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What happened in history on this day: July 4?
On July 4 in ...
- 1054 - The Chinese, the Arabs and possibly Amerindians observe a bright supernova, the remnants of which form the Crab Nebula.
- 1477 - Birth of the historian, Aventinus (Johannes Turmair) in Abensberg, Germany; publishes a Latin grammar and a history of the Bavarian nobility.
- 1627 - Thomas Middleton Elizabethan dramatist, dies (birth date unknown).
- 1631 - The first employment agency opens in Paris, France, the Bureau d'Adresse, opeend by Théophraste, charging 3 sous to employers and employees.
- 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island form.
- 1653 - Barebones Parliment goes into session in England.
- 1715 - Birth of Christian Gellert Saxony, poet, novelist (Fables and Tales).
- 1753 - Birth of Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard first balloon flights in England, US.
- 1776 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. Twelve colonies adopt the declaration.
- 1789 - First US tariff act.
- 1802 - US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, New York).
- 1804 - Birth of Nathaniel Hawthorne in Massachusetts, USA; author (House of Seven Gables, Scarlet Letter).
- 1807 - Birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi; unified Italy.
- 1817 - Construction on Erie Canal begins with ground-breaking in Utica, New York, USA. The canal will run 350 miles between Buffalo and Albany.
- 1819 - William Herschel makes last telescopic observation of 1819 comet.
- 1826 - Birth of Stephen Foster in Lawrencevil, Pennsylvania, USA; composer ("Oh! Susanna", "Swanee River").
- 1826 - John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, second and third US presidents, die.
- 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York.
- 1828 - Construction begins on B and O (Baltimore-Ohio), first US passenger railroad.
- 1831 - Death of James Monroe in New York City, New York, USA; member of Virginia Assembly, US Senator, US Secretary of State, US Secretary of War, 5th US President (1817-25, Democratic Republican).
- 1832 - Song "America" is first sung publicly.
- 1837 - Grand Junction Railway - the world's first long-distance railway - opens between Birmingham and Liverpool, England.
- 1840 - Cunard Line 700-ton wooden paddlewheeler Britannia first sets out from Liverpool, England, bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
- 1845 - Texas Congress votes for annexation to US.
- 1847 - Birth of James Anthony Bailey in Detroit, Michigan, USA; circus impresario (Barnum and Bailey).
- 1848 - In Washington, D.C., construction begins on a 24,500-pound block of white marble monument to President George Washington.
- 1861 - US President Abraham Lincoln asks Congress for $400 million and 400,000 men to suppress the Southern insurrection.
- 1862 - Lewis Carroll creates Alice in Wonderland story for Alice P Liddell.
- 1863 - Boise, Idaho is founded (later becomes capital of Idaho).
- 1863 - USA Major General Ulysses S. Grant captures Vicksburg, Mississippi.
- 1863 - Confederate General Robert Lee's army withdraws from Gettysburg, retreating to the South. The Battle of Gettysburg resulted in total casualties of about 48,000.
- 1864 - Constitutional convention convenes in Carson City, to draft a state constitution for Nevada.
- 1865 - First edition of book Alice in Wonderland is published.
- 1866 - Firecracker thrown in wood starts fire destroying half of Portland, Maine, USA.
- 1867 - Birth of Stephen Mather; organized US National Park Service.
- 1872 - Birth of Calvin Coolidge; 29th US president (Republican, 1923-29) (dies 1933).
- 1874 - Social Democratic Workmen's Party of North America forms.
- 1875 - White Democrats kill several blacks in terrorist attacks in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
- 1880 - Birth of Pat Rooney; vaudevillian/actor (Night Club).
- 1881 - Booker T Washington establishes Tuskegee Institute.
- 1882 - Telegraph Hill Observatory opens in San Francisco, California.
- 1883 - Birth of Rube Goldberg; cartoonist, made the easy outrageously difficult (dies 1970).
- 1884 - First US bullfight held (Dodge City, Kansas).
- 1884 - Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris, France.
- 1886 - First scheduled transcontinental passenger train reaches Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.
- 1888 - First organized rodeo competition held, Prescott, Arizona.
- 1893 - A Borrelly discovers asteroid #369 Aeria.
- 1894 - Birth of Henry Carlson; basketball coach (originated figure 8 play).
- 1894 - Elwood Haynes successfully tests one of first US autos at 6 MPH.
- 1894 - Republic of Hawaii is established.
- 1898 - Birth of Johnny Lee in Missouri, USA; actor (Algonguin J. Calhoun (Amos 'n' Andy radio and TV series).
- 1898 - US flag hoisted over Wake Island (Spanish-American War).
- 1900 - Birth of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; jazz musician ("Hello Dolly").
- 1902 - Birth of George Murphy in New Haven, Connecticut, USA; politician (Senator-Republican-California), actor, dancer (MGM Parade).
- 1902 - Birth of Meyer Lansky; mobster (started numbers gambling) (dies 1983).
- 1902 - Birth of Vince Barnett in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (A Star is Born, Human Jungle).
- 1903 - Birth of Flor Peeters in Antwerp, Belgium; organist (Lied Symphony).
- 1903 - Pacific Cable (San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam, Philippines) opens, US President Theodore Roosevelt sends first message.
- 1905 - Birth of Lionel Trilling; author (1969 Poses Award, Liberal Imagination).
- 1909 - Birth of Alec Templeton in Cardiff, Wales; pianist/composer (Concertino Lirico).
- 1910 - Birth of Gloria Stuart; actress (General Hospital, Touched by an Angel, Murder She Wrote).
- 1910 - Reno, Nevada, hosts boxing match between black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson and white challenger Jim Jeffries. Johnson knocks out Jeffries in the 15th round.
- 1911 - Birth of Mitch Miller in Rochester, New York, USA; conductor (Singalong With Mitch, Yellow Rose of Texas).
- 1912 - Birth of Virginia Graham in Chicago, Illinois, USA; TV personality (Girl Talk, Where Was I).
- 1912 - Birth of A. Davidson Dunton in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; newspaperman, Chairman of the CBC's Board of Governors, President of Carleton University.
- 1913 - Birth of Virginia Graham in Chicago, Illinois, USA; radio and TV hostess (Weekday radio show, Girl Talk TV show (1963-1969), The Virginia Graham Show (1970-1972), guest on The Tonight Show).
- 1914 - First US motorcycle race (300 miles, Dodge City, Kansas).
- 1915 - Birth of Timmie Rogers in Detroit, Michigan, USA; singer ("Sugar Hill Time").
- 1916 - Birth of Tokyo Rose AKA Iva Toguri D'Aquino in Los Angeles, California, USA; made WWII Japanese propaganda broadcasts from Radio Tokyo (never convicted of treason).
- 1918 - Altar is dedicated at full-scale replica of Stonehenge at Maryhill, Washington, USA.
- 1918 - Birth of Pauline Esther Friedman AKA Pauline Phillips AKA Abigail Van Buren in Sioux City, Iowa, USA; twin sister, advice columnist (Dear Abby).
- 1918 - Birth of Esther Pauline Friedman AKA Eppie Lederer AKA Ann Landers in Sioux City, Iowa, USA; twin sister, advice columnist (dies 2002).
- 1918 - Birth of Buster Davis in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA; choral director (Garry Moore Show).
- 1918 - Birth of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV; king of Tonga (1965-).
- 1919 - Jack Dempsey beats Jess Willard in 4th round in Cuba for heavyweight boxing championship.
- 1919 - M Wolf discovers asteroid #914 Palisana.
- 1920 - Birth of Leona Helmsley; (wife of Harry), real estate billionaire.
- 1921 - Birth of Gerard Debreu in France; economist (Nobel Prize 1983).
- 1924 - Birth of Eva Marie Saint in Newark, New Jersey, USA; actress (On the Waterfront, Moonlighting, A Year in the Life, How the West Was Won, Sandpiper, Loving, Exodus).
- 1925 - 44 die when the Dreyfus Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, USA collapses.
- 1925 - New York Yankees' Lefty Grove beats Philadelphia Athletics' Herb Pennock 1-0 in 15 innings.
- 1926 - Birth of Mary Stuart in Miami, Florida, USA; actress (Jo - Search for Tomorrow).
- 1927 - Birth of Gina Lollobrigida in Subiaco, Italy; actress (Trapeze, Falcon Crest).
- 1927 - Birth of Neil Simon; playwright (The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Biloxi Blues, Your Show of Shows).
- 1927 - The Lockheed Vega US military plane first flies.
- 1928 - Birth of Stephen Boyd; actor (Fantastic Voyage, Ben-Hur).
- 1929 - Birth of Al Davis in Brocton, Massachusetts, USA; NFL team owner (Los Angeles Raiders).
- 1930 - Birth of George Steinbrenner; New York Yankees owner/ship builder/horse owner.
- 1933 - Work begins on Oakland Bay Bridge.
- 1934 - Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
- 1937 - Birth of Sonja, Queen of Norway (1991-).
- 1938 - First game at Shribe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Braves beat Philadelphia Phillies 10-5.
- 1938 - Birth of Bill Withers in West Virginia, USA; rhythm and blues singer ("Lean on Me").
- 1938 - Suzanne Lenglen, six-time Wimbeldon tennis champ, dies at age 39 of anemia.
- 1939 - Birth of Ed Bernard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Joe - Police Woman, Jim - White Shadow).
- 1939 - Boston Red Sox' Jim Tabor hits two grand slams in one game.
- 1939 - New York Yankees retire first uniform (Lou Gehrig #4), first Old Timers Day.
- 1941 - Howard Florey and Norman Heatley meet for the first time, 11 days later successfully recreate penicillin.
- 1943 - Birth of Geraldo Rivera in New York City, New York, USA; news personality (20/20, Geraldo).
- 1943 - Birth of Emerson Boozer; NFL running back (New York Jets)/sportscaster.
- 1943 - General Wladyslaw Sikorski, head of Poland's government in exile, is killed in a plane crash off Gibraltar.
- 1946 - Birth of Michael Milken in Los Angeles, California, USA; partner (International Capital Access Group).
- 1946 - The Philippines gain complete independence.
- 1947 - In the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico, USA, an alien flying craft (allegedly) crashes.
- 1948 - Birth of Rene Arnoux in France; Formula-1 racer (6th place-1980).
- 1950 - Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.
- 1950 - NBC airs the last (until 1958) The Ed Wynn Show TV show.
- 1950 - US President Harry Truman signs public law 600 (Puerto Ricans can write own consitution).
- 1951 - Birth of Domingo Ortiz; rock musician (Widespread Panic).
- 1954 - Federal Republic of Germany beats Hungary 3-2 for soccer's 5th World Cup in Bern.
- 1955 - Birth of John Waite; singer (The Babies / Bad English - "Forget Me Not").
- 1956 - Independence National Historical Park established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1956 - US most intense rainfall (1.23 inches in one minute) at Unionville, Maryland.
- 1957 - Judy Tyler, actress (Princess - Howdy Doody), dies at age 24 in car crash.
- 1958 - Birth of Kirk Pengilly in Sydney, Australia; rocker (Inxs - "Kiss the Dirt").
- 1959 - America's new 49-star flag honoring Alaska statehood unfurled.
- 1959 - Cayman Islands separates from Jamaica, becomes a crown colony.
- 1960 - America's new 50-star flag honoring Hawaiian statehood first unfurled.
- 1960 - Mickey Mantle hits career homer number 300.
- 1962 - Birth of Pam Shriver; tennis player (US Open's Doubles 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987).
- 1963 - Birth of Matt Malley; bassist (Counting Crows).
- 1963 - Birth of Henri Leconte in France; tennis player (French finalist 1988).
- 1963 - Death of Grant Richards at age 48 in a car accident; actor (Gangbusters radio show, Untouchables TV show, Perry Mason, M Squad, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Love of Life, Doug - Doorway to Danger).
- 1964 - Birth of Mark Allen Slaughter in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; guitarist (Slaughter - "Stick it Live").
- 1966 - US President Lyndon Johnson signs Freedom of Information Act.
- 1967 - US Freedom of Information Act goes into effect.
- 1967 - CBS-TV first airs the Spotlight musical variety series.
- 1967 - Philadelphia Phillies' Clay Dairymple ties National League record of six walks in doubleheader.
- 1969 - 140,000 attend Atlanta Pop Festival featuring Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin.
- 1969 - Ann Jones defeats Billie Jean King for Wimbeldon Ladies championship.
- 1970 - 100 injured in race rioting in Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA.
- 1970 - Chartered Dan-Air Comet plane crashes into mountains north of Barcelona, Spain killing 112 vacationing Britons.
- 1970 - Harold Vanderbilt, America's Cup winner (1930, 1934, 1937), dies at age 85.
- 1971 - The CBS TV network airs the last Hogan's Heroes TV show in the USA.
- 1974 - Birth of Jenica Bergere; actress (Girls Behaving Badly, Drew Carey Show).
- 1975 - The ABC TV network airs the last The Odd Couple TV show in the USA.
- 1975 - American bicentennial commemorative coins (quarter-dollar, half-dollar, and dollar) are released to circulation.
- 1976 - Raid on Entebbe: Israel rescues 229 Air France passengers.
- 1977 - Birth of Stephen "Ste" McNally; singer (BBMak).
- 1978 - L Chernykh discovers asteroid #3332.
- 1979 - Cape Verde recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
- 1979 - Birth of Teresa Salcedo in Anaheim, California, USA; first baby born at Disneyland, born to Rosa and Elias Salcedo.
- 1980 - Nolan Ryan strikes out Ceasar Geronimo to record his 3000th career strike out.
- 1982 - Four Iranian diplomats are kidnapped upon Israel's invasion of Lebanon.
- 1982 - 4th Space Shuttle Mission-Columbia 4 lands at Edwards Air Force Base.
- 1982 - Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe for his last Wimbeldon championship.
- 1983 - Birth of Ben Jorgensen; American singer, guitarist (Armor For Sleep).
- 1983 - New York Yankees' Dave Righetti no-hits the Boston Red Sox.
- 1984 - Birth of Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist.
- 1984 - Richard Petty wins his 200th career NASCAR victory at the Firecracker 400 in Daytona, Florida.
- 1984 - Yuri Sedykh of USSR throws hammer a record 86.33 metres.
- 1985 - In a 19-inning game (6 hours 10 minutes), which goes until just before 4:00 AM the next day, the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 16-13.
- 1987 - Martina Navratilova wins 6th straight Wimbeldon, defeating Steffi Graf.
- 1987 - German Klaus Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon" convicted by a French court to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity.
- 1988 - Birth of Princess Irina of Prussia.
- 1988 - Steffan Edberg beats Boris Becker for Wimbeldon crown.
- 1989 - Death of Vic Perrin at age 73 actor and voice artist (Dragnet, Gunsmoke, Escape, Fort Laramie, One Man's Family, The Clyde Beatty Show, Jonny Quest, The Outer Limits, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Scooby Doo, Star Trek).
- 1991 - In Timor, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. Two events about 2.5 seconds apart. Twenty-three people killed, 181 injured, at least 5,400 left homeless and about 1,150 buildings destroyed.
- 1995 - United Kingdom Prime Minister John Major wins his battle to remain leader of the Conservative Party.
- 1995 - Death of Eva Gabor at age 76 from food poisoning and pneumonia; actress (Green Acres TV show).
- 1997 - Death of Charles Kuralt at age 62 of complications from lupus; CBS newsman/anchor, host of CBS Sunday Morning.
- 1997 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
- 2003 - Death of Barry White at 58 of kidney problems and a stroke in Los Angeles, California, USA; singer (Can't Get Enough").
- 2003 - Death of Tyler McVey at age 81 of leukemia; radio actor (Glamour Manor, One Man's Family, The Hermit's Cave, Wild Bill Hickok), radio announcer (Smiths of Hollywood), TV actor (Men Into Space, You Are There, Bat Masterson, Death Valley Days, The Wild, Wild West, The F.B.I., Bonanza, Ironside, Ellery Queen, Eight Is Enough, Highway to Heaven).
- 2004 - Groundbreaking takes place for the Freedom Tower begins at Ground Zero in New York City.
- 2004 - Greece beats Portugal 1-0 to win the Euro 2004.
- 2005 - NASA's "Copper bullet" from Deep Impact spacecraft hits Comet Tempel 1, creating a crater for scientific studies.
- 2005 - Violent anti-G8 demonstrations occur in Gleneagles, Scotland.
- 2006 - Space Shuttle Discovery is launched to the International Space Station. It returns safely on July 17.
- 2007 - Sochi is elected as the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics, during the 119th International Olympic Committee Session in Guatemala City.
- 2007 - In Turin, Italy, Fiat launches the Cinquecento (Fiat 500) automobile. Price is 10,500-14,500 euros (US$14,400-19,900).
- 2007 - The 50-star U.S. flag becomes the longest-flying American flag (48 years), replacing the 48-star flag that flew from 1912 to 1959 (47 years).
- 2007 - Death of Osvaldo Romo, Chilean agent of the Pinochet's Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) (born 1938).
- 2008 - At the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska, American swimmer Michael Phelps sets a world record in the 200-metre individual medley at 1:54.8.
- 2008 - Opening of regular direct charter flights between China and Taiwan.
- 2008 - Death of Jesse Helms, American politician (five terms in Senate 1973-2003), at age 86.
- 2009 - The Organization of American States suspends Honduras due to the country's recent political crisis after its refusal to reinstate President Zelaya.
- 2009 - Serena Williams defeats sister Venus at Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 giving her a third Wimbledon title.
- 2010 - Big Red Mike wins the 151st running of the Queen's Plate in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The race winner receives a gold cup and 50 gold sovereigns, as well as 60 per cent of the total purse of $1 million.
- 2010 - A two-day counter-narcotics operation concludes in southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 63 drug smugglers and militants and destruction of 14.5 tonnes of drugs and drug-making chemicals.
- 2010 - Rafael Nadal wins his second Wimbledon men's tennis title and his eighth career Grand Slam singles title, defeating Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
- 2010 - Liam Broady and Tom Farquharson beat Lewis Burton and George Morgan 7-6, (7-4), 6-4 in the all-British mens' doubles final at Wimbledon.
- 2010 - Bronislaw Komorowski is elected President of Poland, with 53 percent of the vote.
- 2011 - Death of Archduke Otto of Austria (born 1912).
- 2012 - CERN announces the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson after experiments at the Large Hadron Collider.
- 2016 - NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.
- 2017 - Russia and China urge North Korea to halt its missile and nuclear programs after it successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile.
- 2019 - Premiere of season three of Stranger Things TV show in the USA.
- 2019 - British naval forces impound an Iranian oil tanker passing Gibraltar, allegedly bound for Syria.
- 2022 - In Highland Park, Chicago, Illinois, 22-year-old Robert Crimo opens gunfire on a parade, killing six people, injuring 30.
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