Monday, May 4, 2026

The inaugural race of the W Series took place at Hockenheimring, Germany, and was won by Jamie Chadwick (pictured), who later became the season's champion.

The Parliament of Malta moved from the Grandmaster's Palace to the purpose-built Parliament House (pictured).

Ken Livingstone took office as the first mayor of London.

Falklands War: HMS Sheffield was struck by an Exocet missile, killing 20 sailors and leading to its sinking six days later—the first Royal Navy ship sunk in action since World War II.

Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.

An all-female Japanese team reached the summit of Manaslu in the Himalayas, becoming the first women to climb a peak higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.

World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval action in which the participating ships never sighted or fired directly at each other.

The May Fourth Movement began in China with large-scale student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.