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. The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

Events

• 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
• 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaimed herself empress (Augusta) of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• 836 – Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed.
• 993 – Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint.
• 1054 – A supernova is seen by Chinese, Arab and possibly Amerindian observers near the star Zeta 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 Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
• 1456 – Ottoman wars in Europe: The Siege of Nándorfeqhérvár (Belgrade) begins.
• 1534 – Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
• 1569 – The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus, signes the document of union between Poland and Lithuania, creating a new state called the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• 1610 – The Battle of Klushino is fought between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish-Muscovite War.
• 1634 – The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (now Quebec, Canada)
• 1744 – The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iroquois cedes lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, was signed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
• 1754 – French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers.
• 1774 – Orangetown Resolutions are 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.
  

  The United States declared its independence in 1776.
• 1778 – American Revolutionary War: American forces under George 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.
• 1817 – In Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
• 1826 – Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, dies the same day as John Adams, second president of the United States, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
• 1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York State.
• 1831 – Samuel Francis Smith writes My Country, 'Tis of Thee for the Boston, MA July 4th festivities.
• 1837 – Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
• 1838 – The Iowa Territory is organized.
• 1855 – In Brooklyn, New York City, the first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published.
• 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 was repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
• 1863 – American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia withdrew from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signalling an end to the Southern invasion of the North.
• 1865 – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
• 1878 – Thoroughbred horses Ten Broeck and Mollie McCarty run a match race, recalled in the song Molly and Tenbrooks.
• 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: the Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.
• 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 it had 367 days, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
• 1894 – The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
• 1903 – Philippine–American War officially is concluded.
• 1903 – Dorothy Levitt is reported as the first woman in the world to compete in a 'motor race'.
• 1910 – African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match, sparking race riots across the United States.
• 1911 – A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities.
• 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913.
• 1914 – The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations in Sarajevo.
• 1918 – Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascended to the throne.
• 1918 – Bolsheviks killed Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
• 1926 – Knoebels Amusement Resort is opened in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1927 – The Lockheed Vega first flew.
• 1934 – Leo Szilard patented the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
• 1939 – Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
• 1939 – Huỳnh Phú Sổ founds Hòa Hảo Buddhism.
• 1941 – Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv.
• 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world's largest tank battle, begins in Prokhorovka village.
• 1943 – World War II: In Gibraltar, a Royal Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into the sea in an apparent accident moments after takeoff, killing sixteen passengers on board; only the pilot survives.
• 1946 – After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.
• 1947 – The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the partition of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan.
• 1950 – Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.
• 1951 – A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on charges of espionage.
• 1951 – William Shockley announced the invention of the junction transistor.
• 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 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act went into effect the next year.
• 1969 – The Zodiac Killer attacks two teens (one male, one female) at Blue Rock Springs in California; they were his second known victims. The female died.
• 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.
• 1977 – The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit
• 1982 – Four Iranian diplomats are abducted 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 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.
• 1998 – Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.
• 2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
• 2005 – The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
• 2009 – The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.
• 2009 – The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.
• 2012 – The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.

Births

• 68 – Salonina Matidia, Roman daughter of Ulpia Marciana (d. 119)
• 1330 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (d. 1367)
• 1546 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1595)
• 1694 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (d. 1772)
• 1715 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769)
• 1719 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright (d. 1797)
• 1790 – George Everest, Welsh surveyor and geographer (d. 1866)
• 1799 – Oscar I of Sweden (d. 1859)
• 1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American author (d. 1864)
• 1807 – Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (d. 1882)
• 1816 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian club whiskey (d. 1899)
• 1826 – Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864)
• 1845 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish philanthropist and humanitarian (d. 1905)
• 1847 – James Anthony Bailey, American circus ringmaster, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (d. 1906)
• 1854 – Victor Babeș, Romanian physician and biologist (d. 1926)
• 1854 – Bill Tilghman, American police officer (d. 1924)
• 1867 – Stephen Mather, American businessman (d. 1930)
• 1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (d. 1921)
• 1868 – Johannes van Dijk, Dutch rower (d. 1938)
• 1872 – Calvin Coolidge, American politician, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
• 1874 – John McPhee, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1952)
• 1881 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American general (d. 1968)
• 1882 – Louis B. Mayer, Belarusian-American film producer, founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (d. 1957)
• 1883 – Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and author (d. 1970)
• 1887 – Pio Pion, Italian entrepreneur
• 1888 – Henry Armetta, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1945)
• 1895 – Irving Caesar, American songwriter and composer (d. 1996)
• 1896 – Mao Dun, Chinese journalist, author, and critic (d. 1981)
• 1897 – Alluri Sita Rama Raju, Indian activist (d. 1924)
• 1898 – Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian and activist (d. 1997)
• 1898 – Gertrude Lawrence, English-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1952)
• 1902 – Meyer Lansky, Belarusian-American gangster (d. 1983)
• 1902 – George Murphy, American actor and politician (d. 1992)
• 1903 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1986)
• 1904 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
• 1905 – Irving Johnson, American sailor and author (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Lionel Trilling, American author, critic, and educator (d. 1975)
• 1907 – Gordon Griffith, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1958)
• 1907 – Howard Taubman, American critic and author (d. 1996)
• 1910 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist (d. 2003)
• 1910 – Gloria Stuart, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1911 – Mitch Miller, American singer and producer (d. 2010)
• 1912 – Viviane Romance, French actress and producer (d. 1991)
• 1916 – Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American typist and broadcaster (d. 2006)
• 1916 – Fernand Leduc, Canadian painter
• 1917 – Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
• 1918 – Eppie Lederer, American columnist (d. 2002)
• 1918 – Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984)
• 1918 – Pauline Phillips, American columnist and radio host, created Dear Abby (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball player and referee
• 1920 – Leona Helmsley, American businesswoman (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Fritz Wilde, German footballer and manager (d. 1977)
• 1921 – Gérard Debreu, French economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
• 1921 – Philip Rose, American actor, playwright, and producer (d. 2011)
• 1921 – Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (d. 2003)
• 1923 – Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss lawyer and politician
• 1924 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress
• 1926 – Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach
• 1926 – Lake Underwood, American entrepreneur who competed as a champion in the racing of prototype automobiles and motorcycles and was described as "Porsche's Quiet Giant"
• 1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
• 1927 – Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter
• 1928 – Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer
• 1928 – Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 2001)
• 1928 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Peter Angelos, American lawyer and businessman
• 1929 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor (d. 1993)
• 1930 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Yuri Tyukalov, Russian rower
• 1931 – Stephen Boyd, Irish-American actor (d. 1977)
• 1931 – Rick Casares, American football player (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Lawrie Dring, Scottish scout leader, founded World Federation of Independent Scouts (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian runner
• 1934 – Peter Behn, American voice actor
• 1934 – Yvonne B. Miller, American politician (d. 2012)
• 1934 – Colin Welland, English actor and screenwriter
• 1935 – Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (d. 2013)
• 1936 – Zdzisława Donat, Polish soprano
• 1937 – Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and educator
• 1937 – Queen Sonja of Norway
• 1937 – Richard Rhodes, American journalist and historian
• 1938 – Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1938 – John Sterling, American sportscaster
• 1940 – Karolyn Grimes, American actress
• 1940 – Dave Rowberry, English pianist and songwriter (The Animals) (d. 2003)
• 1940 – Pat Stapleton, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1941 – Sam Farr, American politician
• 1941 – Sergio Oliva, Cuban-American bodybuilder (d. 2012)
• 1941 – Pavel Sedláček, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1941 – Brian Willson, American lawyer and activist
• 1942 – Hal Lanier, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1942 – Floyd Little, American football player and coach
• 1942 – Stefan Meller, French-Polish politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (d. 2008)
• 1942 – Prince Michael of Kent
• 1942 – Peter Rowan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Earth Opera and Old and in the Way)
• 1943 – Conny Bauer, German trombonist
• 1943 – Emerson Boozer, American football player
• 1943 – Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author
• 1943 – Alan Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Canned Heat) (d. 1970)
• 1944 – Jaimy Gordon, American author
• 1944 – Ray Meagher, Australian actor
• 1945 – Bruce French, American actor
• 1945 – Andre Spitzer, Romanian-Israeli fencer and coach (d. 1972)
• 1946 – Margaret Delisle, Canadian politician
• 1946 – Tish Howard, American model
• 1946 – Ron Kovic, American author and activist
• 1946 – Michael Milken, American businessman, financier, and philanthropist
• 1946 – Ed O'Ross, American actor
• 1948 – Ed Armbrister, Bahamian baseball player
• 1948 – René Arnoux, French race car driver
• 1948 – Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
• 1948 – Jeremy Spencer, English guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
• 1948 – Phil Wheatley, English civil servant
• 1950 – Philip Craven, English basketball player
• 1950 – David Jensen, Canadian-English radio host
• 1950 – Tonio K, American singer-songwriter
• 1951 – Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American lawyer and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
• 1951 – Vladimir Tismăneanu, Romanian-American political scientist
• 1952 – Álvaro Uribe, Colombian politician, 39th President of Colombia
• 1952 – John Waite, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Babys and Bad English)
• 1954 – Morganna, American model and dancer
• 1954 – Jim Beattie, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1956 – Mark Belling, American radio host
• 1957 – Rein Lang, Estonian politician and diplomat
• 1957 – Chulabhorn Walailak Thai princess
• 1958 – Steve Hartman, American sportscaster
• 1958 – Kirk Pengilly, Australian singer and guitarist (INXS)
• 1958 – Carl Valentine, English-Canadian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1959 – Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer
• 1960 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (d. 1994)
• 1960 – Mark Steel, English comedian, columnist, and author
• 1960 – Sid Vicious, American wrestler and actor
• 1960 – Barry Windham, American wrestler
• 1961 – Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer
• 1962 – Neil Morrissey, English actor
• 1962 – Pam Shriver, American tennis player
• 1963 – Henri Leconte, French tennis player
• 1963 – Laureano Márquez, Spanish-Venezuelan humorist and political scientist
• 1963 – José Oquendo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
• 1963 – William Ramallo, Bolivian footballer and coach
• 1963 – Michael Sweet, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Stryper and Boston)
• 1964 – Cle Kooiman, American soccer player and manager
• 1964 – Elie Saab, Lebanese fashion designer
• 1964 – Mark Slaughter, American singer-songwriter and producer (Slaughter and Vinnie Vincent Invasion)
• 1964 – Mark Whiting, American director, screenwriter, and actor
• 1965 – Harvey Grant, American basketball player and coach
• 1965 – Horace Grant, American basketball player
• 1965 – Jo Whiley, English radio host
• 1966 – Minas Hantzidis, Greek footballer
• 1966 – Lee Reherman, American football player and actor
• 1967 – Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player and manager
• 1967 – Andy Walker, English-Canadian journalist
• 1967 – Rick Wilkins, American baseball player
• 1968 – Ronni Ancona, Scottish actress
• 1968 – Jack Frost, American guitarist and songwriter (Seven Witches and The Bronx Casket Co.)
• 1969 – Al Golden, American football player and coach
• 1969 – Todd Marinovich, American football player
• 1969 – Wilfred Mugeyi, Zimbabwean footballer and coach
• 1970 – Christian Giesler, American bass player (Kreator)
• 1970 – Tony Vidmar, Australian footballer and manager
• 1971 – Koko, American gorilla
• 1971 – Andy Creeggan, Canadian guitarist and paianist (Barenaked Ladies and The Brothers Creeggan)
• 1971 – Brendan Donnelly, American baseball player
• 1971 – Ned Zelić, Australian footballer
• 1972 – Nina Badrić, Croatian singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Stephen Giles, Canadian canoe racer
• 1972 – William Goldsmith, American drummer (Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters, and The Fire Theft)
• 1972 – Mike Knuble, Canadian-American ice hockey player
• 1972 – Vladimir Kozlov, Ukrainian-American wrestler
• 1973 – Gackt, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Malice Mizer and Skin)
• 1973 – Keiko Ihara, Japanese race car driver
• 1973 – Michael Johnson, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
• 1973 – Anjelika Krylova, Russian ice dancer and coach
• 1973 – Jan Magnussen, Danish race car driver
• 1973 – Tony Popovic, Australian footballer and manager
• 1973 – Elton Williams, Caribbean footballer
• 1974 – La'Roi Glover, American football player and sportscaster
• 1974 – Adrian Griffin, American basketball player and coach
• 1974 – Vince Spadea, American tennis player
• 1976 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
• 1976 – Yevgeniya Medvedeva, Russian skier
• 1977 – Orri Páll Dýrason, Icelandic drummer (Sigur Rós)
• 1977 – Jonas Kjellgren, Swedish singer, guitarist, and producer (Scar Symmetry, Centinex, Raubtier, and Carnal Forge)
• 1977 – Zoe Naylor, Australian actress, journalist, and producer
• 1978 – Andrea Gabriel, American actress
• 1978 – Vicky Kaya, Greek model and actress
• 1978 – Stephen McNally, English singer-songwriter (BBMak)
• 1978 – Émile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
• 1978 – Becki Newton, American actress
• 1978 – Katia Zygouli, Greek model and actress
• 1979 – Dumas, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1979 – Siim Kabrits, Estonian politician
• 1979 – Kevin Thoms, American actor
• 1979 – Mark Twitchell, Canadian murderer
• 1979 – Renny Vega, Venezuelan footballer
• 1980 – Max Elliott Slade, American actor
• 1980 – Kwame Steede, Bermudan footballer
• 1981 – Brock Berlin, American footballer
• 1981 – Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player
• 1981 – Adérito Waldemar Alves Carvalho, Angolan footballer
• 1981 – Tahar Rahim, French actor
• 1981 – Will Smith, American football player
• 1982 – Hannah Harper, English porn actress and director
• 1982 – Michael Sorrentino, American model and author
• 1983 – Melanie Fiona, Canadian singer
• 1983 – Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model
• 1983 – Ben Jorgensen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Armor for Sleep)
• 1983 – Amantle Montsho, Botswana sprinter
• 1983 – Andrew Mrotek, American drummer (The Academy Is...)
• 1983 – Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Spanish actor and singer
• 1983 – Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer
• 1983 – Mattia Serafini, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Jin Akanishi, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor (KAT-TUN and Lands)
• 1984 – Gina Glocksen, American singer
• 1984 – Miguel Santos Soares, Timorese footballer
• 1985 – Rinalds Sirsniņš, Latvian basketball player
• 1985 – Kane Tenace, Australian footballer
• 1986 – Takahisa Masuda, Japanese singer and actor (NEWS and Tegomass)
• 1986 – Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Vietnamese footballer
• 1986 – Mía Taveras, Dominican model and actress
• 1986 – Fanny Valette, French actress
• 1986 – Holly Wellin, English porn actress and model
• 1987 – Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer
• 1988 – Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress, model and singer
• 1988 – Jada Stevens, American porn actress
• 1989 – Benjamin Büchel, English footballer
• 1989 – Yoon Doo-joon, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (Beast)
• 1989 – Rodgers Kola, Zambian footballer
• 1990 – Backer Aloenouvo, Togolese footballer
• 1990 – Kelsi Crain, American model, Miss Louisiana 2010
• 1990 – Rishadi Fauzi, Indonesian footballer
• 1990 – Jake Gardiner, American ice hockey player
• 1990 – David Kross, German actor
• 1990 – Alyssa Miller, American model
• 1990 – Richard Mpong, Ghanaian footballer
• 1990 – Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer
• 1990 – Ihar Yasinski, Belarusian footballer
• 1990 – Jeffry Arevalo, American street Athlete
• 1991 – Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Rositi, Bruneian runner
• 1992 – Basim, Danish singer-songwriter
• 1992 – Nick Hissom, English model and singer
• 1993 – Tom Barkhuizen, English footballer
• 1997 – Jason Spevack, Canadian actor
• 1998 – Malia Obama, American daughter of Barack Obama

Deaths

• 673 – Ecgberht of Kent
• 907 – Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
• 943 – Taejo of Goryeo (b. 877)
• 965 – Pope Benedict V
• 973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
• 1187 – Raynald of Châtillon, French knight (b. 1125)
• 1541 – Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
• 1546 – Hayreddin Barbarossa, Greek-Turkish admiral (b. 1478)
• 1551 – Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, English politician (b. 1514)
• 1603 – Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
• 1623 – William Byrd, English composer (b. 1540)
• 1641 – Pedro Teixeira, Portuguese explorer
• 1648 – Antoine Daniel, French missionary (b. 1601)
• 1742 – Luigi Guido Grandi, Italian monk, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1671)
• 1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright and author (b. 1680)
• 1761 – Samuel Richardson, English author and painter (b. 1689)
• 1780 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (b. 1712)
• 1821 – Richard Cosway, English painter (b. 1742)
• 1826 – John Adams, American politician, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
• 1826 – Thomas Jefferson, American politician, 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
• 1831 – James Monroe, American politician, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
• 1848 – François-René de Chateaubriand, French historian and politician (b. 1768)
• 1850 – William Kirby, English entomologist (b. 1759)
• 1854 – Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (b. 1781)
• 1857 – William L. Marcy, American politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (b. 1786)
• 1881 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (b. 1806)
• 1882 – Joseph Brackett, American composer (b. 1797)
• 1891 – Hannibal Hamlin, American politician, 15th Vice President of the United States (b. 1809)
• 1901 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (b. 1843)
• 1902 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk (b. 1863)
• 1905 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer and author (b. 1830)
• 1910 – Melville Fuller, American jurist, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
• 1910 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (b. 1835)
• 1916 – Alan Seeger, American poet (b. 1888)
• 1922 – Lothar von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1894)
• 1926 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist and saint (b. 1901)
• 1931 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (b. 1869)
• 1931 – Buddie Petit, American cornet player (b. 1895)
• 1934 – Marie Curie, French-Polish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
• 1938 – Otto Bauer, Austrian politician (b. 1881)
• 1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
• 1941 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
• 1943 – Władysław Sikorski, Polish military leader (b. 1881)
• 1946 – Gerda Steinhoff, German concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
• 1946 – Taffy O'Callaghan, Welsh footballer (b. 1906)
• 1948 – Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian author (b. 1882)
• 1949 – François Brandt, Dutch rower (b. 1874)
• 1963 – Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, New Zealand general and politician, 7th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
• 1964 – Gaby Morlay, French actress and singer (b. 1893)
• 1964 – Henry (Hank) Sylvern, American organist and composer (b. 1908)
• 1969 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (b. 1890)
• 1970 – Barnett Newman, American painter (b. 1905)
• 1970 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American sailor and businessman (b. 1884)
• 1971 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (b. 1909)
• 1971 – Thomas C. Hart, American admiral and politician (b. 1877)
• 1974 – Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
• 1974 – Haj Amin al-Husseini, Palestinian cleric (b. 1897)
• 1976 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israeli commander (b. 1946)
• 1976 – Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1895)
• 1977 – Gersh Budker, Ukrainian physicist (b. 1918)
• 1979 – Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer (b. 1905)
• 1980 – Maurice Grevisse, Belgian linguist (b. 1895)
• 1982 – Terry Higgins, Welsh AIDS victim (b. 1945)
• 1984 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• 1986 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist and composer (b. 1903)
• 1986 – Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
• 1988 – Adrian Adonis, American wrestler (b. 1954)
• 1989 – Jack Haig, English actor (b. 1913)
• 1990 – Olive Ann Burns, American author (b. 1924)
• 1991 – Victor Chang, Chinese-Australian surgeon (b. 1936)
• 1991 – Art Sansom, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
• 1992 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentinian bandoneon player and composer (b. 1921)
• 1993 – Bona Arsenault, Canadian historian and politician (b. 1903)
• 1994 – Joey Marella, American wrestling referee (b. 1964)
• 1995 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1919)
• 1995 – Bob Ross, American painter (b. 1942)
• 1997 – Charles Kuralt, American journalist (b. 1934)
• 1997 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
• 1999 – Leo Garel, American cartoonist (b. 1917)
• 2000 – Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1919)
• 2001 – V. Appapillai, Sri Lankan physicist and academic (b. 1913)
• 2001 – Keenan Milton, American skateboarder (b. 1974)
• 2002 – Gerald Bales, Canadian organist and composer (b. 1919)
• 2002 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American general (b. 1912)
• 2002 – Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian theorist (b. 1951)
• 2002 – Winnifred Quick, American RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1904)
• 2003 – Larry Burkett, American author and radio host (b. 1939)
• 2003 – André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
• 2003 – Barry White, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1944)
• 2004 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Frank Robinson, English street entertainer (b. 1932)
• 2005 – Cliff Goupille, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Hank Stram, American football player and coach (b. 1923)
• 2007 – Barış Akarsu, Turkish singer, guitarist, and actor (b. 1979)
• 2007 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (The Drifters) (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (b. 1940)
• 2008 – Jesse Helms, American journalist and politician (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Evelyn Keyes, American actress (b. 1916)
• 2008 – Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
• 2008 – Charles Wheeler, German-English journalist (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Jim Chapin, American drummer (b. 1919)
• 2009 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (b. 1917)
• 2009 – Allen Klein, American businessman and talent agent (b. 1931)
• 2009 – Drake Levin, American guitarist (Paul Revere & the Raiders) (b. 1946)
• 2009 – Steve McNair, American football player (b. 1973)
• 2009 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author (b. 1935)
• 2009 – Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese politician (b. 1938)
• 2010 – Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (b. 1927)
• 2010 – Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, Iraqi-Lebanese cleric (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Otto von Habsburg, Austrian-Hungarian son of Charles I of Austria (b. 1912)
• 2012 – Scamper, American rodeo horse (b. 1977)
• 2012 – Peter Bennett, Australian footballer (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Hiren Bhattacharyya, Indian poet (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Jimmy Bivins, American boxer (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Vinzenz Guggenberger, German bishop (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Jeong Min-Hyeong, South Korean footballer (b. 1987)
• 2012 – Eric Sykes, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Onllwyn Brace, Welsh rugby player (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Jack Crompton, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 2013 – James Fulton, American dermatologist (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Charles A. Hines, American general (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Richard Keech, American soldier (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Iain McColl, Scottish actor (b. 1955)
• 2013 – Madan Mohan Mishra, Nepalese author (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Bernie Nolan, Irish singer and actress (The Nolans) (b. 1960)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Andrew of Crete
  • Bertha of Artois
  • Blessed Catherine Jarrige
  • Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
  • Elizabeth of Portugal, patron saint of Coimbra (city holiday), known there as Rainha Santa Isabel.
  • Oda of Canterbury
  • Ulrich of Augsburg
  • July 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain in 1776. (United States and its dependencies)
• Liberation Day (Rwanda)
• Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
• Republic Day (Philippines)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to July 4.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada