YEARS AGO

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1776: Rhode Island declares its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence is adopted.

1904: The United States takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French.

1932: Mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, enters 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, begins in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome was considered a tactical victory for Imperial Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.)

1959: The first Grammy Awards ceremony takes place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Domenico Modugno wins Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu [Volare].”

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

1970: Ohio National Guardsmen open fire during an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.

2006: A federal judge sentences Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with a whimper.”

2011: President Barack Obama says he has decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks. Officials tell The Associated Press that the Navy SEALs who’d stormed bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan shot and killed him after they saw him appear to lunge for a weapon.

2015: Former technology executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson join the rapidly expanding 2016 Republican presidential class, casting themselves as political outsiders in underdog campaigns, eager to challenge the elite of both parties.

VINDICATOR FILES

1991: An overwhelming majority of residents of Boardman, Austintown, Canfield and Poland oppose the idea of one government for Mahoning County, something Commissioner Thomas J. Carney has called a City of New Youngstown. By an even larger margin, the suburban residents say it is wrong for Youngstown to charge them more for water than city residents pay.

Youngstown State University’s ROTC holds its final military ball at the Wick-Pollock Inn.

Anthony M. Cafaro, president and chief executive officer of the Youngstown-based Cafaro Co., receives an honorary doctorate of law degree from Wheeling Jesuit College.

1976: Youngstown City Engineer Edmund J. Salata says a report by Mosure-Fok & Syrakis Ltd. recommends an immediate bridge-rehabilitation program that would include the replacement of 10 bridges.

Youngstown police seal off Kilcawley Hall on the Youngstown State University campus and arrest six students, including a basketball player, a football player and a former manager of the football team, on drug charges.

Reflecting sharply growing demand, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. announces that it will boost the price for flat-rolled products by 6 percent.

1966: Dr. Albert LeRoy Pugsley, 56, vice president of Kansas State University, will become the new president of Youngstown University in the fall, replacing Dr. Howard W. Jones, president since July 1931.

Two brothers win Democratic nominations in the Trumbull County primary, Robert Hagan to run for Trumbull County commissioner and James Hagan to run for 99th District state representative.

Austintown Township trustees unanimously approve Cook-Johnson Realty Co.’s request to rezone 15 acres in Trophy Estates for an apartment complex.

1941: A two-hour blaze of undetermined origin causes an estimated $25,000 damage to the pattern shop at Valley Mould & Iron Corp. Officials say heavy production schedules will not be affected.

Boardman High School receives a superior rating for schools of 400 or more at the 14th annual Scholarship Day at Kent State University. More than 3,000 students attended. Boardman, with 16 students competing, won two firsts, three seconds and three thirds.

Miss Pauline Feeley is one of the hostesses for the McKelvey May Party to take place at Idora Park. Bobby Byrne and his Orchestra will provide the music. Tickets are on sale at McKelvey’s department store downtown, the Ringside restaurant, Clark’s Restaurant and Stone’s Grill.