May 4 may not be a widely celebrated date in Arkansas history, but it still holds some interesting events and significance. Here are five noteworthy facts about May 4 in Arkansas history:

1. In 1863, during the Civil War, the Battle of Chalk Bluff took place in northeast Arkansas. Confederate General John S. Marmaduke attempted to cut off Union General Ulysses S. Grant's supply line, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The battle resulted in over 400 casualties.

2. On May 4, 1927, a tornado tore through the town of Bald Knob, Arkansas, killing 23 people and injuring over 150. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak in the region known as the "Tri-State Tornado."

3. May 4, 1961 marked the day that Freedom Riders arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas as part of their efforts to desegregate public transportation. The efforts were met with resistance and violence, leading to several Freedom Riders being hospitalized.

4. In 2008, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that a historical marker commemorating the Little Rock Nine was vandalized. The marker, which honors the nine African American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, had the word "integration" scraped off and replaced with "segregation."

5. On May 4, 2016, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a controversial bill that allowed licensed gun owners to carry their firearms into public college campuses. The bill was met with mixed reactions, with some arguing that it would increase safety measures and others feeling that it put students and faculty at risk.