What are the important events that happened on May 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 4: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 4 is the 124^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 241 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 21, 2025 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,746,316,800 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectaicosatetragon’ day.

Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 289 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,517 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 4 Historical Events

• 1256 –
  The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.
• 1776 –
  Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
• 1904 –
  The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
• 1945 –
  World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army.
• 1945 –
  World War II: The North Germany Army surrenders to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
• 1959 –
  The 1st Grammy Awards are held.
• 1970 –
  Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: the Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city of Kent the weekend before, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the United States’ invasion of Cambodia.
• 1979 –
  Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1982 –
  Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
• 1994 –
  Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord regarding Palestinian autonomy granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

Who were born on May 4?

• 1916 –
  Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian author and activist (d. 2006)
• 1930 –
  Katherine Jackson, mother of the Jackson musical family
• 1945 –
  Narasimhan Ram, Indian journalist
• 1947 –
  Willem van Beusekom, Dutch broadcaster and Radio DJ (d. 2006)
• 1964 –
  Mónica Bardem, Spanish actress
• 1969 –
  Ryan Shamrock, American wrestling valet
• 1974 –
  Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1981 –
  Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer
• 1984 –
  Kevin Slowey, American baseball player
• 1992 –
  Courtney Jines, American actress

Who died on May 4?

• 1471 –
  Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (killed in battle) (b. 1453)
• 1506 –
  Husayn Bayqarah, ruler of Herat (b. 1438)
• 1626 –
  Arthur Lake, Bishop of Bath and Wells, English bishop and Bible translator (b. 1569)
• 1774 –
  Anthony Ulrich II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (b. 1714)
• 1776 –
  Jacques Saly, French sculptor (b. 1717)
• 1916 –
  Members of the Easter Rising: Joseph Mary Plunkett, Irish nationalist and Leader of the Easter Rising (b. 1887)
• 1945 –
  Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b. 1880)
• 1971 –
  Seamus Elliott, Irish cyclist (b. 1934)
• 1972 –
  Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1886)
• 1987 –
  Paul Butterfield, American blues harmonica player (b. 1942)