On May 4, 1970, when the country was divided about the Vietnam War, a protest against the war was staged at Kent State University in Ohio. Richard Nixon had been elected to the presidency in 1968 promising to end that war. On April 30, 1970, Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia. The next day, there were several protests at college campuses across the country. Kent State University had a protest on May 1 and scheduled another for May 4. The evening of May 1 there was a skirmish between the protesters and the local police. The city called for the bars to be closed early which further antagonized the already angry students. Tear gas was used to disperse the students. On May 2, the mayor petitioned the governor of Ohio to send the National Guard to protect the city and campus. On May 2, the National Guard arrived and found the ROTC building on campus afire. (It burnt to the ground). There were a number of fights between the guardsmen and demonstrators (which numbered over 1000) that night. On May 3, Sunday, the National Guard took over the campus. Ohio Governor, James Rhodes, flew to Kent State that afternoon, and in a press conference and called the protesters the worst type of people in America and emphasized that every force of law would be used to deal with them. Under the impression that martial law was going to be implemented at the campus by the Guard, more protests and confrontations occurred, again tear gas was used trying to disperse the crowds. On May 4, the rally was scheduled for noon, and all morning, announcements were made stating that the rally was banned. By noon, it was estimated that 3000 people had gathered at the university for the protest. Approximately 100 National Guardsmen were also there and they were armed with M-16 rifles. The protest was not only against the war but also against the Guardsmen being on campus. Shortly before noon, after trying to disperse the crowd to no avail, the Guardsmen were ordered to lock and load their weapons. Tear gas was fired as the Guardsmen marched towards the protesters. The guardsmen retreated to their original position on a hill, and upon reaching the apex, approximately 28 of the 70 guardsmen turned and started firing their weapons. Most shot into the air or into the ground, but unfortunately, some fired right into the crowd. In about 13 seconds, between 61 and 67 shots were fired. 4 students died, hence "Four Dead in Ohio".

I was so tempted to say, "Ohio"
but this is a serious song.
The Kent State (a university in Ohio) shooting back in the 70's.