May 4
May 4 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 241 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Taurus.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On May 4 the Sun's declination is approximately +16.1°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a May 4.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Star Wars Day ("May the 4th be with you")
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1494 — Christopher Columbus first sighted the island of Jamaica. ↗(532 years ago)more
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean, covering 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi). It is the third-largest island in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean, after Cuba and the island of Hispaniola. Jamaica lies about 145 km (78 nmi) south of Cuba, 191 km (103 nmi) west of Hispaniola, and 215 km (116 nmi) southeast of the Cayman Islands.
1626 — Dutch settlers founded New Amsterdam (later New York City). ↗(400 years ago)more
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading factory gave rise to the settlement around Fort Amsterdam.
1886 — The Haymarket affair: a bomb killed seven police officers at a Chicago labour rally. ↗(140 years ago)more
The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago.
1970 — Kent State shootings: Ohio National Guardsmen killed four anti-war protesters. ↗(56 years ago)more
The Kent State shootings were the killing of four and wounding of nine unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard on the Kent State University campus in Kent, Ohio, United States. The shootings took place on May 4, 1970, during a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by United States military forces, as well as...
1979 — Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ↗(47 years ago)more
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office.
Notable births
1825 — Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist. ↗(201 years ago)more
Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist and anthropologist who specialised in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
1929 — Audrey Hepburn, British actress. ↗(97 years ago)more
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as a film and fashion star, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema.
Notable deaths
1980 — Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav leader. ↗(46 years ago)more
Josip Broz, commonly known as Tito, was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who led Yugoslavia as prime minister from 1943 to 1963 and as president from 1953 until his death in 1980. He was the longtime leader of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, supreme commander of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II, and was one of the founde...
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (125) | 5^3 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (241) | 241 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 04052026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +16.10° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 47 days |