Today marks the forty-second year since the National Guard fired on a crowd of unarmed students, killing four. The deaths were the result of the students protesting the war in South East Asia which had escalated with an invasion of Cambodia and this culminated the third day of protests at the campus. The killings marked a decided reversal of support for the War in Vietnam. Now the overwhelming majority of Americans were against our role in the war, wanted it over and wanted us out. And now there were dead students to add to the outrage.

As well as the news from Kent State, also came news from Cambodia, the Vietnam War as well as a report on the sale of the Prop Department at MGM Studios. Run of the mill news for an otherwise unremarkable day.

Somehow, the rest of it really didn't matter. What mattered was how the spirit of protest was met with violent resistance by, of all people, our own National Guard. And how something went terribly wrong.

As reported by David Brinkley on The NBC Nightly News for May 4, 1970.

Waiting for the final word. That was the report from Cape Canaveral on May 4th 1961. Ready and waiting was the first American Astronaut to go into space, Alan Shepard. Originally slated for May 6th, the weather was predicted to be good on the 5th and so it was scheduled for takeoff on that date instead and preparations were underway.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world was busily spinning - with news of civil war in Indonesia, status reports on Southeast Asia and word that Jordan's King Hussein had popped the question to a commoner. The commoner being the daughter of a British Army Officer. Fortunately for Jordan the bride in question was also Muslim, so eyes didn't raise all that much.

So here is a newscast fifty years ago today from NBC Radio on May 4th 1961 - complete with commercials for Chevrolet.

Still in fundraising mode.