Today In History For May 4th

Today is Wednesday, May 4th, the 124th day of 2011. There are 241 days left in the year.

On May 4, 1961, the first group of "Freedom Riders" left Washington, D.C., to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals. (The Freedom Riders were repeatedly attacked by violent mobs, mostly in Alabama.)

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

In 1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.