4th May In History

What happened on 4th May In history



May 4 is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 241 days remain until the end of the year. Find out what happened on this day.

So, What happened on 4th May in history

What happened on this day in history (4th May): Thomas Edison’s Phonograph shown for 1st time, Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister, Tipu sultan died and more.

It may not mean much to you right now, but by the end of this article, you will learn that May 4 holds a significant place in history.

Dive in to know what happened on this day (May 4) in sports, politics and art, along with famous birthdays and deaths in world history.

Early Events

  • In 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.
  • In 1471 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury: Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
  • In 1493 – Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Line of Demarcation.
  • In 1626 – Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.
  • In 1686 – The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.
  • In 1776 – Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to declare independence from Great Britain.
  • In 1799 – Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam: The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is invaded and Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris.
  • In 1814 – Emperor Napoleon arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.
  • In 1818 – Netherlands & Britain sign treaty against illegal slave handling.
  • In 1843 – Great Britain annexes Natal.
  • In 1846 – US state Michigan ends death penalty.
  • In 1868 – World’s largest book, the Kuthodaw Inscription Shrines recording whole of Buddhist scriptures on 729 marble tablets completed and opened to the public in Mandalay, Burma.
  • In 1878 – Thomas Edison’s Phonograph shown for 1st time at Grand Opera House.

Relatively New Events On This Day

  • In 1904, Charles Rolls meets Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, England. Go on to form the car manufacturer Roll-Royce.
  • In 1904, The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
  • In 1910, The Royal Canadian Navy is created.
  • In 1912, Italian mariners occupy Turkish Island of Rhodes.
  • In 1919, May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.
  • In 1924, German Republic election: fascists & communists win.
  • In 1927, 1st balloon flight over 40,000 feet (Scott Field, Illinois).
  • In 1927, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
  • In 1942, World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before.
  • In 1945, World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army.
  • In 1945, World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath is signed, coming into effect the following day. It encompasses all Wehrmacht units in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany.
  • In 1959, The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held.
  • In 1979, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
  • In 1983, 1983 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC.
  • In 1990, Latvia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
  • In 2000, Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London).
  • In 2012, 14 decapitated bodies and 9 hung from a bridge are found in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
  • In 2018, LA Angels 1st baseman Albert Pujols collects his 3,000th MLB hit in a 5-0 win v Mariners in Seattle.
  • In 2020, Countries in Europe begin cautious reopening after COVID-19 lockdown, Italy restarts construction and takeaways, Germany reopens schools.
  • In 2020, India begins lifting some restrictions in regions with fewer COVID-19 cases.
  • In 2021, Malian woman Halima Cisse gives birth to nonuplets (nine babies) in Morocco, in only the third known case worldwide.

Sports Events On This Day

  • In 1984, Dave Kingman’s fly ball never comes down (stuck in Metrodome ceiling).
  • In 2018, LA Angels 1st baseman Albert Pujols collects his 3,000th MLB hit in a 5-0 win v Mariners in Seattle.
  • In 2021, Following several positive Covid-19 cases across franchises the BCCI announces the indefinite postponement of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.


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Art and Culture Events – What Happened on 4th May

  • In 1878, Thomas Edison’s Phonograph shown for 1st time at Grand Opera House.
  • In 1959, First Grammy Awards: Perry Como & Ella Fitzgerald win.

Famous Birthdays On 4th May

Sr NoBirth YearPersonality
11989Rory McIlroy, Irish golfer
21929Audrey Hepburn, Belgian/English actress, singer
31928Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian air marshal, politician, 4th President of Egypt
41916Jane Jacobs, American/Canadian journalist, author, activist
51825Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist



Notable Deaths On 4th May

Sr NoDeath YearPersonality
12014Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian/Scottish tennis player
21980Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav marshal, politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia
31924E. Nesbit, English author
41903Gotse Delchev, Bulgarian activist
51799Tipu Sultan, Indian king

Days ….

  1. World Give Day – World
  2. Bird Day – United States
  3. Anti-Bullying Day – United Nations

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