Guest Author - Tammy Cordani

We take a look at some of the events that occurred on May 4th.

Today In …

1776 - Rhode Island became the first of the American colonies to declare its independence.

1814 - Napoleon began his exile on the island of Elba.

1865 - Abraham Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Illinois.

1886 - The Haymarket Square riots took place in Chicago, Illinois.

1932 - Al Capone began serving his jail term for tax evasion.

1953 - Ernest Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize for “The Old Man and the Sea”.

1970 - The Kent State shooting occurred today. Four university students were killed in the anti-war demonstration.

1979 - Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in the U.K.

1998 - Ted Kaczynski a.k.a. The Unabomber was sentenced to four life terms plus 30 years.

Sharing A Birthday Today…

Nick Ashford from Ashford & Simpson fame was born in 1942.

Lance Bass from music’s *NSync was born in 1979.

Ana Gasteyer who starred on TV’s “Saturday Night Live” was born in 1967.

Paul Gleason who starred in “Die Hard” and “The Breakfast Club” was born in 1939.

Audrey Hepburn the Oscar winning actress and humanitarian who starred in “Roman Holiday”, “My Fair Lady” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was born in 1929.

Jackie Jackson a member of the Jackson 5 was born in 1951.

Alice Lidell the girl who was the inspiration for “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll was born in 1852.

Mick Mars guitarist for the rock band Motley Crue was born in 1951.

Mary McDonough best known as Erin from TV’s “The Waltons” was born in 1961.

Laci Peterson was born in 1975. Laci, who was seven months pregnant at the time, became the focus of an extensive search in California when she disappeared on December 24, 2002. Her husband would later be convicted of murdering her and their unborn child, Conner.

Randy Travis the singer/actor who had hits with the songs “On The Other Hand”, “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “Three Wooden Crosses” was born in 1959.

Pia Zadora the actress/singer/entertainer who starred in “Hairspray” was born in 1954.

We Said Goodbye To…

Moe Howard the actor/comedian who was a member of the Three Stooges passed away in 1975 at the age of 77.

Alvy Moore who starred as Mr. Kimball on TV’s “Green Acres” passed away in 1997 at the age of 75.

Top Of The Charts On This Day In…

1974 - “The Loco-Motion” by Grand Funk
1985 - On The Country Charts – “There’s No Way” by Alabama
1991 - On The Country Charts – “Rockin’ Years” by Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Sheton
1996 - “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey
1996 - On The Country Charts – “You Win My Love” by Shania Twain

TV Moments In…

1964 - Daytime TV’s “Another World” debuted today.

Don’t forget about the Today In History Newsletter!