maeztu y Whitney; Spanish writer (Don Quixote and Celestine).
  • 1875 - Birth of Reggie Schwartz; cricket player (first of great South African googlists).
  • 1878 - Phonograph shown for first time at Grand Opera House.
  • 1879 - William Froude, British civil engineer/shipbuilder (F Integer), dies at age 68.
  • 1881 - Birth of Aleksandr F Kerenski; Russian premier (1917-Prelude to Bolshevism).
  • 1885 - Aleksandar I Karadjordjevic, monarch of Serbia (1842-58), dies at age 78.
  • 1886 - Haymarket riot in Chicago, Illinois, USA; bomb kills 7 policemen.
  • 1888 - Italy and Spain sign military covenant.
  • 1891 - Birth of Johan W F Werumeus Buning; Dutch poet (Daily Bread).
  • 1893 - Birth of Edgar Dearing in Ceres, California, USA; actor (Abraham Lincoln, Free and Easy).
  • 1896 - First edition of London Daily Mail is published (costs a half penny).
  • 1896 - Grease fire ignites half ton of dynamite at Cripple Creek, Colorado, USA.
  • 1897 - 23rd Kentucky Derby: Buttons Garner aboard Typhoon II wins in 2:12.5.
  • 1897 - Fire in Paris, France, bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200.
  • 1898 - 24th Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Plaudit wins in 2:09.
  • 1899 - 25th Kentucky Derby: Fred Taral aboard Manuel wins in 2:12.
  • 1902 - Birth of Cola [Nicolas] Debrot in Bonaire; Governor (Netherlands Antilles), author.
  • 1903 - Birth of Luther Adler in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Dr Bernard Altman - The Psychiatrist, 77 Sunset Strip TV show, Hawaii Five-0 TV show).
  • 1904 - Americans begin canal construction work in Panama. French properties in Panama are transferred to American authority.
  • 1905 - Birth of Mátyás Seiber in Budapest, Hungary; composer (Scherzando).
  • 1906 - Birth of Esmond Knight in East Sheen, England; actor (Hamlet, Sleeping Murder).
  • 1909 - Birth of Howard Da Silva in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; actor (Ben Franklin - 1776, When The Boat Comes In TV show, For the People TV show, The American Parade TV mini-series, Masquerade TV movie, The Cafeteria TV movie).
  • 1910 - Birth of Mady Alfredo [Maria M the Brieder]; actress (Alicia).
  • 1910 - Canadian parliament accepts creation of Royal Canadian Navy.
  • 1910 - Tel Aviv is founded.
  • 1912 - Birth of Lou Brown in Brooklyn, New York, USA; orchestra leader (Jerry Lewis Show).
  • 1912 - Italian mariners occupy Turkish Island of Rhodes.
  • 1914 - Birth of Abdel Karim Kassem; general/premier/dictator of Iraq (1958-63).
  • 1914 - Birth of Emmanuel Roblès; Algerian-French journalist/playwright (Lesson Hauteurs).
  • 1915 - Birth of Curt Conway in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Raw Deal).
  • 1915 - Italy drops out of Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany.
  • 1916 - At request of US, Germany curtails its submarine warfare.
  • 1917 - Arabs sack Tel Aviv.
  • 1918 - Birth of Kakuei Tanaka; Japanese Prime Minister (1972-74), convicted of bribe-taking.
  • 1918 - New York Yankees set record with 8 sacrifices, beat Boston Red Sox's Babe Ruth 5-4.
  • 1919 - Protests in China against the humiliation of China by the Versailles Treaty which gave German territories in China to Japan.
  • 1919 - First legal Sunday baseball game in New York City (Philadelphia Phillies beat New York Giants 4-3).
  • 1921 - Birth of John van Kesteren; Dutch tenor (Komische Oper, West Berlin).
  • 1921 - Birth of Patsy Garrett in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; actress (Nanny and the Professor).
  • 1922 - Birth of John Paul Hammerschmidt; American politician (Representative-Republican-Arkansas, 1967-).
  • 1923 - Bloody street battles between National Socialists, socialists, and police in Vienna, Austria.
  • 1923 - New York state revokes Prohibition law.
  • 1924 - (to July 27) The Games of the VIII Olympiad are held in Paris, France.
  • 1924 - German Republic election: fascists and communists win.
  • 1925 - Birth of Peter Blum; German/South African/English poet (Capricorn).
  • 1925 - League of Nations conference on arms control and poison gas usage.
  • 1926 - Birth of Milton "Milt" Thompson; US NASA-test pilot/chief-engineer (X-15).
  • 1926 - General strike by unions in Great Britain.
  • 1927 - First balloon flight over 40,000 feet (Scott Field, Illinois, USA).
  • 1927 - Nicaragua agrees to a US-supervised presidential election in 1928.
  • 1928 - Barry E Odell Pain, English writer (Punch), dies at age 63.
  • 1928 - Birth of Betsy Rawls in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA; LPGA golfer (Hall of Fame, US Women's Open-1951, 1953, 1957, 1960).
  • 1928 - Birth of Hosni Mubarak; Egyptian President (1981-).
  • 1928 - Birth of Maynard Ferguson in Verdun, Quebec, Canada; jazz trumpeter/bandleader ("Birdland", "Roulette", "Gonna Fly Now").
  • 1929 - Birth of Audrey Hepburn [Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston] in Brussels, Belgium; actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady).
  • 1929 - Lou Gehrig hits three consecutive homeruns, New York Yankees 11, Detroit Tigers 9.
  • 1930 - Birth of Roberta Peters in New York City, New York, USA; operatic soprano (New York Metropolitan).
  • 1931 - Birth of Ed Cassidy in Chicago, Illinois, USA; drummer (Spirit - "I Got A Line on You").
  • 1931 - Birth of Gennadi Rozhdestvensky in Moscow, Russia; conductor (USSR State Radio).
  • 1931 - Kemal Atatürk is re-elected president of Turkey.
  • 1932 - Birth of Susan Brown in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (General Hospital).
  • 1933 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Archibald Macleish (Conquistador).
  • 1934 - Birth of Pete Barbutti in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA; comedian (Garry Moore Show, John Davdson Show, Pete's Place).
  • 1935 - 61st Kentucky Derby: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 2:05.
  • 1935 - Lodewijk Scharpé, Flemish literature historian, dies at age 65.
  • 1936 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Harold L Davis (Honey in the Horn).
  • 1937 - Birth of Dick Dale; guitarist (Surf).
  • 1938 - Birth of Tyrone Davis; American rhythm and blues singer ("Are you serious").
  • 1938 - Birth of William J Bennett; US Secretary of Education (1985-88).
  • 1938 - Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist/writer (Nobel Prize 1935), dies at age 48.
  • 1938 - Douglas Hyde (a Protestant) becomes first president of Eire.
  • 1939 - Japanese Prime Minister Kiichiro Hiranuma declares to Adolf Hitler that Japan would support Germany and Italy with political, economic, and military aid if one was attacked by a power other than the Soviet Union, but not right away.
  • 1939 - Birth of Amos Oz in Jerusalem, Israel; author (My Michael).
  • 1940 - 21 "not neutral" Nazis and communists arrested in Netherlands.
  • 1940 - 66th Kentucky Derby: Carroll Bierman aboard Gallahadion wins in 2:05.
  • 1940 - Birth of Dick Curl in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; offensive coordinator coach (Barcelona Dragons).
  • 1941 - Birth of George F Will; political analyst (Night Line).
  • 1942 - Battle of Coral Sea begins (first sea battle fought solely in air).
  • 1942 - Birth of Ronnie Bond; drummer (Troggs - "Wild Thing").
  • 1942 - Food first rationed in US during war.
  • 1942 - German occupiers imprison 450 prominent Dutch as hostages.
  • 1942 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Ellen Glasgow (In this our Life).
  • 1943 - Birth of Nickolas Ashford in Fairfield, South Carolina, USA; singer (Ashford and Simpson - "Solid as a Rock").
  • 1943 - Birth of Stella Parton; sister of Dolly Parton/singer ("A Woman's Touch").
  • 1943 - National League's Ford Frick demonstrates revised balata ball to reporters by bouncing it on his office carpet; ball proves to be 50 percent livelier.
  • 1944 - Birth of Dave [Otto Levenbach]; Dutch singer (Du coté the Chez Swann).
  • 1944 - Birth of Paul Gleason in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA; actor (The Breakfast Club, Die Hard).
  • 1944 - Birth of Peggy Santiglia McGannon in New Jersey, USA; rocker (Angels).
  • 1944 - Birth of Ronnie Bond; drummer (The Troggs - "Wild Thing").
  • 1945 - Birth of George Wadenius; rocker (Blood, Sweat and Tears).
  • 1945 - Birth of Monika van Paemel; Belgian writer (Accursed Fathers).
  • 1945 - (1825 hours) Near Hamburg, the unconditional surrender of one million troops in German land, sea, and air forces in Holland, Denmark, and northern Germany facing the Canadian 1st Army and British 2nd Army is arranged. German General of the Army and Commander in Chief of the Navy Admiral von Friedeberg, Rear Admiral Wagner, General Paulik, Major Friedeberg sign the surrender terms for Germany. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery signs on behalf of Dwight Eisenhower.
  • 1945 - Soviet troops liberate all of Slovakia.
  • 1945 - German leader Karl Dönitz orders all submarine commanders to cease hostilities and return to home bases.
  • 1946 - Five die in a two-day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay, California.
  • 1946 - 72nd Kentucky Derby: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:06.6.
  • 1946 - Washington Senators' Cecil Travis gets six straight hits before being stopped.
  • 1948 - Birth of Billy O'Donnell; harness race driver of the year (1984).
  • 1948 - The Hague Court of Justice convicts Hans Rauter (German SS) and sentenced him to the death penalty.
  • 1949 - Air crash at Turijn (whole Torino-soccer team survives).
  • 1949 - Birth of Gerrit J P van Otterloo; Dutch Member of Parliament (PvdA).
  • 1949 - Birth of Sybil Danning [Danninger] in Weis, Austria; actress (Chained Heat).
  • 1949 - Birth of Zal Cleminson; rocker (Alex Harvey Band).
  • 1950 - Birth of Darryl Hunt; English pop bassist (Pogues - "Pair of Brown Eyes").
  • 1950 - Birth of Hilly Hicks in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Roll Out, Roots, Hill Street Blues).
  • 1950 - Birth of René CM van Asten; Dutch actor (Herenstraat 10).
  • 1951 - Birth of Gene Greenwood; American politician (Representative-Republican-Pennsylvania).
  • 1951 - Birth of Jackie [Sigmund Esco] Jackson in Gary, Indiana, USA; rocker (Jackson Five - "ABC").
  • 1952 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Fresno Golf Open.
  • 1953 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Ernest Hemingway (Old Man and The Sea).
  • 1954 - Birth of Julie Budd in Brooklyn, New York, USA; singer (Child of Plenty).
  • 1954 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island.
  • 1955 - Georges Enescu, Romanian/French violist/composer (Oedipe), dies at age 73.
  • 1956 - Birth of Michael L Gernhardt in Mansfield, Ohio, USA; PhD/astronaut (STS 69, 83, 94, sk 100).
  • 1956 - Birth of Ulrike Meyfarth in Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany; high jumper (Olympics-gold-1972).
  • 1956 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak.
  • 1957 - 83rd Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack aboard Iron Liege wins in 2:02.2.
  • 1957 - Alan Freed hosts Rock n' Roll Show on ABC-TV, first prime-time network rock show.
  • 1957 - Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • 1957 - Birth of Peter Sleep; cricket player (Australian leg-spin all-rounder 1979-90).
  • 1957 - Birth of Richard E Grant in Swaziland; actor (Posse, Bram Stoker's Dracula).
  • 1958 - Alberto Lleras Camargo chosen President of Colombia.
  • 1958 - Birth of Keith Haring in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, USA; graffiti artist (Vanity Fair, Paris Review).
  • 1959 - Birth of Randy Travis [Randy Bruce Traywick] in Marshville, North Carolina, USA; country singer ("Forever and Ever Amen", "Diggin' Up Bones").
  • 1959 - Birth of Robert Raymond Tway in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; PGA golfer (1986 Shearson).
  • 1959 - Birth of Rohn Stark; NFL punter (Pittsburgh Steelers).
  • 1959 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Archibald Macleish (JB).
  • 1959 - At the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton, Los Angeles, California, the Recording Academy presents the first Grammy Awards. Some winners:
    • Record of the Year: Domenico Modugno for "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" ("Volare");
    • Best Vocal Performance, Female: Ella Fitzgerald for "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book";
    • Best Vocal Performance, Male: Perry Como for "Catch A Falling Star".

  • 1960 - Birth of Martyn Moxon; cricket player (England batsman in ten Tests 1986-89).
  • 1961 - Thirteen Freedom riders begin bus trip through South US.
  • 1961 - Birth of Eugene Daniel; NFL center (Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens).
  • 1961 - Birth of Mary Elizabeth McDonough in Van Nuys, California, USA; actress (Erin - The Waltons).
  • 1961 - Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather reach 34,668 metres (record) in balloon.
  • 1961 - South Africa African National Congress-leader John Nkadimeng is arrested.
  • 1962 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.
  • 1963 - 89th Kentucky Derby: Braulio Baeza aboard Chateaugay wins in 2:01.8.
  • 1963 - Pitcher Bob Shaw sets record of five balks in a game.
  • 1964 - NBC debuts the TV drama show Another World.
  • 1964 - CBS debuts the TV drama show As the World Turns.
  • 1964 - 70 GATT-countries confer in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • 1964 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Richard Hofstadter (Anti-intellectualism).
  • 1965 - Birth of Adri Bogers; Dutch soccer player (Willem II).
  • 1965 - NBC airs the last That Was the Week That Was TV show.
  • 1965 - Norman Brokenshire, TV moderator (Four Square Court), dies at age 66.
  • 1965 - Willie Mays' 512th homerun breaks Mel Ott's 511th National League record homerun.
  • 1966 - Birth of Monica Tranel [Michini] in Billings, Montana, USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1966 - Soviet Government signs accord about building Fiat factory in USSR.
  • 1967 - Birth of Derek MacCready; Canadian Football League defensive tackle (Edmonton Eskimos).
  • 1967 - Birth of John Child in East York, Ontario, USA; beach volleyball player (Olympics-bronze-1996).
  • 1967 - Birth of Matthew Crane in Kimberton, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Matt Cory - Another World).
  • 1967 - Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by US; begins orbiting Moon May 7.
  • 1967 - Birth of Ana Gasteyer; comedian (Saturday Night Live TV show).
  • 1968 - First ABA championship: Pittsburgh Pipers beat New Orleans Buccaneers, 4 games to 3.
  • 1968 - 94th Kentucky Derby: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 2:02.5.
  • 1968 - Birth of Andre Collins; NFL linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals).
  • 1968 - Birth of Eddie Perez in Cuidad Ojeda, Venezuela; catcher (Atlanta Braves).
  • 1968 - Birth of Kevin Todd in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; NHL center (Los Angeles Kings).
  • 1968 - Dancer's Image disqualified due to drugs after winning 94th Kentucky Derby.
  • 1969 - F Osbert S Sitwell, English poet (Who Killed Cock Robin?), dies at age 76.
  • 1969 - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Shreveport Kiwanis Club Golf Invitational.
  • 1969 - NHL Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Saint Louis Blues in four games.
  • 1970 - Birth of Dawn Staley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; basketball guard (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1970 - Premier Kosygin affirms existence Russian military advisors in Egypt.
  • 1970 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Erik H Erikson (Gandhi's Truth).
  • 1970 - US National Guard kills four protesting students (Jeffrey Miller, Sandy Scheuer, Allison Krause, William Schroeder) at Kent State University in Ohio.
  • 1970 - Birth of Will Arnett; actor (Arrested Development, 30 Rock).
  • 1971 - Birth of Derrick Clark; NFL/WLAF fullback (Denver Broncos, Rhein Fire).
  • 1971 - Birth of Steve Glenn; Canadian Football League linebacker (British Columbia Lions).
  • 1971 - Donald Dexter Van Slyke, US chemist (Cyanosis), dies at age 88.
  • 1971 - Louis de Bree [Louis C Davids], Dutch actor (Bluejackets), dies at age 87.
  • 1972 - Birth of Ethan Watts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; volleyball middle blocker (Olympics-1996).
  • 1972 - Birth of Gretchen Ulion; ice hockey forward (USA, Olympics-1998).
  • 1972 - Birth of Marc Lamb; WLAF tackle (London Monarchs).
  • 1972 - Vietcong forms revolutionary government in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.
  • 1972 - Birth of Mike Dirnt; bassist (Green Day).
  • 1973 - First US TV network female nudity: Valerie Perrine in the PBS production of Steambath.
  • 1973 - BPAA US Women's Bowling Open won by Millie Martorella.
  • 1973 - Birth of Edward Hervey; NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys).
  • 1973 - Birth of Matthew Barnaby in Ottawa, Canada; NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres).
  • 1973 - Birth of Melissa Boyd; Miss Ohio USA (1996).
  • 1973 - Birth of Michelle Martinez in Dallas, Texas, USA; Miss America (Texas-Top 10-1997).
  • 1973 - Longest game in Veterans' Stadium, Philadelphia Phillies beat Atlanta Braves 5-4 in 20 innings.
  • 1973 - Patriarch Shenuda II of Kopitisch church visits the Pope.
  • 1974 - 100th Kentucky Derby: Angel Cordero Junior aboard Cannonade wins in 2:04.
  • 1974 - John Wengraf, actor (Pride and Passion, 12 to the Moon), dies at age 77.
  • 1974 - The 100th episode of US TV show Soul Train airs.
  • 1975 - In Candlestick Park at 12:32 pm, Houston Astros' Bob Watson scores the major league's one millionth run.
  • 1975 - Maria Astrologes wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic.
  • 1975 - Death of Moe Howard AKA Moses Horowitz at age 77 of lung cancer; comedian (The Three Stooges).
  • 1977 - The Space Mountain attraction opens in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in California.
  • 1977 - Birth of Emily Perkins in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; actress (Hiccups, DaVinci's Inquest).
  • 1978 - Birth of Erin Andrews, ESPN personality.
  • 1978 - Battle of Cassinga occurs in southern Angola.
  • 1978 - Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
  • 1979 - Birth of Lance Bass; American singer ('N Sync).
  • 1979 - Margaret Thatcher is elected prime minister of Great Britain.
  • 1979 - Jackie Mercer wins her fourth golf title 31 years after her first.
  • 1979 - NASA launches Fltsatcom-2.
  • 1980 - Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia (1945-80), dies at age 87 (born 1892).
  • 1980 - Kay Hammond, actress (Blithe Spirit, Five Golden Hours), dies in Brighton, United Kingdom at age 71.
  • 1980 - Chicago White Sox first baseman Mike Squires catches final inning of 11-1 loss to Milwaukee Brewers, becoming first lefty to catch since Dale Long in 1958.
  • 1980 - Hollis Stacy wins LPGA CPC Women's Internationalional Golf Tournament.
  • 1981 - New York Yankees' Ron Davis strikes out eight consecutive California Angels, ran record of 13 strikeouts of last 14 faced, also saved Gene Nelson's first win, 4-2.
  • 1981 - Silvana Cruciata runs 15km female world record (49:44.0).
  • 1982 - Minnesota Twins' rookie outfielder Jim Eisenreich, who suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, removes himself, due to taunts from Boston Red Sox bleacher fans.
  • 1982 - Falklands War: HMS Sheffield is struck by an AM 39 Exocet missile fired from an Argentine Super Étendard aircraft. 20 of the crew are killed.
  • 1983 - People's Republic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor.
  • 1984 - Death of Diana Dors at age 52 of stomach cancer; actress (Berserk!, Pantomime Quiz TV show).
  • 1984 - Dave Kingman's fly ball never comes down (stuck in Metrodome ceiling).
  • 1985 - The 30th Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • 1985 - 111th Kentucky Derby: Angel Cordero Junior on Spend A Buck wins 2:00.2.
  • 1985 - Death of Clarence Wiseman, the 10th General of The Salvation Army (born 1907).
  • 1986 - President Babrak Karmal resigns as party leader of Afghanistan.
  • 1987 - Cathryn Damon, American actress (Mary Campbell - Soap), dies at age 56 (born 1930).
  • 1987 - Death of Paul Butterfield at age 44 from drug abuse; American blues musician, harmonica player (The Paul Butterfield Blues Band).
  • 1988 - A major explosion at an industrial solid-fuel rocket plant in Henderson, Nevada, causes damage extending up to 10 miles away, including Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport.
  • 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1989 - Junior Felix of Toronto Blue Jays becomes 53rd to hit homerun on first at bat.
  • 1989 - US launches Magellan to Venus.
  • 1989 - US space shuttle STS-30 launched.
  • 1990 - Latvia's parliament votes 138-0 (one abstention) for independence.
  • 1990 - Baltimore Orioles' player Gregg Olson sets relief pitcher record of 41 consecutive scoreless innings.
  • 1990 - Pakistan beats Australia by 36 runs to win Austral-Asia Cup, Sharjah.
  • 1991 - 117th Kentucky Derby: Chris Antley aboard Strike the Gold wins in 2:03.
  • 1991 - ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Doug Kent.
  • 1991 - Cleveland Indians' Chris James sets club record for most RBIs in a game (9).
  • 1991 - Morris K Udall (Representative-Democrat-Arizona) resigns due to Parkinson disease.
  • 1991 - New York Mets' M Sasser and Mark Carreon are 8th to hit consecutive pinch homeruns.
  • 1992 - Ismael Galeano "Commandant Franklyn" (Contra), dies.
  • 1994 - Arsenal wins 34th Europe Cup II.
  • 1994 - In Cairo, Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat sign an accord on the first stage of Palestinian self-rule. This Gaza-Jericho agreement called for certain Israeli military withdrawals, and Palestinian agreements to combat violence.
  • 1996 - 122nd Kentucky Derby: Jerry Bailey aboard Grindstone wins in 2:01.
  • 1996 - ABC Bud Light Masters Bowling Tournament won by Ernie Schlegel.
  • 1996 - Greg Pavlik one-hits Detroit Tigers making the Texas Rangers first American League team to pitch back-to-back one-hitters since the Washington Senators in 1917.
  • 1997 - Death of Alvy Moore at age 75 of heart failure; comic actor (Hank Kimball - Green Acres TV show).
  • 1997 - Phil Blackmar wins 50th Houston golf Open.
  • 1997 - Tammie Green wins LPGA Sprint Titleholders Championship.
  • 1997 - Vijayananda Dahanayake, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1959-60), dies.
  • 1998 - Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Buzz Lightyear attend the re-opening of the Moonliner attraction in Disneyland, California. The original Moonliner was removed in 1966.
  • 1999 - NBC airs the final episode of TV show NewsRadio.
  • 2000 - In Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. At least 46 people killed, 264 injured, and extensive damage and power outages occur in the Luwuk area, Sulawesi and on nearby islands. 80 percent of buildings damaged or destroyed on Banggai. A local tsunami with estimated wave heights up to 6 metres cause much damage east of Luwuk and on Peleng.
  • 2001 - Universal releases the film The Mummy Returns to theaters.
  • 2002 - In Germany, BV Borussia Dortmund wins the Bundesliga title after a 2-1 victory over SV Werder Bremen.
  • 2003 - (to May 10) A severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
  • 2003 - Top Thrill Dragster opens in Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
  • 2005 - In one of the largest insurgent attacks in Iraq, at least 60 people are killed and dozens wounded in a suicide bombing at a Kurdish police recruitment center in Irbil, northern Iraq.
  • 2006 - A new coalition government takes office in Israel; its four political parties hold 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.
  • 2006 - A large meteor shower crosses over El Paso, Texas, USA.
  • 2007 - Executive Directive 51, which specifies the procedures for continuity of the federal government of the United States in the event of a "catastrophic emergency" is signed by President George W. Bush.
  • 2007 - Tornado strikes Greensburg, Kansas, killing at least 12 and destroying about 90 percent of the town.
  • 2007 - Sony releases the film Spider-Man 3 to theaters.
  • 2008 - The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-4 in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, eliminating Montreal and Canada's last hope for the Cup this season. A Canadian team has not won the Cup in 15 years.
  • 2008 - The Dallas Stars advance to the next round by defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in Game six of Stanley Cup playoffs, in the 8th longest game in NHL history, with four overtime periods.
  • 2008 - Real Madrid wins a record 21st Spanish soccer league title, defeating Osasuna 2-1.
  • 2008 - German-owned 30,000 gross ton cruise ship Mona Lisa with 984 passengers runs aground off Latvia in the Baltic Sea.
  • 2008 - The Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 to win the Eastern Conference in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup series.
  • 2009 - Death of Dom Deluise at age 75 of respiratory failure, prostate cancer, and other complications from diabetes and high blood pressure in Los Angeles, California, USA; comic actor and chef (The Entertainers TV show (1964), The Dean Martin Show, The Hollywood Squares TV show, Blazing Saddles movie, The Cannonball Run movie, Smokey and the Bandit II movie).
  • 2010 - 13 inches of rain falls on Nashville, Tennessee, over two days, close to doubling the previous rainfall record. A levee protecting the southern park of the city is breached, causing parts of Nashville to be evacuated. 17 deaths are killed in Tennessee, mostly from drowning in flash floods.
  • 2010 - Pablo Picasso's painting Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sells at auction for US$106.5 million, a record for a work of art sold at auction.
  • 2010 - Death of Ernie Harwell from cancer at age 92, Detroit Tigers' radio announcer for more than 40 years.
  • 2012 - Buena Vista releases the film The Avengers to theaters.
  • 2017 - Death of Timo Mäkinen, Finnish racing driver (born 1938).
  • 2019 - (to May 6) Coronation of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand.
  • 2020 - A team of British and Kenyan scientists announce the discovery of Microsporidia MB, a parasitic microbe that blocks mosquitos from carrying malaria, potentially paving the way for the control of malaria.
  • 2021 - Death of Simon Achidi Achu, 6th Prime Minister of Cameroon (born 1934).
  • 2022 - Stack's Bowers Galleries' auction in Hong Kong. China 1911 Dragon silver dollar pattern, Long Whisker Dragon, Specimen 63+ PCGS: US$3 million, including 20% buyer's fee.
  • 2022 - Death of Stanislau Shushkevich at age 87; leader of Belarus.

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