- 1654 - Kangxi, the second emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty in China was born 350 years ago (died in 1722). During his rule China was finally conquered by Manchurians. He strengthened power over Tibet and conducted military raids against Russian settlements on the Amur river. In 1689 the Nerch treaty was signed and became the first official treaty of a European state with China. It secured Russia's right for East Siberia and gave Russian trade caravans the right to arrive in Beijing.
- 1904 - 90 years ago Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in England began to produce Rolls-Royce cars.
- 1919 - 85 years ago the mass anti-imperialist and anti-feudal movement (May 4th movement) began in China.
- 1929 - 75 years ago American actress Audrey Hepburn was born (died in 1993). She starred in the films Roman Holiday, War and Peace, My Fair Lady, etc.
1989 - 15 years ago a US shuttle launched a Magellan space probe for topographic study of the surface of Venus.
- 1994 - 10 years ago India launched the SCROSS-C2 satellite to study the magnetosphere of the Earth.
IN RUSSIA:
- 1839 - 165 years ago Denis Davydov died (born in 1784). He was a hero of the 1812 war against Napoleon Bonaparte, initiator of the guerilla movement, writer and poet.
- 1881 - 123 years ago Alexander Kerensky was born (died in 1970). He was a political figure, who after Emperor Nikolai II abdicated, became head of the temporary bourgeois government, emigrated after the October 1917 revolutions. He was one of the organizers of the League of Fight for People's Freedom, wrote memoirs and historic research.
- 1918 - 86 years ago the Council of People's Commissars (the first Soviet government) adopted the Decree on establishing military districts.
- 1922 - 82 years ago the first Soviet high-voltage power line was put into operation. It connected Moscow with the town of Kashira, the Moscow region.
- 1931 - 73 years ago Gennady Rozhdestvensky was born. He was the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Theater orchestra, the Stockholm philharmonic, the Vienna Symphonies orchestra.
- 1934 - 70 years ago actress Tatiana Samoilova was born. She is well known for her performance in the films "Letyat Zhuravli" (The Cranes Are Flying, for which she received a Gold Palm at the Cannes Festival in 1958) and "Anna Karenina".
- 1943 - 61 years ago Mikhail Shemyakin was born. A painter, graphic artist and scuptor, he is member of the New York Academy of Sciences and of the European Academy of Arts.
- 2002 - 2 years ago conductor, composer and pianist Yevgeny Svetlanov died (born in 1928).
- According to folk calendar, May 4th is the day of Prokl. This day people used to curse demons to protect themselves from them for whole spring. If bird cherry blossoms early, the summer will be warm.
