Today In History

Today is Friday, May 4, the 124th day of 2018. There are 241 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1626: Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island.

ON THIS DATE

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

› 1830: The Edward Bulwer-Lytton novel “Paul Clifford,” with its famous opening, “It was a dark and stormy night ...,” was first published in London.

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

› 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.)

› 1959: The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

The former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is 90. Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson musical family, is 88. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 81. Rock musician Dick Dale is 81. Pulitzer Prize-winning political commentator George Will is 77. Pop singer Peggy Santiglia Davison (The Angels) is

74. Irish musician Darryl Hunt (The Pogues) is

68. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 67. Singer-actress Pia Zadora is 66. Rhythm and blues singer Oleta Adams is 65. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., is 64. Violinist Soozie Tyrell (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is

61. Country singer Randy Travis is 59. Actress Mary McDonough is 57. Comedian Ana Gasteyer is 51. TV personality and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is

43. Rock musician Jose Castellanos is 41. Sports reporter Erin Andrews is 40. Singer Lance Bass (‘N Sync) is 39. Actress Ruth Negga is 37. Rapper/ singer Jidenna is 33. Actor Alexander Gould is 24. Actress Amara Miller is

18. Actress Brooklynn Prince (Film: “The Florida Project”) is 8.