1. On April 4, 1541, Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado arrived at Tiguex Pueblo, near present-day Bernalillo. He was searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold, but instead found several Native American villages and encountered resistance from the local tribes.

2. In 1879, the first issue of the Albuquerque Journal was published on April 4. Originally called the Albuquerque Daily Journal, it became the oldest newspaper in New Mexico and has won several Pulitzer Prizes for journalism over the years.

3. On April 4, 1949, the New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot occurred in Santa Fe. It was one of the most violent prison uprisings in U.S. history, with inmates taking control of the facility and killing several fellow prisoners and guards. The incident lasted for two days and resulted in significant changes to the state's prison system.

4. The University of New Mexico's basketball team won the NCAA Championship on April 4, 1954. Known as the "Miracle in Louisville," the Lobos defeated heavily favored Indiana in the final game to claim the school's first and only national championship in basketball.

5. On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Although King never visited New Mexico, his legacy has had a significant impact on the state's civil rights movement and social justice efforts. The famous mural "We Are of This Place," located in Albuquerque's Barelas neighborhood, features a portrait of King alongside other influential New Mexicans.