1. On August 4, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. This significant event paved the way for the creation of a federal government and the establishment of the United States as a nation.

2. On August 4, 1862, Delaware Governor William Burton signed a law abolishing slavery in the state. This made Delaware one of the first states to take steps towards ending the practice of slavery, although it would not be fully abolished in the United States until the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865.

3. On August 4, 1946, the Wilmington race riot erupted in Delaware's largest city. The riot, which lasted for three days, was sparked by tensions between white sailors and African American residents. It resulted in numerous injuries, arrests, and property damage, and highlighted the ongoing struggle for racial equality in the United States.

4. On August 4, 1969, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, connecting Delaware and New Jersey, opened to traffic. The bridge, which spans the Delaware River, is one of the largest suspension bridges in the world and serves as a key transportation artery for the East Coast.

5. On August 4, 1997, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her husband, John F. Kennedy, Jr., were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. Bessette Kennedy, a Wilmington native, was a prominent public figure and fashion icon, and her death was widely mourned throughout the United States.