A historical look back at the AP archives for May 4: an anti-war protest at Kent State University, the first group of "Freedom Riders" leave Washington, D.C., and Russia pounds supply line points in Ukraine.

With all the National Guard surrounding many university campuses nationwide, it came to mind how potentially similar outcomes could be to the infamous day on the Kent State University grounds…and wouldn’t you know it?, the incident happened 54 years ago today!

Today in History: On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.

The confrontation, sometimes referred to as the May 4 massacre, was a defining moment for a nation sharply divided over the protracted war, in which more than 58,000 Americans died. It sparked a strike of 4 million students across the U.S., temporarily closing some 900 colleges and universities. The events also played a pivotal role, historians argue, in turning public opinion against the conflicts in Southeast Asia.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio’s largest newspaper, called editorially for “an immediate investigation and prompt steps to prevent a recurrence of the most tragic campus violence ever in the United States. […] “Many questions will have to be answered: Why were these people shot? Who shot first? How could these deaths have been avoided?

Let’s all cross our fingers that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Remember…Parma spelled backwards is AMRAP!
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