On This Day: April 4

Updated April 3, 2012, 2:28 pm

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn.

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On April 4, 1915, Muddy Waters, American blues musician, was born. Following his death on April 30, 1983, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1818 Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state.

1841 President William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia one month after his inauguration, becoming the first U.S. president to die in office.

1850 The city of Los Angeles was incorporated.

1887 Susanna Medora Salter became the first woman elected mayor of an American community – Argonia, Kan.

1888 Baseball Hall of Famer Tris Speaker was born in Hubbard, Texas.

1902 British financier Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships at Oxford University in England.

1949 Twelve nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty.

1974 Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves tied Babe Ruth’s career home run record by hitting his 714th round-tripper in Cincinnati.

1981 Henry Cisneros became the first Hispanic elected mayor of a major U.S. city – San Antonio, Texas.

1988 The Arizona Senate convicted Gov. Evan Mecham of two charges of official misconduct and removed him from office.

2003 U.S. forces seized Saddam International Airport outside Baghdad.

2003 Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th major league baseball player to hit 500 career home runs.

2006 The Iraq tribunal charged Saddam Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.

2007 Radio host Don Imus made offensive on-air remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. He was later fired by CBS Radio and cable network MSNBC.

2011 Yielding to political opposition, the Obama administration gave up on trying avowed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian federal courts and said it would prosecute them instead before military commissions.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Record company executive Clive Davis turns 80 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., turns 80 years old today.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

1928 Maya Angelou, Poet, turns 84

1939 Hugh Masekela, Bandleader, turns 73

1942 Kitty Kelley, Author, turns 70

1944 Craig T. Nelson, Actor (“Parenthood,” “Coach”), turns 68

1950 Christine Lahti, Actress, turns 62

1956 David E. Kelley, Writer, producer, turns 56

1960 Lorraine Toussaint, Actress, turns 52

1964 David Cross, Actor, comedian, turns 48

1965 Robert Downey Jr., Actor, turns 47

1966 Nancy McKeon, Actress (“Facts of Life”), turns 46

1970 Barry Pepper, Actor, turns 42

1972 Jill Scott, R&B singer, turns 40

1973 David Blaine, Magician, turns 39

1975 Scott Rolen, Baseball player, turns 37

1979 Natasha Lyonne, Actress, turns 33

1991 Jamie Lynn Spears, Actress (“Zoey 101”), turns 21

Historic Birthdays

Muddy Waters 4/4/1915 – 4/30/1983 American blues musician.Go to obituary »

73 Grinling Gibbons 4/4/1648 – 8/3/1721
English wood carver and decorator of St. Paul’s Cathedral

88 William White 4/4/1748 – 7/17/1836
American religious leader; first presiding bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church

69 Edward Hicks 4/4/1780 – 8/23/1849
American primitive painter

85 Dorothea Dix 4/4/1802 – 7/17/1887
American social reformer and humanitarian

89 Pierre Monteux 4/4/1875 – 7/1/1964
French conductor

95 Arthur Murray 4/4/1895 – 3/3/1991
American ballroom-dancing instructor and entrepreneur

59 Robert E. Sherwood 4/4/1896 – 11/14/1955
American playwright

79 Antony Tudor 4/4/1908 – 4/20/1987
English-born American dancer, teacher and choreographer

81 Marguerite Duras 4/4/1914 – 3/3/1996
French novelist, screenwriter, playwright and director

60 Anthony Perkins 4/4/1932 – 9/12/1992
American stage and film actor

1818	Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state.
1841	President William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia one month after his inauguration, becoming the first U.S. president to die in office.
1850	The city of Los Angeles was incorporated.
1887	Susanna Medora Salter became the first woman elected mayor of an American community – Argonia, Kan.
1888	Baseball Hall of Famer Tris Speaker was born in Hubbard, Texas.
1902	British financier Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships at Oxford University in England.
1949	Twelve nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty.
1974	Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves tied Babe Ruth’s career home run record by hitting his 714th round-tripper in Cincinnati.
1981	Henry Cisneros became the first Hispanic elected mayor of a major U.S. city – San Antonio, Texas.
1988	The Arizona Senate convicted Gov. Evan Mecham of two charges of official misconduct and removed him from office.
2003	U.S. forces seized Saddam International Airport outside Baghdad.
2003	Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th major league baseball player to hit 500 career home runs.
2006	The Iraq tribunal charged Saddam Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.
2007	Radio host Don Imus made offensive on-air remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. He was later fired by CBS Radio and cable network MSNBC.
2011	Yielding to political opposition, the Obama administration gave up on trying avowed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian federal courts and said it would prosecute them instead before military commissions.

1928	Maya Angelou, Poet, turns 84
1939	Hugh Masekela, Bandleader, turns 73
1942	Kitty Kelley, Author, turns 70
1944	Craig T. Nelson, Actor (“Parenthood,” “Coach”), turns 68
1950	Christine Lahti, Actress, turns 62
1956	David E. Kelley, Writer, producer, turns 56
1960	Lorraine Toussaint, Actress, turns 52
1964	David Cross, Actor, comedian, turns 48
1965	Robert Downey Jr., Actor, turns 47
1966	Nancy McKeon, Actress (“Facts of Life”), turns 46
1970	Barry Pepper, Actor, turns 42
1972	Jill Scott, R&B singer, turns 40
1973	David Blaine, Magician, turns 39
1975	Scott Rolen, Baseball player, turns 37
1979	Natasha Lyonne, Actress, turns 33
1991	Jamie Lynn Spears, Actress (“Zoey 101”), turns 21

73	Grinling Gibbons 4/4/1648 – 8/3/1721 English wood carver and decorator of St. Paul’s Cathedral
88	William White 4/4/1748 – 7/17/1836 American religious leader; first presiding bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church
69	Edward Hicks 4/4/1780 – 8/23/1849 American primitive painter
85	Dorothea Dix 4/4/1802 – 7/17/1887 American social reformer and humanitarian
89	Pierre Monteux 4/4/1875 – 7/1/1964 French conductor
95	Arthur Murray 4/4/1895 – 3/3/1991 American ballroom-dancing instructor and entrepreneur
59	Robert E. Sherwood 4/4/1896 – 11/14/1955 American playwright
79	Antony Tudor 4/4/1908 – 4/20/1987 English-born American dancer, teacher and choreographer
81	Marguerite Duras 4/4/1914 – 3/3/1996 French novelist, screenwriter, playwright and director
60	Anthony Perkins 4/4/1932 – 9/12/1992 American stage and film actor