Today in History 5/4/20

Published 12:42 pm Monday, May 4, 2020

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, May 4, the 125th day of 2020. There are 241 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.

On this date:

In 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island.

In 1864, Swarthmore College in suburban Philadelphia was chartered.

In 1916, responding to a demand from President Woodrow Wilson, Germany agreed to limit its submarine warfare. (However, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare the following year.)

In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. (Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz Island.)

In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome was considered a tactical victory for Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.)

In 1945, during World War II, German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany agreed to surrender.

In 1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Domenico Modugno won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)”; Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for “The Music from Peter Gunn.”

In 1961, the first group of “Freedom Riders” left Washington, D.C. to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

In 1968, the Oroville Dam in Northern California was dedicated by Gov. Ronald Reagan; the 770-foot-tall earth-filled structure, a pet project of Reagan’s predecessor, Pat Brown, remains the tallest dam in the United States, but was also the scene of a near disaster in February 2017 when two spillways collapsed, threatening for a time to flood parts of three counties in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

In 1975, comedy performer Moe Howard of “Three Stooges” fame died in Los Angeles at age 77.

In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.

In 2006, a federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with a whimper.”

Ten years ago: A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was charged with terrorism and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the botched Times Square bombing. (Faisal Shahzad later pleaded guilty to plotting to set off the propane-and-gasoline bomb in an SUV and was sentenced to life in prison.)

Five years ago: Former technology executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson joined the rapidly expanding 2016 Republican presidential class, casting themselves as political outsiders in underdog campaigns, eager to challenge the elite of both parties. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was named winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Ellen Albertini Dow, a feisty character actress best known for her salty rendition of “Rapper’s Delight” in “The Wedding Singer,” died in Los Angeles at age 101.

One year ago: Maximum Security became the first Kentucky Derby winner ever to be disqualified for interference; the decision by stewards at Churchill Downs made 65-1 longshot Country House the official winner. Palestinian militants fired more than 250 rockets into Israel, drawing dozens of retaliatory airstrikes on targets across the Gaza Strip; the round of heavy fighting broke a month-long lull.

Today’s Birthdays: Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson musical family, is 90. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 83. Pulitzer Prize-winning political commentator George Will is 79. Pop singer Peggy Santiglia Davison (The Angels) is 76. Actor Richard Jenkins is 73. Country singer Stella Parton is 71. Actor-turned-clergyman Hilly Hicks is 70. Irish musician Darryl Hunt (The Pogues) is 70. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 69. Singer-actress Pia Zadora is 68. Rhythm-and-blues singer Oleta Adams is 67. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., is 66. Violinist Soozie Tyrell (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is 63. Country singer Randy Travis is 61. Actress Mary McDonough is 59. Comedian Ana Gasteyer is 53. Actor Will Arnett is 50. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 48. Contemporary Christian singer Chris Tomlin is 48. TV personality and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is 45. Rock musician Jose Castellanos is 43. Sports reporter Erin Andrews is 42. Singer Lance Bass (‘N Sync) is 41. Actress Ruth Negga is 39. Rapper/singer Jidenna is 35. Actor Alexander Gould is 26. Country singer RaeLynn is 26. Actress Amara Miller is 20. Actress Brooklynn Prince (Film: “The Florida Project”) is ten.

Thought for Today: “Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed.” — Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (1892-1971).