May 4th is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 241 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

1493 – Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull Inter caetera, establishing a line of demarcation dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.

1780 – The first running of the Epsom Derby took place, won by Diomed, owned by Charles Bunbury.

1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy engaged Allied naval forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other.

1988 – A fire at an industrial plant in Henderson, Nevada, U.S., caused tons of Space Shuttle fuel to explode, resulting in two deaths, 372 injuries, and $100 million in damage.

2000 – Ken Livingstone took office as the first Mayor of London.

Celebrity Birthdays

Randy Travis turns 59

Will Arnett turns 43

Erin Andrews turns 40

Lance Bass turns 39

Ruth Negga turns 37