Today is Wednesday, May 4, the 125th day of 2016. There are 241 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On May 4, 1916, Germany, responding to an ultimatum from President Woodrow Wilson, agreed to limit its submarine warfare. (However, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare the following year.)
On this date:
In 1776, Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
In 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a labor demonstration for an 8-hour work day turned into a deadly riot when a bomb exploded.
In 1904, the United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from the French.
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 Imperial Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.)
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 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.
In 1976, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser announced that “Waltzing Matilda” would serve as his country’s anthem at the upcoming Olympic Games.
In 1980, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, died three days before his 88th birthday.
In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
In 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was shot to death as she sat in a car near a restaurant in Los Angeles. (Blake, accused of Bakley’s murder, was acquitted in a criminal trial but found liable by a civil jury and ordered to pay damages.)
Ten years ago: 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.” The U.S. military released unflattering video footage of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in which the al-Qaida leader was seen wearing American tennis shoes and fumbling with his automatic rifle.
Five years ago: President Barack Obama said he had decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks. Officials told The Associated Press that the Navy SEALs who’d stormed bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan shot and killed him after they saw him appear to lunge for a weapon. Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin was named the Rookie of the Year, becoming the NBA’s first unanimous choice for the award in 21 years. Actress Mary Murphy, 80, died in Beverly Hills, California.
One year 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.
Today’s birthdays: The former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is 88. Opera singer Roberta Peters is 86. Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson musical family, is 86. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 79. Rock musician Dick Dale is 79. Political commentator George Will is 75. Pop singer Peggy Santiglia Davison (The Angels) is 72. Actor Richard Jenkins is 69. Country singer Stella Parton is 67. Actor-turned-clergyman Hilly Hicks is 66. Irish musician Darryl Hunt (The Pogues) is 66. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 65. Singer-actress Pia Zadora is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Oleta Adams is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sharon Jones is 60. Violinist Soozie Tyrell (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is 59. Country singer Randy Travis is 57. Actress Mary McDonough is 55. Comedian Ana Gasteyer is 49. Actor Will Arnett is 46. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 44. Contemporary Christian singer Chris Tomlin is 44. TV personality and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is 41. Rock musician Jose Castellanos is 39. Sports reporter Erin Andrews is 38. Singer Lance Bass (‘N Sync) is 37. Rapper/singer Jidenna is 31. Actor Alexander Gould is 22. Country singer RaeLynn is 22. Actress Amara Miller is 16.
Thought for today: “Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed.” — Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (1892-1971).
Associated Press
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