July 4

July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of the year. Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is furthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

1 Events 2 Births 3 Deaths 4 Holidays and observances 5 External links

[edit] Events

836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples 993 - Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized. 1054 - A supernova is observed by the Chinese, the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the star Î¶ Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula. 1120 - Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death. 1187 - The Crusades: Battle of Hattin - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem. 1253 - Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeats Guy of Dampierre. 1359 - Francesco II Ordelaffi of ForlÃ¬ surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz. 1534 - Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye. 1634 - The city of Trois-RiviÃ¨res is founded in New France, later to become the Canadian province of Quebec. 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island forms. 1754 - French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers. 1774 - Orangetown Resolutions adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament's Coercive Acts 1776 - American Revolution: the United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress 1778 - American Revolutionary War: Forces under George Rogers Clark capture Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign. 1802 - At West Point, New York the United States Military Academy opens. 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people. 1810 - The French occupy Amsterdam. 1817 - At Rome, New York, United States, construction on the Erie Canal begins. 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State. 1837 - Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool. 1838 - The Iowa Territory is organized. 1840 - The Cunard Line's 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end. 1845 - Near Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond (see Walden). 1855 - In Brooklyn, New York, the first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, titled Leaves of Grass, is published. 1859 - Austro-Sardinian War: the Battle of Magenta. 1862 - Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels. 1863 - American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg - Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. 150 miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate Army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas. 1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published. 1881 - In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens. 1886 - The people of France offer the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States. 1886 - The first scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia. 1887 - The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi. 1892 - Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4. 1894 - The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole. 1910 - African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States. 1913 - President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913. 1918 - Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne. 1918 - Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date). 1927 - First flight of the Lockheed Vega. 1934 - Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb. 1939 - Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball. 1941 - Nazi Germans massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Polish city of LwÃ³w. 1946 - After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States. 1947 - The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries - India and Pakistan. 1950 - The first broadcast by Radio Free Europe. 1959 - With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1960 - Due to the post-Independence Day admission of HawaiËˆi as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Act). 1961 - Walt Disney is one of the two main speakers on the Independence Day in The Rebuild Hills at SkÃ¸rping in Denmark 1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act goes into effect the next year. 1969 - Two teens (one male, one female) are attacked at Blue Rock Springs in California. They were the second (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer. The male survives. 1969 - The Ohio Fireworks Derecho kills 18 Ohioans and destroys over 100 boats on Lake Erie. 1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists. 1982 - Iranian diplomats kidnapping (1982): four Iranian diplomats are kidnapped by Lebanese militia in Lebanon. 1987 - In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka the "Butcher of Lyon") is convicted of crimes against humanity and is sentenced to life imprisonment. 1993 - Sumitomo Chemical's resin plant in Nihama explodes killing one worker and injuring three others. 1997 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars. 2004 - The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. (This was largely a symbolic event; actual construction would not start for several weeks) 2005 - The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1. 2006 - Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission - Space Shuttle Discovery launches at 18:37:55 UTC. 2006 - North Korea tests four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan/East Sea.

[edit] Births

1330 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (d. 1367) 1546 - Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1595) 1694 - Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772) 1715 - Christian FÃ¼rchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769) 1719 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (d. 1797) 1790 - George Everest, Welsh surveyor (d. 1866) 1799 - King Oscar I of Sweden, French general (d. 1859) 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer (d. 1864) 1807 - Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot (d. 1882) 1816 - Hiram Walker, American grocer and distiller (d. 1899) 1826 - Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864) 1845 - Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian (d. 1905) 1847 - James Anthony Bailey, American circus impresario (d. 1906) 1854 - Victor BabeÅŸ, Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926) 1868 - Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (d. 1921) 1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933) 1881 - Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier (d. 1968) 1882 - Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (d. 1957) 1883 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970) 1895 - Irving Caesar, American lyricist and composer (d. 1996) 1896 - Mao Dun, Chinese writer (d. 1981) 1898 - Dr. Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997) 1898 - Gertrude Lawrence, English-born actress (d. 1952) 1902 - Meyer Lansky, Russian-born American gangster (d. 1983) 1902 - George Murphy, American entertainer (d. 1992) 1903 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1986) 1904 - Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976) 1905 - Irving Johnson, American adventurer (d. 1991) 1907 - Gordon Griffith, American director (d. 1958) 1907 - Howard Taubman, American music and theater critic (d. 1996) 1910 - Gloria Stuart, American actress 1911 - Mitch Miller, American entertainer 1912 - Viviane Romance, French actress (d. 1991) 1916 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American World War II figure (d. 2006) 1917 - Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947) 1918 - Ann Landers, American advice columnist (d. 2002) 1918 - Abigail Van Buren, American advice columnist 1918 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006) 1918 - Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984) 1920 - Norm Drucker, American basketball referee 1920 - Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor (d. 2007) 1921 - Gerard Debreu, French economist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004) 1921 - Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist (d. 2003) 1923 - Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss Federal Councilor 1924 - Eva Marie Saint, American actress 1926 - Alfredo Di StÃ©fano, Argentine-Spanish footballer 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress 1927 - Neil Simon, American playwright 1929 - Al Davis, American businessman 1929 - Chuck Tanner, American baseball player 1929 - Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998) 1930 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor 1930 - George Steinbrenner, American businessman 1930 - Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower 1931 - Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish actor (d. 1977) 1931 - SÃ©bastien Japrisot, French author, film director and sreenwriter (d. 2003) 1932 - AurÃ¨le Vandendriessche, Belgian athlete 1934 - Colin Welland, English actor 1935 - Paul Scoon, Governor General of Grenada 1937 - Sonja Haraldsen, Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V of Norway) 1937 - Thomas Nagel, American philosopher 1938 - Bill Withers, American singer and songwriter 1940 - Karolyn Grimes, American actress 1941 - Brian Willson, American peace activist 1942 - Hal Lanier, American baseball player 1942 - Floyd Little, American football player 1942 - Stefan Meller, Polish foreign minister (d. 2008) 1943 - Konrad "Conny" Bauer, German musician 1943 - Geraldo Rivera, American reporter 1943 - Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, American musician (d. 1970) 1943 - Emerson Boozer, American football player 1943 - Milan MÃ¡Äala, Czech football coach 1944 - Ray Meagher, Australian actor 1946 - Tish Howard, American model 1946 - Ron Kovic, American peace activist 1946 - Michael Milken, American financier 1946 - Ed O'Ross, American actor 1947 - Morganna Roberts, American entertainer 1948 - Ed Armbrister, baseball player 1948 - RenÃ© Arnoux, French race car driver 1948 - Tommy KÃ¶rberg, Swedish singer and actor 1948 - Jeremy Spencer, English musician 1950 - David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ 1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician 1952 - Ãlvaro Uribe VÃ©lez, Colombian politician 1954 - Jim Beattie, American baseball player 1955 - John Waite, English singer 1957 - Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand 1958 - Kirk Pengilly, Australian musician 1959 - Victoria Abril, Spanish actress 1960 - Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler 1960 - Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1994) 1961 - Richard Garriott, English video game designer 1962 - Neil Morrissey, English actor 1962 - Pam Shriver, American former tennis player 1963 - Henri Leconte, French former tennis player 1963 - Matt Malley, American musician 1963 - JosÃ© Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player 1964 - Cle Kooiman, American soccer player 1964 - Mark Slaughter, American singer 1964 - Mark Whiting, American filmmaker and actor 1965 - Horace Grant, American basketball player 1965 - Jo Whiley, English radio DJ 1966 - Lee Reherman, American actor 1967 - Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player 1967 - Andy Walker, Canadian television personality 1967 - Rick Wilkins, American baseball player 1968 - Jack Frost, American musician 1970 - Tony Vidmar, Australian former footballer 1971 - Andy Creeggan, Canadian musician 1971 - Brendan Donnelly, American baseball player 1971 - Koko, sign-language gorilla 1971 - Andrew Murray, English entrepreneur 1971 - Ned Zelic, Australian soccer player 1973 - Gackt, Japanese singer 1973 - Keiko Ihara, Japanese racing driver 1973 - Michael Johnson, English-born Jamaican footballer 1973 - Jan Magnussen, Danish racing driver 1973 - Tony Popovic, Australian soccer player 1974 - La'Roi Glover, American football player 1974 - Vince Spadea, American tennis player 1975 - Tania Davis, Australian violist 1976 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003) 1977 - Katia Zygouli, Greek supermodel 1977 - Jonas Kjellgren, Swedish musician (Scar Symmetry) 1978 - Vicky Kaya, Greek supermodel and actress 1978 - Stephen McNally, British singer and songwriter (BBMak) 1978 - Emile Mpenza, Belgian footballer 1978 - Becki Newton, American actress 1980 - Muhammad Ali Hasan, American filmmaker 1980 - Max Elliott Slade, American film actor 1981 - Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player 1982 - Hannah Harper,English porn star 1983 - Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model 1983 - Ben Jorgensen, American musician 1983 - Andy Mrotek, American musician 1984 - Gina Glocksen, American singer 1984 - Akanishi Jin, Japanese singer 1986 - Takahisa Masuda, Japanese singer 2003 - Alessia di Matteo, Italian medical figure (d. 2005)