WEDNESDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Wednesday, May 4, the 125th day of 2016. There are 241 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On May 4, 1916, Germany, responding to an ultimatum from President Woodrow Wilson, agreed to limit its submarine warfare.

On this date:

In 1776, Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

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 1904, the United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from the French.

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

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

In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

Ten years ago: A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama said he had decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks.

One year ago: Former technology executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson joined the rapidly expanding 2016 Republican presidential class.

Today’s Birthdays: Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson musical family, is 86. Singer Jackie Jackson is 65. Country singer Randy-Travis is 57. Actor Will Arnett is 46. TV personality and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is 41. Singer Lance Bass is 37.

Thought for Today: “Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed.” — Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (1892-1971).