Today in History

May 4, 1970

The Kent State Shootings

On April 30, 1970, US President Richard Nixon announced the American invasion of Cambodia. Student demonstrators across the country began both peaceful and violent protests on the nation's campuses. At Kent State University in Ohio, the National Guard was called out to restore order to the campus. Confrontations between the students and the soldiers, however, became increasingly agitated with rocks being thrown at the National Guard and two students stabbed with bayonets. The confrontation raged out of control when the National Guard opened fire on the students, killing four and wounding nine others. Some of those shot were not participating in the protests but were walking between classes. The angry response to the shootings resulted in a nationwide strike by students and is generally thought to have turned the tide in the mainstream perception of the Vietnam war, hastening its end.

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