| 4th 
            July, on this day  836 Pactum 
            Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy 
            of Naples 993 Saint 
            Ulrich of Augsburg canonised.
 1054 Brightest 
            known super-nova (Crab Nebula) starts shining (23 days)
 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 formed
 1653 Barebones Parliment goes into session in England
 1776 American commander George Washington signs the Declaration of 
            Independence during the war with the British. July 4th is now recognised 
            as American Independence Day
 1778 Forces under George 
            Rogers Clark capture Kaskaskia during the 
            Illinois campaign.
 1789 1st US tariff act
 1802 US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, NY)
 1803 The 
            Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
 1810 The French occupy Amsterdam.
 1817 Construction on Erie Canal begins
 1819 
            William Herschel makes last telescopic observation of 1819 comet
 1827 Slavery abolished in NY
 1828 Construction begins on Band O (Baltimore-Ohio) 1st US passenger 
            RR
 1829 First regular scheduled bus service starts in London - a horse 
            drawn service between Marylebone Road and the Bank of England
 1832 "America" 1st sung publicly
 1836 Wisconsin Territory formed
 1837 Grand 
            Junction Railway, world's first long-distance railway, opens between 
            Birmingham and Liverpool.
 1838 The Iowa Territory is organized.
 1840 The Cunard 
            Shipping Line begins its first Atlantic crossing when the paddle 
            steamer Britannia sails from Liverpool en route to Halifax. The voyage 
            takes 14 days
 1845 Texas Congress votes for annexation to US
 1848 Karl 
            Marx and Friedrich 
            Engels publish their Communist 
            Manifesto
 1862 Lewis 
            Carroll creates Alice in Wonderland for Alice P Liddell
 1863 American Civil War: Union forces defeat the Confederates at the 
            Battle 
            of Vicksburg
 1865 1st edition of "Alice 
            in Wonderland" is published
 1866 Firecracker thrown in wood starts fire destroying Portland, Me
 1875 White Democrats kill several blacks in terrorist attacks in Vicksburg
 1876 1st public exhibition of electric light in SF
 1881 In Alabama, the Tuskegee 
            Institute opens.
 1881 American outlaw William H Bonney, known as Billy 
            the Kid, is shot dead by lawman Pat Garrett
 1883 Buffalo 
            Bill Cody presents 1st wild west show, North Platte, Nebr
 1884 1st US bullfight held (Dodge City Ks)
 1884 The Statue of Liberty is presented to America by the people of 
            France
 1886 1st scheduled transcontinental passenger train reaches Port 
            Moody, BC
 1888 1st organized rodeo competition held, Prescott, Ariz
 1892 James 
            Keir Hardie is elected MP for Holytown, Lanarkshire to become 
            the first socialist to win seat in British parliament
 1894 Elwood 
            Haynes successfully tests one of 1st US autos at 6 MPH
 1894 The short-lived Republic 
            of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
 1898 "La Bourgogne" collides with "Cromartyshire", 
            560 drown
 1898 French liner "La Bourgogne" collides with bark "Cromartyshire", 
            50 die
 1898 US flag hoisted over Wake Island (Spanish-American War)
 1903 USA President Theodore Roosevelt inaugurates the Pacific Communications 
            Cable by sending a message around the world
 1904 Start of construction work to build the Panama Canal
 1906 Britain, France and Italy guarantee the independence of Ethiopia
 1910 African-American boxer Jack 
            Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim 
            Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across 
            the United States.
 1914 1st US motorcycle race (300 miles, Dodge City Ks)
 1918 Ottoman sultan Mehmed 
            VI ascends to the throne.
 1918 Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas 
            II of Russia and his family (Julian 
            calendar date).
 1918 Altar dedicated at full-scale replica of Stonehenge at Maryhill, 
            Wa
 1919 In Toledo, Ohio, American boxer Jack Dempsey beats Jess Willard 
            to become heavyweight champion of the world. Williard is knocked down 
            7 times before retiring in the third round
 1925 44 die when the Dreyfus Hotel in Boston collapses
 1934 Leo 
            Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb
 1941 Mass 
            murder of Polish scientists and writers, committed by Nazi Germans 
            in the captured Polish city of Lwów.
 1941 Howard 
            Florey and Norman 
            Heatley meet for the 1st time, 11 days later
 they successfully recreate pencillin
 1942 1st American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe (WW II)
 1943 Polish prime minister Wladyslaw 
            Sikorski, leader of the Polish Government in exile during World 
            War II, is killed in an aircrash
 1946 Independence for the Philippine Islands from the United States 
            of America
 1947 "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British 
            House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two 
            sovereign countries - India and Pakistan.
 1948 In Britain, the beginning of the NHS - the National 
            Health Service
 1950 First broadcast by Radio 
            Free Europe.
 1954 West Germany beats Hungary 3-2 for soccer's 5th World Cup in 
            Bern
 1959 America's new 49-star flag honoring Alaska statehood unfurled
 1959 Cayman Islands separated from Jamaica, made a crown colony
 1960 America's new 50-star flag honoring Hawaiian statehood unfurled
 1962 Island Records begins
 1966 LBJ signs Freedom 
            of Information Act
 1966 The Beatles, in the Phillipines to give two concerts, are accused 
            of 'standing up' Imelda Marcos. Their entourage is beat upat the airport.
 1967 Freedom 
            of Information Act goes into effect
 1968 British yachtsman Alex Rose brings his ship, Lively Lady, into 
            Portsmouth Harbour after completing his single-handed voyage around 
            the world
 1968 Two teens are killed at Lake Herman Road in California. They 
            were the first (known) victims of the Zodiac 
            Killer.
 1969 "Give Peace a Chance" by Plastic 
            Ono Band is released in the UK
 1969 200,000 attend Atlanta 
            Pop Festival  featuring Led Zep & Janis Joplin
 1969 British tennis player Ann Jones wins the Wimbledon women's singles 
            title beating American Billie Jean King in the final
 1969 British group The 
            Rolling Stones release Honky Tonk Women
 1970 100 injured in race rioting in Asbury Park NJ
 1970 Chartered Dan-Air Comet crashes into mountains north of
 Barcelona, Spain killing 112 vacationing Britons
 1973 In audience with Italian cyclists, Pope Paul VI praises athletes 
            who
 "offer the magnificent show of a healthy, strong, generous youth"
 1975 Bundy victim (?) Nancy Baird disappears from Layton, Utah
 1976 
            Raid on Entebbe-Israel rescues 229 Air France passengers
 1977 Nigel Harrison replaces Gary Valentine as bassist of Blondie
 1978 Memphis firefighters halt 3-day strike under a court order
 1982 
            Iranian diplomats kidnapping (1982):Four Iranian diplomats kidnapped 
            by Lebanese militia in Lebanon.
 1982 Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe for his last Wimbeldon championship
 1987 Martina Navratilova wins 6th straight Wimbeldon defeats Steffi 
            Graf
 1987 Nazi Klaus 
            Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon" convicted by a French court
 1988 Stefan 
            Edberg beats Boris 
            Becker for Wimbeldon crown
 1988 US navy shoots down Iranian civilian jetliner over Gulf, kills 
            290
 1990 
            2 Live Crew release "Banned in the USA" the lyrics quote 
            Star
 Spangled Banner and Gettysburg Address
 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.
 1996 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales delivers his terms for a divorce 
            from Diana, Princess of Wales - an offer of £15m reportedly 
            backed by the Queen
 1997 The unmanned American space probe 'Pathfinder' 
            lands on Mars
 2001 A 
            Vladivostok Avia Tupolev TU-154 jetliner crashes on approach to landing 
            at Irkutsk, Russia killing 145 people.
 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.
 2007 Zaca Fire Starts 
            in Santa Barbara, California becomes second largest fire in California 
            history.
 
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        | Birthdates which 
            occurred on 4th July : 1715 Christian 
            Gellert Saxony, poet, novelist (Fables & Tales) 1753 Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard 1st balloon flights in England, 
            US
 1804 Nathaniel Hawthorne Mass, author (House of 7 Gables, Scarlet 
            Letter)
 1807 Giuseppe Garibaldi unified Italy
 1826 Stephen Foster Lawrencevil, Pa, composer (Oh! Susanna, Swanee 
            River)
 1847 James Anthony Bailey Detroit, circus impresario (Barnum & 
            Bailey)
 1867 Stephen Mather organized US National Park Service
 1872 Calvin Coolidge (R) 29th pres (1923-29)
 1875 Giovanni & Giacomo Tocci Italy, siamese twins
 1878 George M Cohan entertainer, Give my regards to Broadway
 1880 George Mullin pitcher (Detroit Tigers-no-hitter on 7/4/1912)
 1880 Pat Rooney vaudevillian/actor (Night Club)
 1883 Rube Goldberg who made the easy outrageously difficult
 1885 Louis B Mayer Minsk Russia, motion-picture executive (MGM)
 1894 Henry Carlson basketball coach (originated figure 8 play)
 1898 Johnny Lee Missouri, actor (Calhoun-Amos 'n' Andy)
 19-- Michael Sweet rock vocalist (Stryper-Against the Law)
 1900 Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong New Orleans LA, jazz musician 
            (Hello Dolly)
 1902 George Murphy New Haven Ct, (Sen-R-Calif)/actor/dancer (MGM Parade)
 1902 Meyer Lansky mobster (Started numbers)
 1902 Vince Barnett Pittsburgh, actor (Star is Born, Human Jungle)
 1903 Flor Peeters Antwerp Belgium, organist (Lied Symphony)
 1905 Lionel Trilling author (1969 Poses Award, Liberal Imagination)
 1909 Alec Templeton Cardiff Wales, pianist/composer (Concertino Lirico)
 1911 Mitch Miller Rochester NY, sing along with Mitch (Yellow Rose 
            of Tx)
 1912 Virginia Graham Chicago Ill, TV personality (Girl Talk, Where 
            Was I)
 1915 Timmie Rogers Detroit Mich, singer (Sugar Hill Time)
 1916 Tokyo Rose WW II propogandist
 1918 Abigail Van Buren twin sister, advice columnist
 1918 Ann Landers twin sister, advice columnist
 1918 Buster Davis Johnstown Pa, choral director (Garry Moore Show)
 1918 Taufa'ahau Tupou IV king of Tonga (1965- )
 1920 Leona Helmsley (wife of Harry), real estate billionaire
 1921 Gerard Debreu France, economist (Nobel 1983)
 1924 Eva Marie Saint Newark NJ, actress (On the Waterfront)
 1926 Mary Stuart Miami Fla, actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow)
 1927 Gina Lollobrigida Subiaco Italy, actress (Trapeze, Falcon Crest)
 1927 Neil Simon playwright (Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Biloxi Blues)
 1928 Stephen Boyd actor (Fantastic Voyage, Ben-Hur)
 1929 Al Davis Brocton Mass, NFL team owner (LA Raiders)
 1930 George Steinbrenner NY Yankees owner/ship builder/horse owner
 1938 Bill Withers WV, rhythm & blues singer (Lean on Me)
 1939 Ed Bernard Phila, actor (Joe-Police Woman, Jim-White Shadow)
 1943 Emerson Boozer NFL running back (NY Jet)/sportscaster
 1946 Michael Milken LA Calif, partner (Intl Capital Access Group)
 1946 Ron Kovic disabled vietnam vet (Born on 4th of July)
 1948 Rene Arnoux France, formula-1 racer (6th place-1980)
 1950 David Jensen rocker British DJ
 1953 Geraldo Rivera NYC, news personality (20/20, Geraldo)
 1955 John Waite singer (Babies/Bad English-Forget Me Not)
 1958 Kirk Pengilly Sydney Australia, rocker (Inxs-Kiss the Dirt)
 1962 Pam Shriver tennis player (US Open's Doubles 1983,4,6,7)
 1963 Henri Leconte France, tennis player (French finalist 1988)
 1964 Mark Allen Slaughter Las Vegas, guitarist (Slaughter-Stick it 
            Live)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deaths which occurred 
            on July 4th:
 1627 Thomas Middleton Elizabethan dramatist, dies (birth date unknown)
 1826 John Adams & Thomas Jefferson 2nd & 3rd presidents, die
 1831 James Monroe 5th president, dies
 1848 Francois Rene de Chateaubriand French novelist/politician, dies
 1934 Chaim Nachman Bialik zionist poet, dies
 1938 Suzanne Lenglen 6 time Wimbeldon champ, dies at 39 of anemia
 1957 Judy Tyler actress (Princess-Howdy Doody), dies at 24 in car 
            crash
 1962 Rex Bell cowboy (Cowboys & Injuns), dies at 56
 1963 Grant Richards actor (Doug-Doorway to Danger), dies at 48
 1970 Harold Vanderbilt America Cup winner (1930, 34, 37), dies at 
            85
 
 
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