12 History Lessons + 5 Births & 8 Deaths for May 4, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1776 – Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
- 1799 – The Battle of Seringapatam ends in British victory, and Tipu Sultan of Mysore is killed.
- 1904 – The United States begins construction on the Panama Canal.
- 1929 – Audrey Hepburn is born in Brussels, Belgium.
- 1932 – Al Capone begins serving his 11-year prison sentence for tax evasion.
- 1942 – The Battle of the Coral Sea continues, marking the first naval battle where ships never directly see each other.
- 1945 – German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark, and northwest Germany surrender to Field Marshal Montgomery.
- 1970 – Four students are killed by the National Guard during anti-war protests at Kent State University.
- 1979 – Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1980 – Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies at age 87.
- 2000 – Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London.
- 2007 – Greensburg, Kansas is nearly destroyed by an EF5 tornado.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1961 – Rory McGrath, British comedian and writer (64)
- 1972 – Mike Dirnt, bassist of Green Day (53)
- 1979 – Lance Bass, singer and actor (NSYNC) (46)
- 1989 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Irish professional golfer (36)
- 1990 – Alexander Gould, voice of Nemo in Finding Nemo, and actor (Weeds) (35)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1799 – Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore and resistance leader against British colonialism (48)
- 1928 – Josiah Royce, American philosopher and educator (66)
- 1970 – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, William Schroeder – the four Kent State students killed in protests (ages 19–20)
- 1980 – Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia and WWII resistance leader (87)
- 2009 – Dom DeLuise, actor and comedian (The Cannonball Run, Blazing Saddles) (75)
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