July 4
1776 - The United States declared its independence from Great Britain when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
1802 - The United States Military Academy opened at West Point, New York.
1817 - Ground was broken for the Erie Canal in Rome, New York. The middle section of the waterway took three years to complete; the entire canal was finished in 1825.
1826 - Death claimed the second and third presidents of the United States as John Adams died at age 90 in Braintree, Massachusetts, while Thomas Jefferson died at age 83 at Monticello, his home near Charlottesville, Virginia.
1831 - James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, died at age 73 in New York City.
1845 - American writer Henry David Thoreau began a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts.
1862 - Lewis Carroll first told the story of Alice's Adventures Underground to the Liddell sisters.
1872 - Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vermont.
1884 - The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris.
1895 - Katharine Lee Bates published America the Beautiful.
1946 - The Philippines became independent.
1958 - Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed auxilliary bishop of Krakow in his native Poland.
1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law.
1976 - Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers.
1976 - The United States celebrated its Bicentennial.
1982 - The space shuttle Columbia concluded its fourth and final test flight with a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
1987 - Former Getaspo chief Klaus Barbie was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
1997 - The NASA Pathfinder probe landed on Mars.
1997 - CBS newsman Charles Kuralt died in New York at age 62.
2009 - The Statue of Liberty's crown was reopened to tourists for the first time since September 11, 2001.
2010 - Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan.
2012 - The European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, announced the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson.
2014 - Germany summoned the U.S. ambassador in Berlin after the arrest of a man reported to have spied for the United States, heightening friction between the two countries over alleged U.S. eavesdropping in Germany.
2017 - The United States confirmed that North Korea had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, as the North had boasted and the U.S. and South Korea had feared. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it a "new escalation of the threat" to the U.S.
Birthdays
21 - Malia Obama (daughter of President Barack Obama)
22 - Daniela Nieves (actress)
24 - Post Malone (singer)
31 - Angelique Boyer (actress)
36 - Melanie Fiona (singer)
37 - Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (reality star)
37 - Mo McRae (actor)
41 - Becki Newton (actress)
44 - John Lloyd Young (actor/singer)
45 - Jenica Bergere (actress)
48 - Al Madrigal (actor)
59 - Teddy Carr (country musician)
67 - John Waite (singer)
76 - Geraldo Rivera (journalist)
79 - Karolyn Grimes (actress)
80 - Ed Bernard (actor)
81 - Bill Withers (singer)
92 - Gina Lollobrigida (actress)
95 - Eva Marie Saint (actress)
====================================
Today in Sports History - July 4
1910 - In what was billed as "The Fight of the Century," black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated white former champ James J. Jeffries in Reno, Nevada via knockout. Race riots broke out across the country after the bout.
1911 - Ty Cobb's 40-game hitting streak comes to an end.
1934 - Boxer Joe Louis won his first professional fight.
1939 - Lou Gehrig, stricken with the disease that now bears his name, made his farewell appearance at Yankee Stadium, telling fans, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
1954 - West Germany defeats Hungary 3-2 in Switzerland to win the World Cup.
1960 - Mickey Mantle becomes the 18th player in major league history with 300 career home runs.
1980 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) got his 3,000th career strikeout.
1980 - Martina Navratilova won her sixth straight Wimbledon singles championship and her eighth overall.
1984 - New York Yankees pitcher Phil Niekro strikes out Larry Parish (Texas Rangers) to become the 9th player to reach the 3,000 MLB strikeout milestone'
1987 - Martina Navratilova wins her 8th Wimbledon crown with a win over Steffi Graf.
1993 - Pete Sampras beats fellow American Jim Courier to win the first of his seven Wimbledon titles.
1999 - Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi to win a third straight Wimbledon title.
2003 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after turning himself in to police. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond.
2009 - Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was fatally shot in a Nashville condo by his mistress, Sahel Kazemi, who then killed herself.
2009 - Serena Williams beat her big sister, Venus, 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship.
1776 - The United States declared its independence from Great Britain when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
1802 - The United States Military Academy opened at West Point, New York.
1817 - Ground was broken for the Erie Canal in Rome, New York. The middle section of the waterway took three years to complete; the entire canal was finished in 1825.
1826 - Death claimed the second and third presidents of the United States as John Adams died at age 90 in Braintree, Massachusetts, while Thomas Jefferson died at age 83 at Monticello, his home near Charlottesville, Virginia.
1831 - James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, died at age 73 in New York City.
1845 - American writer Henry David Thoreau began a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts.
1862 - Lewis Carroll first told the story of Alice's Adventures Underground to the Liddell sisters.
1872 - Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vermont.
1884 - The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris.
1895 - Katharine Lee Bates published America the Beautiful.
1946 - The Philippines became independent.
1958 - Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed auxilliary bishop of Krakow in his native Poland.
1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law.
1976 - Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers.
1976 - The United States celebrated its Bicentennial.
1982 - The space shuttle Columbia concluded its fourth and final test flight with a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
1987 - Former Getaspo chief Klaus Barbie was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
1997 - The NASA Pathfinder probe landed on Mars.
1997 - CBS newsman Charles Kuralt died in New York at age 62.
2009 - The Statue of Liberty's crown was reopened to tourists for the first time since September 11, 2001.
2010 - Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan.
2012 - The European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, announced the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson.
2014 - Germany summoned the U.S. ambassador in Berlin after the arrest of a man reported to have spied for the United States, heightening friction between the two countries over alleged U.S. eavesdropping in Germany.
2017 - The United States confirmed that North Korea had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, as the North had boasted and the U.S. and South Korea had feared. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it a "new escalation of the threat" to the U.S.
Birthdays
21 - Malia Obama (daughter of President Barack Obama)
22 - Daniela Nieves (actress)
24 - Post Malone (singer)
31 - Angelique Boyer (actress)
36 - Melanie Fiona (singer)
37 - Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (reality star)
37 - Mo McRae (actor)
41 - Becki Newton (actress)
44 - John Lloyd Young (actor/singer)
45 - Jenica Bergere (actress)
48 - Al Madrigal (actor)
59 - Teddy Carr (country musician)
67 - John Waite (singer)
76 - Geraldo Rivera (journalist)
79 - Karolyn Grimes (actress)
80 - Ed Bernard (actor)
81 - Bill Withers (singer)
92 - Gina Lollobrigida (actress)
95 - Eva Marie Saint (actress)
====================================
Today in Sports History - July 4
1910 - In what was billed as "The Fight of the Century," black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated white former champ James J. Jeffries in Reno, Nevada via knockout. Race riots broke out across the country after the bout.
1911 - Ty Cobb's 40-game hitting streak comes to an end.
1934 - Boxer Joe Louis won his first professional fight.
1939 - Lou Gehrig, stricken with the disease that now bears his name, made his farewell appearance at Yankee Stadium, telling fans, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
1954 - West Germany defeats Hungary 3-2 in Switzerland to win the World Cup.
1960 - Mickey Mantle becomes the 18th player in major league history with 300 career home runs.
1980 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) got his 3,000th career strikeout.
1980 - Martina Navratilova won her sixth straight Wimbledon singles championship and her eighth overall.
1984 - New York Yankees pitcher Phil Niekro strikes out Larry Parish (Texas Rangers) to become the 9th player to reach the 3,000 MLB strikeout milestone'
1987 - Martina Navratilova wins her 8th Wimbledon crown with a win over Steffi Graf.
1993 - Pete Sampras beats fellow American Jim Courier to win the first of his seven Wimbledon titles.
1999 - Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi to win a third straight Wimbledon title.
2003 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after turning himself in to police. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond.
2009 - Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was fatally shot in a Nashville condo by his mistress, Sahel Kazemi, who then killed herself.
2009 - Serena Williams beat her big sister, Venus, 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship.
