Independence Day

Commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress. It declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and were no longer part of the British Empire.

First Disneyland Birth

July 4, 1979

Teresa Salcedo is born in the Disneyland amusement park.

Largest U.S. Classical Concert

July 4, 1976

A crowd of 400,000 attends a concert by the Boston Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler at the outdoor Hatch Memorial Shell during the celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. The rendition of the 1812 Overture backdropped with fireworks was the climax of all day long network television coverage of the bicentennial.

Flight 139 - Raid on Entebbe

July 4, 1976

Israeli commandos rescue 103 hostages from Air France Flight 139. The flight with 248 passengers had been hijacked to Uganda by the PLO June 27th. After diverting to Entebbe Airport in Uganda, the hijackers demanded US$5 million and the release of 53 Palestinian and Pro-Palestinian militants, 40 of whom were prisoners in Israel. They threatened to begin killing hostages if the demands were not met by July 1st. On June 30th, 48 non-Israeli hostages were released. On July 1st, after the Israeli government agreed to negotiations, the deadline was extended their 4 July and another 100 non-Israeli hostages were released. About midnight of July 3rd, Israeli commandos, led by Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu flew into Entebbe airport undetected carrying a black Mercedes and Land Rovers to look like Ugandan President Idi Amin's entourage. Yonatan Netanyahu was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, future Prime Minister of Israel. Upon approach to the terminal, one of the guards, aware that Idi Amin had recently changed to a white Mercedes, ordered the commandos to halt. The commandos opened fire killing the guards and alerting the hijackers. The commandos then hurriedly proceeded to where the hostages were held, killing one hijacker and two hostages in the initial gunfight. They then located and killed the other seven hijackers. Ugandan forces assaulted the commandos as they were evacuating the hostages. In the ensuing battle, Yonatan Netanyahu and about 40 Ugandan soldiers were killed.
Of the 106 hostages, three were killed in the gun battle, 10 were wounded, and a 74-year-old woman was left in Uganda for medical treatment after choking on a chicken bone. She was later killed in the hospital along with several medical staff by Ugandan forces under orders by Idi Amin. Amin also ordered the killing of hundreds of Kenyans living in Uganda in retaliation for Kenya's assistance to Israel in the raid.
The 1977 TV movie, Raid on Entebbe, was based on these events.

Nuclear Mishap

July 4, 1961

The Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered missile-carrying submarine experiences a reactor failure during its maiden voyage, killing 10 crewmen.

First Song by a British Artist to Hit #1 on the American Billboard Chart

July 4, 1952

Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart by Vera Lynn.

Philippine Independence

July 4, 1946

U.S. President Harry S. Truman grants independence to the islands which were acquired by the U.S. in 1898.

Mount Rushmore

July 4, 1934

U.S. President George Washington's face on Mount Rushmore is completed and dedicated. The memorial was completed in 1941. Work had begun in 1927 by sculpture Gutzon Borglum who died in March of 1941 leaving his son to complete the task. The sculpture would feature the 60-foot (18 m) tall heads of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These presidents were chosen by Borglum to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively.

Jack Dempsey

July 4, 1919

Jack Dempsey, the American fighter known as the Manassa Mauler, becomes the world heavy weight boxing championship with a 3rd-round TKO's of defending champion Jess Willard. He would hold the title until 1926.

First Pacific Cable

July 4, 1903

The communications cable connecting San Francisco and the Philippines opens. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sends a message around the world in 12 minutes.

Second U.S. Gas Automobile

July 4, 1894

Elwood Haynes takes his first automobile for a test drive. It was the second gasoline-engine powered vehicle successfully road tested in the U.S., the first was by the Duryea brothers. It had a top speed of about 7 mph. He would later form Haynes-Apperson Company, the second U.S. automobile company.

First Ship Sunk by an Electrically Detonated Mine

July 4, 1842

American gun manufacturer Samuel Colt sinks a gun boat with his device - called a torpedo - in New York harbor.

First U.S. Passenger Railroad

July 4, 1828

The Baltimore & Ohio begins construction.

West Point Opens

July 4, 1802

The United States Military Academy, known as West Point, formally opens. It is the oldest of the five American service academies.
It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River with a scenic view, 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It was constructed on the site of Fort Clinton on West Point which Colonial General Benedict Arnold conspired to turn over to the British during the American Revolutionary War.

First U.S. Tariff Law

July 4, 1789

Congress enacts a tax on imported goods to protect U.S. products. It also established customs officers.

Ralph Johnson

Born July 4, 1951

American drummer, founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).

Ronald Lawrence Kovic

Born July 4, 1946

American paralyzed Vietnam veteran, anti-war activist. The movie Born on the Fourth of July is based on his memoirs. He was paralyzed while leading an attack in the DMZ.

Junk Bond King

Michael Milken

Born July 4, 1946

American securities expert, philanthropist, "Junk-Bond King." He earned over $1 billion in a four-year period as head of Drexel Burnham Lambert's high-yield "junk" bond department, earning $550 million in 1987 alone. He later served 22 months in jail and paid $1.1 billion in fines for various securities violations. His security violations led to the downfall of Drexel Burnham Lambert. He now has a net worth of over $2 billion and is known for his charitable contributions.

Geraldo Rivera (Gerald Michael Riviera)

Born July 4, 1943

American Emmy-winning reporter, talk-show host. TV: Geraldo (1987-98, host), Al Capone's Vault (1986), and Fox News.

Ed Bernard

Born July 4, 1939

American actor. TV: Police Woman (Det. Joe Styles).

George Steinbrenner (George Michael Steinbrenner III)

Born July 4, 1930 d. 2010

American baseball owner, principal owner of the N.Y. Yankees from 1973-2010, during which time they won seven World Series titles.

Neil Simon (Marvin Neil Simon)

Born July 4, 1927 d. 2018

American playwright. Film: Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), and The Sunshine Boys (1975). Stage: Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Barefoot in the Park (1963), and The Odd Couple (1965).
He has received more combined Oscar and Tony Award nominations than any other writer.

Gina Lollobrigida (Luigia Lollobrigida)

Born July 4, 1927 d. 2023

Italian actress, photographer, one of the most glamorous stars of the 1950s.

Eva Marie Saint

Born July 4, 1924

American Oscar-winning actress. Film: On the Waterfront (1954, Oscar) and North By Northwest (1959). TV: Moonlighting (Maddie Hayes' mother).

Mitch Miller

Born July 4, 1911 d. 2010

American music producer, arranger. Music: Let Me Go, Lover (1954, #1). The FBI used his songs in an attempt to drive the cult Branch Davidians from their compound during the Waco disaster (1993).

Meyer Lansky (Maier Suchowljanksy)

Born July 4, 1902 d. 1983

Russian-born American organized-crime financial wizard. He was responsible for laundering much of the Mafia's money.

Abe Saperstein

Born July 4, 1902 d. 1966

English-born basketball coach Hall of Famer. He formed and coached the Harlem Globetrotters (1927). Although the original players were from the Chicago area, Saperstein chose the name "New York Harlem Globe Trotters" as Harlem was considered the center of African-American culture at the time. Ironically, they did not play in Harlem until 1968, more than 40 years later.
At 5′3″ Saperstein is the shortest male member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Globetrotters won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1940.

George M. Cohan

Born July 4, 1878 d. 1942

American playwright, songwriter. Music: Over There, You're a Grand Old Flag, and I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Note: His birthday was actually July 3, although he claimed July 4 and celebrated on such.

James Anthony Bailey

Born July 4, 1847 d. 1906

American showman. P.T. Barnum's partner in Barnum & Bailey's Circus and owner of Jumbo, the giant elephant.

Stephen Foster

Born July 4, 1826 d. 1864

American songwriter. Music: Oh! Susanna (1848), My Old Kentucky Home (1853), Camptown Races (1850), Swanee River (1851), My Old Kentucky Home (1852), Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (1854), and Beautiful Dreamer (1862).
Due to the popularity of his song Oh! Susanna, the publishing firm Firth, Pond & Company offered him a royalty rate of two cents per copy of sheet music sold, making him what is considered the first fully professional songwriter in the United States.

The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Born July 4, 1804 d. 1864

American author. Writings: The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of Seven Gables (1851).
The Scarlet Letter was one of the first mass-produced books in the United States.

Sir George Everest

Born July 4, 1790 d. 1866

British surveyor. For whom Mt. Everest is named.

Jean Pierre Francois Blanchard

Born July 4, 1753 d. 1809

French balloonist. He was the first to cross the English Channel in a balloon (1785) and is credited with inventing the parachute.

Madame Marie Curie

Died July 4, 1934 b. 1867

Polish-born French Nobel-winning physicist. She and her husband Pierre Curie were pioneers in the study of radioactivity.
During World War I, Curie developed mobile radiography units for use near the front lines to assist battlefield surgeons and also set up France's first military radiology center in 1914.
She died from aplastic anemia believed to have been caused by her long-term exposure to radiation. They had carried out much of their work without safety precautions, as the risks of exposure to ionizing radiation were not known at the time. Even to this day, all their papers from the 1890s, even her cookbooks, are too dangerous to touch. Their daughter Irène, and her husband Frédéric Joliot also died as a result of radiation exposure.

James Monroe

Died July 4, 1831 b. 1758

American politician. 5th U.S. President (1817-25). He was the last president among the Founding Fathers of the U.S. As a delegate to the Virginia convention, he opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, claiming it gave too much power to the central government.

Thomas Jefferson

Died July 4, 1826 b. 1743

American politician. 3rd U.S. President (1801-09), 2nd U.S. Vice-President (1797-1801). Author of the Declaration of Independence, and the first U.S. Secretary of State (1790-93). Both he and John Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson is credited with inventing the swivel chair, using the first one he made to write much of the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams

Died July 4, 1826 b. 1735

American politician. First U.S. Vice-President (1789-97) and 2nd U.S. President (1797-1801). Father of the 6th president John Quincy Adams. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Jesse Helms

Died July 4, 2008 b. 1921

American politician, U.S. Senator (Rep., N.C.). Known for his conservative views, he was a founder of the Moral Majority (1979).

Barry White (Barry Eugene White)

Died July 4, 2003 b. 1944

American singer-songwriter. Music: Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe (1974).

First African American U.S. Air Force Brigadier General

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr.)

Died July 4, 2002 b. 1912

American Air Force General. He was the first African American U.S. Air Force Brigadier General. Davis had applied for the Army Air Corps but was rejected because it did not accept African Americans. He was also not allowed inside the base officers' club due to his race.
He served with the all black "Buffalo Soldiers". In 1998, he was advanced to four-star general by President Bill Clinton.
His father, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., was the first African American U.S. Army Brigadier General.

Charles Kuralt

Died July 4, 1997 b. 1934

American Emmy-winning TV journalist. TV: The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite (1962, "On the Road" segments) and CBS News Sunday Morning (1979, anchor).
After his death, it was revealed that for 30 years Kuralt had a "second family" with a woman in Montana while his wife lived in New York City.
Quote: "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything."

Eva Gabor

Died July 4, 1995 b. 1919

Hungarian-American actress. TV: Green Acres (1965-71, Lisa Douglas). Married five times, she once stated, "Marriage is too interesting an experiment to be tried only once."
Film: The Aristocats (1970, voice of Duchess), and The Rescuers (1977, voice of Miss Bianca).

Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli

Died July 4, 1910 b. 1835

Italian astronomer. He discovered the "canals" of Mars (1877).

Hannibal Hamlin

Died July 4, 1891 b. 1809

American politician. 15th U.S. Vice-President (1861-65, under President Abraham Lincoln), U.S. Senator (1848-57, Maine), Governor of Maine (1857), U.S. House of Representatives (1843-47, Maine).

Karl Ferdinand von Graefe

Died July 4, 1840 b. 1787

German surgeon. Founder of modern plastic surgery.

Benedict V

Died July 4, 966 b. ????

Italian religious leader, 132nd Pope (May-June 964). Emperor Otto I had forcibly deposed Pope John XII, and replaced him with Leo VIII. But the Romans expelled Leo and elected Benedict V. Otto, angered by this action, attacked Rome, seized Benedict, and reinstated Leo.