<p>Discover what happened on May 4 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


May 4

Discover what happened on May 4 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on May 4 | HISTORY

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<p>America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.</p>


U.S. Presidents

<p>World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.</p>


World War I

<p>From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.</p>


Women’s History

<p>Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.</p>


Crime

<p>Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.</p>


Sports

<p>The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.</p>


American Revolution

Videos

<p><a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including <a href="https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion">Amanda Onion</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan">Missy Sullivan</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen">Matt Mullen</a> and Christian Zapata.</p>


History.com Editors

<p>Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.</p>


Art, Literature and Film History

<p>World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.</p>


World War II

<p>Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.</p>


19th Century

<p>Landmarks and monuments, the physical record of human civilization, include spectacular structures like the Eiffel Tower, Mount Rushmore, the Panama Canal, the Brooklyn Bridge and more.</p>


Landmarks

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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Black History

<p>The Middle East is a large and diverse region composed of several countries and cultures in north Africa and western Asia. Its complex history includes the Persian Gulf War, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Yom Kippur War, Zionism and more.</p>


Middle Eastern History

<p>Africa is a large and diverse continent that extends from South Africa northward to the Mediterranean Sea. The continent makes up one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. Widely recognized as the birthplace of humankind, Africa saw the rise of great kingdoms, faced the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonization and Apartheid.</p>


This Day In History: May 4

National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings

Also on This Day in History May | 4

Paris hosts its second Olympic Games

Ella Fitzgerald becomes first Black woman to win a Grammy Award

The first Freedom Ride departs from Washington, D.C.

A lawmaker introduces the pun “May the Fourth be with you” on the floor of U.K. Parliament

The U.S. officially begins construction on the Panama Canal

This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 4

Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister

Gene Vincent records “Be-Bop-A-Lula”

The Haymarket Square Riot

Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat sign accord for Palestinian self-rule

Willie Mays breaks National League home run record

President Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois

Norman Mailer’s first novel, “The Naked and the Dead,” is published

Legendary actress Audrey Hepburn is born

Nigerian aircraft crashes in crowded city

Electric chair malfunctions in Florida, leading states to change execution methods

Rhode Island becomes first colony to renounce allegiance to George III

Germany agrees to limit its submarine warfare

As the Nazi threat dies, the Red Army rises

Also on This Day in History May | 4

Wake Up to This Day in History