Today In History – May 4, 2005

Today In History – May 4, 2005

May 4, 2005

(AP) Today is Wednesday, May 4, the 124th day of 2005. There are 241 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On May 4, 1945, during World War II, German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany agreed to surrender.

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 eight-hour work day turned into a riot when a bomb exploded.

In 1904, the United States began building the Panama Canal.

In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.

In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta.

In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began during World War II.

In 1961, a group of “Freedom Riders” left Washington for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation in interstate buses and bus terminals.

In 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters 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 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed a historic accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

Ten years ago: An Iranian nuclear official said spent fuel from Iran’s Russian-made reactors, potential raw material for nuclear bombs, would be returned to Russia for safeguarding.

Five years ago: The “ILOVEYOU” e-mail virus infected computer networks and hard drives across the globe, spawning various imitations. Londoners chose political maverick Ken Livingstone to be their first elected mayor.

One year ago: The Army disclosed that the deaths o"