1775, Paul Revere began his famous “Midnight Ride” from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning American militiamen that British troops were coming.
1906, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 struck San Francisco. An estimated 3,000 people died as a result of the quake and the widespread fires it ignited.
1923, the New York Yankees played their first game in Yankee Stadium, for a crowd of 74,000 fans, who saw Babe Ruth hit a game-winning three-run homer. In his coverage of the game, sportswriter Fred Liebcalled the stadium “The House That Ruth Built.”
1934, Gene Autry records “Back in the Saddle Again.”
1949, the Irish Republic was founded.
1953, Possibly the longest measured home run ever hit in a major-league baseball game was credited to New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle on this day. “The Mick” hit a 565-foot homer in Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.
1955, the phrase “Third World” was first used by Indonesia’s President Sukarno in a speech about non-white, underdeveloped areas.
1956, American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
1964, American Bandstand airs a taped interview with the Beatles.
1966, Bill Russell was named coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the first African-American coach in the NBA.
1975, John Lennon releases “Stand by Me.”
1983, Sixty-two people, including 17 Americans, were killed by a suicide bomber at the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
1994, former President Richard Nixon suffered a stroke at his New Jersey home. He was taken to New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City, where he died four days later.
1995, quarterback Joe Montana retired from the NFL at the age of 38.
1999, Wayne Gretzky played his last NHL game, as his New York Rangers lost at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
2002, actor Robert Blake was arrested for murder in Los Angeles. Police alleged that he fatally shot his wife Bonny Lee Bakley in the head as she sat in their car on May 4th, 2001.