July 4
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- For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States).
Template:Linked-title is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 180 days remaining.
Events
- 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- 993 - Saint Ulrich of Augsburg canonized.
- 1054 - A supernova is observed by the Chinese, the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the star ζ 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 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 Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
- 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island forms.
- 1712 - 11 slaves are executed in New York for starting an uprising that killed 9 Caucasians
- 1774 - Orangetown Resolutions adopted in Tappan, New York in Rockland County.
- 1776 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress approves a Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. (The Lee Resolution of independence had been passed on July 2nd.)
- 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.
- 1826 - Former American presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
- 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State.
- 1837 - Grand Junction Railway, 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: Battle 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 - First scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia.
- 1887 - Founder of Pakistan, Qauid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined 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.
- 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 - Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match.
- 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 considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.
- 1941 - Mass murder of Polish scientists and writers, committed by Nazi Germans in captured Polish city of Lwów.
- 1946 - After 381 years of colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States.
- 1947 - "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries - India and Pakistan.
- 1950 - First broadcast by Radio Free Europe.
- 1954 - "The miracle of Bern", Germany wins the FIFA World Cup in Switzerland against Hungary.
- 1954 - Dr. Sam Sheppard is a suspect in the murder of his wife Marilyn
- 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 Hawaii 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).
- 1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act goes into effect the next year.
- 1970 - Popular syndicated radio show, "American Top 40", hosted by "Casey Kasem, debuts.
- 1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
- 1976 - The United States celebrates its bicentennial.
- 1982 - Four Iranian diplomats 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.
- 1992 - USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy is commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia.
- 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 latter reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.
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 Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769)
- 1719 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (d. 1797)
- 1790 - George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest (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)
- 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 Babeş, Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926)
- 1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
- 1878 - George M. Cohan, American entertainer (d. 1942)
- 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)
- 1896 - Mao Dun, Chinese writer (d. 1981)
- 1898 - Dr. Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997)
- 1902 - Meyer Lansky, Russian-born gangster (d. 1983)
- 1902 - George Murphy, American entertainer (d. 1992)
- 1904 - Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
- 1905 - Irving Johnson, American adventurer (d. 1991)
- 1907 - Gordon Griffith, American director (d. 1958)
- 1910 - Gloria Stuart, American actress
- 1911 - Mitch Miller, American entertainer
- 1916 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American thought to be Tokyo Rose in World War II (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- 1918 - Ann Landers, American advice columnist (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Abigail Van Buren, American advice columnist ("Dear Abby")
- 1918 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Norm Drucker, American basketball referee
- 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 Stéfano, Argentine footballer
- 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
- 1927 - Neil Simon, American playwright
- 1929 - Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1929 - Al Davis, American football team owner (Los Angeles Raiders)
- 1929 - Chuck Tanner, baseball player
- 1930 - George Steinbrenner, American businessman & baseball team owner
- 1930 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor
- 1930 - Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower
- 1931 - Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish actor (d. 1977)
- 1934 - Colin Welland, British actor
- 1935 - Paul Scoon, Governor General of Grenada
- 1938 - Bill Withers, American singer and songwriter
- 1942 - Floyd Little, American football player
- 1942 - Stefan Meller, Polish foreign minister
- 1942 - Hal Lanier, baseball player
- 1943 - Konrad "Conny" Bauer, German musician
- 1943 - Geraldo Rivera, American reporter
- 1943 - Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, American musician (Canned Heat) (d. 1970)
- 1943 - Emerson Boozer, American football player
- 1946 - Ron Kovic, American peace activist
- 1946 - Ed O'Ross, American actor
- 1946 - Michael Milken, American financier
- 1946 - Tish Howard, American model
- 1947 - Morganna Roberts, American personality (kissing bandit)
- 1948 - Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
- 1948 - Ed Armbrister, baseball player
- 1948 - Jeremy Spencer, British musician
- 1950 - David Jensen, British radio DJ
- 1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician
- 1952 - Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Colombian politician
- 1954 - Jim Beattie, American baseball player
- 1955 - John Waite, British singer (The Babys)
- 1958 - Kirk Pengilly, Australian musician (INXS)
- 1959 - Victoria Merida Rojas, Spanish actress
- 1960 - Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1994)
- 1961 - Richard Garriott, English video game designer
- 1962 - Pam Shriver, American tennis player
- 1963 - José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1963 - Matt Malley, American musician (Counting Crows)
- 1964 - Mark Slaughter, American singer (Slaughter)
- 1966 - Lee Reherman, American actor
- 1967 - Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player
- 1967 - Andy Walker, Canadian television personality
- 1967 - Rick Wilkins, American baseball player
- 1971 - Koko, signing gorilla
- 1971 - Andrew Murray, English entrepreneur
- 1973 - Michael Johnson, English-born Jamaican footballer
- 1973 - Jan Magnussen, Danish racing driver
- 1973 - Tony Popović, Australian soccer player
- 1974 - La'Roi Glover, American football player
- 1974 - Vince Spadea, American tennis player
- 1975 - Tania Davis, Australian violist (bond)
- 1976 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
- 1977 - Katia Zygouli, Greek super model, winner of Elite Model Look contest 1996
- 1978 - Becki Newton, American actress
- 1978 - Emile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
- 1983 - Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model
- 1983 - Ben Jorgensen, American musician
- 1984 - Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist
- 1984 - Akanishi Jin, Japanese Idol (member of KAT-TUN)
Deaths
- 965 - Pope Benedict V
- 973 - Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
- 1187 - Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch
- 1541 - Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
- 1603 - Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
- 1623 - William Byrd, English composer
- 1742 - Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (b. 1671)
- 1754 - Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist (b. 1680)
- 1761 - Samuel Richardson, English writer (b. 1689)
- 1780 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (b. 1712)
- 1787 - Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
- 1821 - Richard Cosway, English artist (b. 1742)
- 1826 - John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
- 1826 - Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
- 1831 - James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
- 1848 - François-René de Chateaubriand, French writer (b. 1768)
- 1850 - William Kirby, English entomologist (b. 1759)
- 1857 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (b. 1786)
- 1881 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (b. 1806)
- 1882 - Joseph Brackett, American composer (b. 1797)
- 1891 - Hannibal Hamlin, U.S. Vice President (b. 1809)
- 1898 - Youssuf Ishmaelo, Turkish professional wrestler (b. 1857)
- 1901 - Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (b. 1843)
- 1902 - Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863)
- 1905 - Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
- 1910 - Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer (b. 1835)
- 1916 - Alan Seeger, American war poet (b. 1888)
- 1922 - Lothar von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1894)
- 1926 - Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian mountaineer (b. 1901)
- 1931 - Buddie Petit, American jazz musician (b. 1895)
- 1931 - Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1869)
- 1934 - Maria Sklodowska-Curie, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Physics (b. 1867)
- 1938 - Otto Bauer, Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881)
- 1938 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
- 1941 - Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
- 1948 - Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian writer (b. 1882)
- 1963 - Bernard Freyberg, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
- 1970 - Barnett Newman, American artist (b. 1905)
- 1970 - Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1884)
- 1971 - August Derleth, American writer and editor (b. 1909)
- 1975 - Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
- 1976 - Antoni Slonimski, Polish poet (b. 1895)
- 1977 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (b. 1918)
- 1982 - Terry Higgins, early British AIDS death
- 1984 - Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1986 - Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
- 1988 - Adrian Adonis, American artist (b. 1954)
- 1991 - Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- 1992 - Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian composer (b. 1921)
- 1994 - Joey Marella, American professional wrestling referee (b. 1964)
- 1995 - Eva Gabor, Hungarian actress (b. 1919)
- 1995 - Bob Ross, American artist and television host (b. 1942)
- 1997 - Charles Kuralt, American television presenter (b. 1934)
- 1997 - John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
- 1999 - Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b.1917)
- 2000 - Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer (b. 1919)
- 2002 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American general (b. 1912)
- 2002 - Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
- 2003 - Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2004 - Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man), an eccentric street entertainer in Nottingham, England (b. 1932)
- 2005 - Hank Stram, American football coach (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances
- United States - Independence Day (1776)
- Filipino-American Friendship Day
- In astronomy, the approximate date of Earth's aphelion.
Liturgical feasts
- Saint Aurelian
- Saint Bolcan
- Saint Finbar, abbot
- Saint Flavian
- Saint Florent
- Saint Laurianus, bishop, martyr [Bourges]
- Translation, Ordination of Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, confessor [Paris, Bruges, sometimes in red]
- Saint Odo, bishop of Canterbury
- Saint Othelric, bishop, confessor
- Saint Procopius, abbot (at Prague), confessor [GTZ: Prague, Gnesen, Meissen]
- Saint Sisoes, anchorite [BLS]
- Saint Ulric, bishop of Augsburg, confessor (died 973)
- Saint Bertha, widow, abbess of Blangy in Artois
- Saint Elizabeth Lusitania of Portugal (died 136)