Today in History: May 4

Chicago crime boss Al Capone, left, wearing white hat, is in the custody of U.S. marshals as he leaves the courtroom in Chicago on October 12, 1931. Capone was convicted on tax evasion charges. (AP Photo)

In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. (Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz Island.) In this 1931 photo, Capone, left, wearing white hat, is in the custody of U.S. marshals as he leaves the courtroom in Chicago. (AP Photo)

The USS Lexington, U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, explodes after being bombed by Japanese planes in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the South Pacific in June 1942, during World War II.  (AP Photo)

In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome was considered a tactical victory for Imperial Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.) In this 1942 photo, the USS Lexington, U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, explodes after being bombed by Japanese planes in the Battle of the Coral Sea. (AP Photo)

Master of ceremonies Meredith Wilson, center, presents Grammy Awards at night on Nov. 30, 1959 in Hollywood to pianist Van Cliburn left, and vocalist Bobby Darin, right.   Darin was named the best new artist of the year and his version of  "Mack the Knife" was selected as the best record of 1959.   Van Cliburn was honored for his presentation of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)

In 1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Domenico Modugno won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)”; Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for “The Music from Peter Gunn.” In this 1959 photo, master of ceremonies Meredith Wilson, center, presents Grammy Awards at night in Hollywood to pianist Van Cliburn left, and vocalist Bobby Darin, right. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)

One unidentified white man sits in front of Greyhound bus to prevent it from leaving the station with load of Freedom Riders testing bus station segregation in South, Sunday, May 15, 1961, Anniston, Alabama. Other white men mill around bus station. The bus was stopped by a flat tire and surrounded by a white crowd outside Anniston, and burned a short time later. The passengers got off without serious injury. (AP Photo)

In 1961, the first group of “Freedom Riders” left Washington, D.C. to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals. In this 1961 photo, one unidentified white man sits in front of Greyhound bus to prevent it from leaving the station with load of Freedom Riders. Other white men mill around bus station. (AP Photo)

FILE - In a May 4, 1970 file photo, Ohio National Guard moves in on rioting students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Four persons were killed and eleven wounded when National Guardsmen opened fire. The U.S. Justice Department, citing "insurmountable legal and evidentiary barriers," won't reopen its investigation into the deadly 1970 shootings by Ohio National Guardsmen during a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez discussed the obstacles in a letter to Alan Canfora, a wounded student who requested that the investigation be reopened. The Justice Department said Tuesday, April 24, 2012 it would not comment beyond the letter.  (AP Photo, File)

In 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.  (AP Photo, File)

Convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, center, is led from the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday Jan. 22, 1998 following his guilty plea to all charges in the case. In return, Kaczynski will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, California, under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty. Convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, center, is led from the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday Jan. 22, 1998 following his guilty plea to all charges in the case. In return, Kaczynski will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
In 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island. (Stockbyte/Thinkstock)
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Chicago crime boss Al Capone, left, wearing white hat, is in the custody of U.S. marshals as he leaves the courtroom in Chicago on October 12, 1931. Capone was convicted on tax evasion charges. (AP Photo)
The USS Lexington, U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, explodes after being bombed by Japanese planes in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the South Pacific in June 1942, during World War II.  (AP Photo)
Master of ceremonies Meredith Wilson, center, presents Grammy Awards at night on Nov. 30, 1959 in Hollywood to pianist Van Cliburn left, and vocalist Bobby Darin, right.   Darin was named the best new artist of the year and his version of  "Mack the Knife" was selected as the best record of 1959.   Van Cliburn was honored for his presentation of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)
One unidentified white man sits in front of Greyhound bus to prevent it from leaving the station with load of Freedom Riders testing bus station segregation in South, Sunday, May 15, 1961, Anniston, Alabama. Other white men mill around bus station. The bus was stopped by a flat tire and surrounded by a white crowd outside Anniston, and burned a short time later. The passengers got off without serious injury. (AP Photo)
FILE - In a May 4, 1970 file photo, Ohio National Guard moves in on rioting students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Four persons were killed and eleven wounded when National Guardsmen opened fire. The U.S. Justice Department, citing "insurmountable legal and evidentiary barriers," won't reopen its investigation into the deadly 1970 shootings by Ohio National Guardsmen during a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez discussed the obstacles in a letter to Alan Canfora, a wounded student who requested that the investigation be reopened. The Justice Department said Tuesday, April 24, 2012 it would not comment beyond the letter.  (AP Photo, File)
Convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, center, is led from the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday Jan. 22, 1998 following his guilty plea to all charges in the case. In return, Kaczynski will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)

Today is Saturday, May 4, the 124th day of 2019.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 4, 1961, the first group of “Freedom Riders” left Washington, D.C. to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

On this date:

In 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island.

In 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a labor demonstration for an 8-hour work day turned into a deadly riot when a bomb exploded.

In 1916, responding to a demand from President Woodrow Wilson, Germany agreed to limit its submarine warfare. (However, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare the following year.)

In 1925, an international conference opened in Geneva to forge an agreement against the use of chemical and biological weapons in war; the Geneva Protocol was signed on June 17, 1925 and went into force in 1928.

In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. (Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz Island.)

In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome was considered a tactical victory for Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.)

In 1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Domenico Modugno won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)”; Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for “The Music from Peter Gunn.”

In 1968, the Oroville Dam in Northern California was dedicated by Gov. Ronald Reagan; the 770-foot-tall earth-filled structure, a pet project of Reagan’s predecessor, Pat Brown, remains the tallest dam in the United States, but was also the scene of a near disaster in February 2017 when two spillways collapsed, threatening for a time to flood parts of three counties in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

In 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.

In 1980, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, died three days before his 88th birthday.

In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski (kah-ZIHN’-skee) was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, California, under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.

In 2006, A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE’-uhs moo-SOW’-ee) to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with a whimper.”

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama promised to crack down on companies “that ship jobs overseas” and duck U.S. taxes with offshore havens. Jeff Kepner, of Augusta, Ga., underwent the nation’s first double-hand transplant at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Mexican officials lowered a swine flu alert level in their capital. Cleveland’s LeBron James was named the NBA’s MVP. Actor, comedian and director Dom DeLuise, 75, died in Santa Monica, Calif.

Five years ago: Eight acrobats were injured, most of them seriously, when a carabiner clip broke during an aerial hair-hanging stunt, sending the women plummeting to the ground during a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show in Providence, Rhode Island. Sinn Fein (shin fayn) party leader Gerry Adams was released without charge after five days of police questioning over his alleged involvement in the decades-old IRA killing of a Belfast mother of 10, Jean McConville.

One year ago: President Donald Trump suggested that his newly-hired attorney Rudy Giuliani needed to “get his facts straight” about the hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election; Giuliani had earlier said that Trump knew about the payment to Daniels made by his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and that Trump had paid Cohen back. The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in the 1975 bludgeoning death of a girl in Greenwich, finding that Skakel’s trial attorney had failed to present evidence of an alibi. (The U.S. Supreme Court later left in place the Connecticut high court ruling.) Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols got his 3,000th hit, reaching the mark with a broken-bat single against the Seattle Mariners.

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