July 4

July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian
Calendar, with 180 days remaining.

Events

   * 993 - Saint Ulrich of Augsburg canonized.
   * 1054 - A supernova is observed by the Chinese and 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.
   * 1187 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the
     Battle of Hattin.
   * 1776 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress approves a
     Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain forming
     the United States of America.
   * 1802 - At West Point, New York the United States Military Academy
     opens.
   * 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
   * 1817 - At Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
   * 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, Walt Whitman's first edition of his book
     of poem's titled Leaves of Grass is published.
   * 1859 - Franco-Piedmontese War: The Battle of Magenta.
   * 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Vicksburg - Ulysses S. Grant and
     the Union army capture the Confederate city Vicksburg, Mississippi
     after the town surrendered. The siege lasted 47 days.
   * 1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
   * 1881 - In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
   * 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 ascended the throne.
   * 1934 - Boxer Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match.
   * 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.
   * 1946 - After over 400 years, the Philippines achieves full
     independence.
   * 1950 - 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 - With the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state earlier in
     the year, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia,
     Pennsylvania.
   * 1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act
     into United States law. The act will go into effect next year.
   * 1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing most
     passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian
     hijackers.
   * 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.
   * 1997 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.

Births

   * 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer (+ 1864)
   * 1807 - Giuseppe Garibaldi, italian patriot
   * 1826 - Stephen Foster, songwriter: "Oh! Susanna," "Camptown Races" (+
     1864)
   * 1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States
   * 1878 - George M. Cohan, singer, dancer, composer, actor, writer (+
     1942)
   * 1883 - Rube Goldberg, cartoonist (+ 1970)
   * 1902 - George Murphy, dancer, actor, Senator from California (+ 1992)
   * 1910 - Gloria Stuart, actress
   * 1911 - Mitch Miller, bandleader, television personality
   * 1917 - Manolete (Manuel Rodr’guez S‡nchez), bullfighter (+ 1947)
   * 1918 - Ann Landers, advice columnist (+ 2002)
   * 1918 - Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist and twin sister to Ann
     Landers
   * 1924 - Eva Marie Saint, actress: North by Northwest, On the Waterfront
   * 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida, actress
   * 1930 - George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees
   * 1938 - Bill Withers, singer/songwriter
   * 1943 - Geraldo Rivera, reporter, talk show host

Deaths

   * 1187 - Raynald of Chatillon was executed by Saladin after the Battle of
     Hattin.
   * 1826 - John Adams, 2nd president of the United States and Thomas
     Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States. In a remarkable
     coincidence, both of these framers of the United States Declaration of
     Independence died on the 50th anniversary of its adoption.
   * 1831 - James Monroe, 5th president of the United States
   * 1838 - Colonel JosŽ Antonio Vidaurre and his accomplices, authors of
     The Riot of Quillota, Chile were shot.
   * 1891 - Hannibal Hamlin, US politician
   * 1902 - Swami Vivekananda
   * 1926 - Frassati Piergiorgio, Member of FUCI
   * 1934 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie, co-discoverer of radium and polonium
   * 1970 - Barnett Newman, artist
   * 1971 - August Derleth, science fiction and fantasy writer and editor.
   * 1975 - Georgette Heyer, author
   * 1995 - Eva Gabor, actress
   * 1997 - Charles Kuralt, television reporter
   * 2003 - Barry White, smooth soul singer

Holidays and observances

   * United States - Independence Day (1776)

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