1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b. 1561)
1804 – Simon Stijl, Frisian physician and writer, dies at 73
1953 – T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
1970 – Allison Beth Krause, American student, killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard at Kent State University while protesting against US military at 19
1973 – Jane Bowles, American writer and playwright, dies at 56
1984 – Larry Stock, American singer-songwriter (“Blueberry Hill”; “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You”), dies at 87
1990 – Don Appell, American writer and director, dies at 70
1996 – Rowley Israel Arenstein, South African attorney, communist and activist (under house arrest for 18 years), dies at 77
2010 – Zvonimir Levačić – Ševa, Croatian humorist and entertainer (b. 1943)
2018 – BN Vijaya Kumar, Indian politician, dies at 59 of a heart attack
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 4th May 2024
1783 – William Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus
1858 – War of Reform (Mexico); Liberals establish capital at Vera Cruz
1866 – Woodward’s Gardens opens to the public in San Francisco
1931 – Mustafa Kemal Pasja becomes Turkish president
1964 – Pulitzer prize for General Non-Fiction awarded to Richard Hofstadter for “Anti-intellectualism”
1970 – Pulitzer prize for General Non-Fiction awarded to Erik H. Erikson for “Gandhi’s Truth”
1972 – “The Don’t Make A Wave Committee,” a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to the “Greenpeace Foundation”
1973 – Wings release “Red Rose Speedway” in UK
1990 – Latvia’s parliament votes 138-0 (1 abstention) for Independence
2013 – Harper Lee files a lawsuit against a literary agent over the copyright of “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Today in History for 4th May 2024
Historical Events
1471 – Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York: Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster killed and King Edward IV returns to his throne, restoring political stability to England until his death in 1483
1776 – Rhode Island declares independence from Great Britain
1859 – The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England.
1866 – Woodward’s Gardens opens to the public in San Francisco
1917 – A flotilla of US destroyer ships arrive in Queenstown, Ireland, to aid in convoying ships to England
1970 – National Guard kills 4 student anti-war protesters at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio
Famous Birthdays
1822 – Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Premier of Quebec, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1915)
1923 – Eric Sykes, British radio, stage and television comedy writer, actor and director (Goon Show; Sykes and A…), born in Oldham, Lancahsire, England (d. 2012)
1926 – Gerlind Reinshagen, German writer, born in Konigsberg, Germany
1949 – John Force, American drag racer (16 NHRA Championships), born in Bell Gardens, California
1954 – Julie Budd, American singer (“Child of Plenty”), born in Brooklyn, New York
1992 – Courtney Jines, American actress (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over), born in Fairfax, Virginia
Famous Deaths
1937 – Noel Rosa, Brazilian guitrist, mandolin player, and songwriter, dies of tuberculosis at 26
1961 – Anita Stewart, American silent film actress (South of Hell Mountain), producer, and mystery novelist, dies of a heart attack at 66
1980 – Kay Hammond, British actress (Blithe Spirit, 5 Golden Hours), dies at 71
2009 – Jane Randolph, American actress (Cat People, Railroaded!), dies of complications after hip surgery at 93
2018 – Edwin G. Burrows, American historian and professor, dies at 74
2022 – Gerhard Mans, Namibian rugby union utility back (27 Tests; Orange Free State RFU, South West Africa RFU), dies at 60
Famous Deaths for 3rd May 2024
1010 – Ansfried, 9th bishop of Utrecht (995-1010)/saint, dies at about 69
1679 – James Sharp, English archbishop (assassinated) (b. 1613)
1703 – Eglon van de Down, still-life painter, dies
1969 – Karl Freund, German cinematographer and film director (Dracula, I love Lucy, The Mummy), dies at 79
1987 – Dalida [Yolande Christina Gigliotti], French-Italian actress (The Sixth Day), singer (Bambino), and Miss Egypt 1954, commits suicide at 54
2000 – John Joseph Cardinal O’Connor, Catholic Archbishop of New York (b. 1920)
2008 – Uroš Krek, Slovenian composer, dies at 85
2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)
2018 – Bob Prewitt, American college basketball coach (SMU Mustangs), dies at 93
2018 – Joe Scannella, American football coach (Oakland Raiders, Montreal Alouettes, Cleveland Browns), dies at 89
Historical Events for 3rd May 2024
1822 – Society for the Propagation of the Faith founded in Lyon, France
1921 – Northern Ireland is created under the UK Government of Ireland Act partitioning off six north eastern counties with a Protestant majority
1943 – Pulitzer prize awarded to Upton Sinclair for his novel “Dragon’s Teeth” about the Nazi rise to power
1946 – International military tribunal in Tokyo begins
1959 – Tiger’s Charlie Maxwell hits 4 consecutive HRs in a doubleheader
1965 – KTCI TV channel 17 in St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN (PBS) 1st broadcast
1967 – African American students seize finance building at Northwestern University
1973 – Chicago’s Sears Tower, world’s tallest building (443 m), tops out
1980 – 106th Kentucky Derby: Jacinto Vasquez on Genuine Risk wins in 2:02
1997 – 123rd Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens aboard Silver Charm wins in 2:02.3
Today in History for 3rd May 2024
Historical Events
738 – Maya ruler 18 Rabbit of Copán is captured and beheaded by ruler Cauac Sky from the rival city of Quiriguá
1910 – Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States is renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
1921 – West Virginia imposes 1st state sales tax
1926 – US Marines land in Nicaragua (9 months after leaving), stay until 1933
1928 – Japanese atrocities in Jinan, China
1997 – 123rd Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens aboard Silver Charm wins in 2:02.3
Famous Birthdays
1662 – Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect, born in Herford, Germany (d. 1736)
1924 – Tom O’Horgan, American musical theater director (Hair; Jesus Christ Superstar), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2009)
1944 – Pete Staples, British rock bassist (Troggs – “Wild Thing”; “Love Is All Around”), born in Andover, Hampshire, England
1970 – Ted Crowley, American hockey defenseman (Olympics 1994), born in Concord, Massachusetts
1977 – Mashima Hiro, Japanese Mangaka of Rave Master and Fairy Tail, born in Nagano, Japan
1977 – Ryan Dempster, Canadian baseball player, born in Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada
Famous Deaths
1841 – Cornelis T Elout, Dutch minister of Finance the Navy and Colonies, dies at 74
1955 – Rudolf Schlichter, German artist and writer, dies at 64
1976 – Ernie Nevers, American College, Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback, coach (Stanford, Chicago Cardinals), dies of heart and kidney ailments at 72
1991 – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer and composer (b. 1907)
2018 – Alfonso Dhlakama, Mozambican politician and opposition leader (RENAMO), dies of a heart attack at 65
2023 – Linda Lewis [Fredericks], British pop-rock-soul singer-songwriter, and guitarist (“Rock-a-Doodle-Doo”), dies at 72
Famous Deaths for 2nd May 2024
1973 – Alan Carney [David Boughal], American actor (Zombies on Broadway, Take it from Me), dies at 61
1990 – William Levi Dawson, American composer, choirmaster, and musicologist, dies at 90
1990 – William L. Dawson, American choir director, composer (Negro Folk Symphony), educator, and musicologist, dies at 90
1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian author (The Mango Tree), dies at 81
1992 – Margareth Wallmann, Austrian opera director, dies at 88
1997 – Queen Mother Moore, African-American civil rights activist and humanitarian, dies at 98
2015 – Ruth Rendell, English thriller writer (Inspector Wexford novels), dies at 85
2018 – Gord Brown, Canadian politician (MP, 2004–2018), dies of a heart attack at 57
2018 – Herman Krebbers, Dutch violinist, concert master, and music teacher, dies at 94
2021 – Tommy West [Picardo], American record producer (Jim Croce; Anne Murray), and singer-songwriter, dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 78
Historical Events for 2nd May 2024
1345 – “Quaden Maendach” in Ghent: battles between fullers and weavers
1536 – Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, is arrested and taken to the Tower of London
1703 – Portugal signs treaty with England to become a Great Covenant
1783 – Architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant is promoted by brevet to Major of Engineers in recognition of his service to American liberty
1917 – Cin Fred Tooney and Chic’s Hippo Vaughn pitch duel no-hitter, Vaughn gives up 2 hits and a run in 10th, so Cin wins 1-0
1926 – US military intervenes in Nicaragua
1967 – Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Terry Sawchuk makes 40 saves as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 in Game 6 to take title, 4-2
1968 – Roger Sessions’ 8th Symphony premiers in New York City with William Steinberg conducting the New York Philharmonic
1972 – 126 killed in an electrical fire in Sunshine Silver mine, Kellogg, Idaho
2018 – E. coli outbreak linked to Romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona, reports the first fatality with 121 cases across 25 US states
Today in History for 2nd May 2024
Historical Events
1936 – Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and family flee Abyssinia
1960 – Harry Belafonte’s 2nd Carnegie Hall performance (New York City)
1984 – New York Yankees Don Mattingly’s single breaks up Chicago White Sox pitcher Lamarr Hoyt’s perfect game bid, at Comiskey Park
1987 – 113th Kentucky Derby: Chris McCarron aboard Alysheba wins in 2:03.4
1992 – Allen Toussaint’s musical revue “High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club” closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 13 performances
1995 – Serbian missiles exploded in the heart of Zagreb, killing six
Famous Birthdays
1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer, born in Hamburg (d. 1964)
1902 – Erin O’Brien-Moore, American actress (Peyton Place, Our Little Girl), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1979)
1929 – Luc Ferrari, French composer, born in Paris (d. 2005)
1929 – Edward Levy, American composer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1945 – Bianca Jagger [Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías], Nicaraguan model and socialite who married Mike Jagger, born in Managua, Nicaragua
1950 – Randy Colley (Moondog Rex), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), born in Alexander City, Alabama (d. 2019)
Famous Deaths
1250 – Toeransa, sultan of Egypt, murdered
1985 – Milton S Eisenhower, US diplomat, dies at 85
1991 – Leib Lensky, dies at 82
2009 – Marilyn French, American author (The Women’s Room), dies at 79
2018 – Bill Torrey, Canadian ice hockey executive (New York Islanders, Florida Panthers), dies at 83
2018 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93
Famous Deaths for 1st May 2024
1277 – Stefanus IV Uros I de Great, King of Serbia (1243-76), dies
1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French marshal (killed in combat) (b. 1768)
1979 – Taisto Mäki, Finnish athlete (WR 2 miles, 5,000m and 10,000m simultaneously 1939-42), dies at 68
1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian athlete (Olympic silver marathon 1920), dies at 93
1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
1991 – Richard Thorpe, American director (Jailhouse Rock, Night Must Fall), dies at 95
1994 – Imre Gyöngyössy, Hungarian filmmaker (The Revolt of Job), dies of a heart attack at 64
2008 – Anthony Mamo, Malta’s first President (b. 1909)
2018 – Robert B. Kennedy, American politician (Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1975–1979), dies at 78
2022 – Régine [Zylberberg], French singer and nightclub owner, dies at 92