July 4: United States - Independence Day (1776)

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 occurs around this date, this is the point in the year when the Earth is furthest from the Sun.

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.
1634 - The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France, later to become the Canadian province of Quebec.
1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island forms.
1754 - Lt-Col. George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers.
1776 - American Independence Day: The United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress declaring itself free of British rule.
1778 - 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, 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 offers the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States.
1886 - First scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia.
1887 - Founder of Pakistan, Quaid-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 - 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 - Mass murder of Polish scientists and writers, committed by Nazi Germans in the captured Polish city of Lwów.
1946 - After 381 years of near-continuous 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.
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 Hawaiˈi 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 Rebild Hills at Skørping 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.
1966 - The Beatles, in the Phillipines to give two concerts, are accused of 'standing up' Imelda Marcos. Their entourage is beat upat the airport.
1968 - Two teens are killed at Lake Herman Road in California. They were the first (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer.
1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
1982 - Iranian diplomats kidnapping (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.
1993 - Sumitomo Chemical's resin plant in Nihama explodes killing one and injuring three workers.
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.
2007 - Zaca Fire Starts in Santa Barbara, California becomes second largest fire in California history.

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 (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 Babeş, 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)
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 Stéfano, 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 - Sébastien Japrisot, French author, film director and sreenwriter (d. 2003)
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
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 Máčala, 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 - René Arnoux, French race car driver
1948 - Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
1948 - Jeremy Spencer, English musician
1950 - David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ
1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician
1952 - Álvaro Uribe Vélez, 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 - José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
1964 - Cle Kooiman, American soccer player
1964 - Mark Slaughter, American singer
1965 - Horace Grant, American basketball player
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
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
1981 - Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player
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
1986 - Kriss Donald, Scottish murder victim (d. 2004)
2003 - Alessia di Matteo, Italian medical figure (d. 2005)

Deaths

907 - Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
943 - Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (b. 877)
965 - Pope Benedict V, Italian Roman Catholic Pope (b. unknown)
973 - Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
1187 - Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch
1541 - Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
1546 - Hayreddin Barbarossa, Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (b. 1478)
1603 - Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
1623 - William Byrd, English composer
1648 - Antoine Daniel, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
1742 - Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (b. 1671)
1754 - Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist and author (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)
1854 - Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (b. 1781)
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)
1901 - Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (b. 1843)
1902 - Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863)
1905 - Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
1910 - Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
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 Saint (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)
1946 - Gerda Steinhoff, Nazi concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
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 Słonimski, Polish poet (b. 1895)
1977 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (b. 1918)
1979 - Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer (b. 1905)
1980 - Maurice Grevisse, Belgian grammarian (b. 1895)
1982 - Terry Higgins, early British AIDS death (b. 1945)
1984 - Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
1986 - Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
1986 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist, and teacher (b. 1903)
1988 - Adrian Adonis, American artist (b. 1954)
1991 - Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
1992 - Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian composer (b. 1921)
1993 - Bona Arsenault, French Canadian politician and historian (b. 1903)
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)
2001 - Keenan Milton, Professional Skater (b. 1974)
2002 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American general (b. 1912)
2002 - Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
2003 - Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
2003 - André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
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)
2007 - Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician (b. 1979)
2007 - Bill Pinkney, American singer and performer (b. 1925)

Holidays and Observances

United States - Independence Day (1776)
Filipino-American Friendship Day
In astronomy, the approximate date of Earth's aphelion.
Saint Flavian
Translation, Ordination of Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, confessor
Saint Odo, bishop of Canterbury
Saint Procopius, abbot (at Prague), confessor
Saint Ulric, bishop of Augsburg, confessor (d. 973)
Saint Bertha, widow, abbess of Blangy in Artois
Saint Elizabeth Lusitania of Portugal (d. 136)