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July 4: Today in History – Historical Events
Early Centuries – July 4 Historic Events – Before the 1700s
1. 4th July 1054: Chinese astronomers first reported the brightest known supernova SN 1054.
2. 4th July 1102: Jordan II of Capua, after the demise of his infant nephew, was anointed as prince.
3. 4th July 1634: In New France, Trois-Rivieres city was founded today. It later became Quebec.
4. 4th July 1636: In Rhode Islands the city of Providence was established.
18th Century – What Happened on July 4 – The 1700s
5. 4th July 1708: Russian forces suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Swedish King Charles XII at the battle of Holowczyn.
6. 4th July 1754: Fort Necessity was given to France by George Washington today.
7. 4th July 1774: As part of the widespread movement of protests against the British Parliament’s coercive acts Orangetown Resolutions were adopted in the Province of New York.
8. 4th July 1776: Declaration of Independence and independence from Britain was proclaimed by the US Congress.
9. 4th July 1782: Following the death of British Prime Minister Charles Watson Wentworth, William Petty assumed office as Prime Minister of Britain.
10. 4th July 1785: At a meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Geologist James Hutton read an abstract of his theory of uniformitarianism today.
11. 4th July 1789: US President George Washington signed the first US tariff act today.
12. 4th July 1796: Independence Day celebrations were held for the first time today.
19th Century – July 4 This Day That Year – The 1800s
13. 4th July 1802: the first US Military Academy opened at West Point today.
14. 4th July 1803: US President Thomas Jefferson announced the Louisiana Purchase to the American People.
15. 4th July 1810: Amsterdam was occupied by French troops today.
16. 4th July 1817: Chief Engineer James Geddes started construction of the Erie Canal, one of the first great engineering works in North America.
17. 4th July 1819: Astronomer William Herschel observed an 1819 comet by a telescope.
18. 4th July 1827: Slavery was abolished in New York today.
19. 4th July 1829: Cornerstone for the 2nd US mint was laid at Chestnut and Juniper St. Philadelphia, the “Gracian Temple”
20. 4th July 1829: In London “omnibus” commences operation with a service between Marylebone Road and Bank Junction.
21. 4th July 1836: This day marks the formation of Wisconsin territory.
22. 4th July 1837: The World’s first long-distance railway, Grand Junction Railway, commenced operation between Birmingham and Liverpool today.
23. 4th July 1838: In Silkstone England, a mining pit in Husker Colliery got flooded drowning 26 children. This disaster prompted the enactment of the “Mines and Collieries Act” banning women and children from working underground.
24. 4th July 1840: A 700-ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia of the Cunard Line, left Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
25. 4th July 1845: Texas Congress voted for annexation to the US today.
26. 4th July 1861: Lincoln requested 400,000 troops in a special session of the 27th Congress.
27. 4th July 1866: A fire started by a firecracker thrown in wood destroyed half of Portland, Maine, US.
28. 4th July 1868: The last Tokugawa armies were defeated at the battle at Ueno today.
29. 4th July 1873: An aquarium was opened today in Woodward Gardens in San Francisco.
30. 4th July 1874: In North America, the Social Democratic Workmen’s Party was formed today.
31. 4th July 1875: In terrorist attacks in Vicksburg, White Democrats kill several blacks.
32. 4th July 1876: Public exhibition of electric lights held in San Francisco.
33. 4th July 1879: Rev. S. J. Du Toit formed the Afrikaner Union at Cape Colony today.
34. 4th July 1882: In San Francisco, the Telegraph Hill Observatory opened today.
35. 4th July 1884: Dodge City hosted the first US bullfight today.
36. 4th July 1884: The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris today.
37. 4th July 1889: The first meeting of the Washington state constitutional convention was held today.
20th Century – Important Events On This Day July 4th – The 1900s
38. 4th July 1900: The Democratic Party nominated William Jennings Bryan as the US presidential candidate.
39. 4th July 1901: A former Judge, William Howard Taft was made the first Governor General of the Philippines. He declared that all insurgents who took the oath of allegiance would get amnesty.
40. 4th July 1902: President Theodore Roosevelt established a civil government in the Philippines and offered general amnesty to insurgents.
41. 4th July 1903: Pacific Cable connecting San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam, Philippines became operational with President Theodore Roosevelt sending a message.
42. 4th July 1906: Independence of Ethiopia was declared today by Great Britain, France and Italy. They all claimed their spheres of influence on the land.
43. 4th July 1910: An important railroad reform legislation, the Mann-Elkins Act was today passed by the US Congress.
44. 4th July 1910: Japan and Russia delineated their areas of interest in Manchuria in a mutual defense agreement.
45. 4th July 1917: During the ‘July Day’ unrest Russian Provincial Government forces opened fire on protesters in Petrograd.
46. 4th July 1920: Siberia’s Maritime Province’s provisional government, agreed to hand over parts of strategic oil-rich and coal-rich Sakhalin Island to Japan.
47. 4th July 1925: In Boston Dreyfus Hotel collapsed killing 44 people.
48. 4th July 1926: In Weimar, NSDAP-Party formed today.
49. 4th July 1927: In Indonesia a Pro-Indonesian Independence Party the PNI (Perserikatan Nasional Indonesia) was formed by Sukarno and friends in Batavia, Dutch East Indies.
50. 4th July 1927: Lockheed Vega takes off for its first flight.
51. 4th July 1931: Fireworks held for the first time at Cleveland Stadium today.
52. 4th July 1933: Construction of Oakland Bay Bridge began today.
53. 4th July 1934: Job cuts prompted Jordanians to revolt in Amsterdam.
54. 4th July 1934: Chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb was today patented by Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard.
55. 4th July 1936: League of Nations lifts sanctions against Italy after the Italian takeover of Abyssinia.
56. 4th July 1938: France and Turkey signed a friendship treaty today.
57. 4th July 1940: The British today destroyed the French battle fleet at Oran in Algeria killing 1267 people.
58. 4th July 1941: In Latvia 416 Jews were shot dead by partisans today.
59. 4th July 1942: US commenced its air offensive against Nazi Germany today.
60. 4th July 1944: 1,100 US guns fired 4th July salute at German lines in Normandy today.
61. 4th July 1945: Britain’s agreement for the use of an atom bomb against Japan was given by Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson at a combined policy committee in Washington D.C.
62. 4th July 1946: The Philippines secured independence from the United States today.
63. 4th July 1946: Anti-Jewish riots broke out in Kielce in Poland. 42 people died in the riots.
64. 4th July 1946: Manual Roxas was inaugurated as the 5th President of the Philippines today at the Independence Grandstand in Manila.
65. 4th July 1952: In Canada, minting of the $5, $10, and $20 gold coins was allowed by the Canadian Currency, Mint & Exchange Funds Act.
66. 4th July 1959: Honoring the statehood of Alaska, America today unfurled the 49-star flag.
67. 4th July 1959: Cayman Island was made a crown colony after separating it from Jamaica.
68. 4th July 1960: America unfurls the 50-star national flag honoring the statehood of Hawaii.
69. 4th July 1966: Beatles earned the ire of the people of the Philippines and were attacked after they un-intentionally insulted Imelda Marcos the First Lady.
70. 4th July 1966: President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act today.
71. 4th July 1970: Race rioting broke out in Asbury Park in New Jersey. About 100 were reported injured in the riot.
72. 4th July 1970: France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa atoll today.
73. 4th July 1973: The Caribbean Community & Common Market “CARICOM” was established today.
74. 4th July 1976: In a rescue operation, Israel today rescued 229 Air France hostage passengers held at Entebbe airport in Uganda. In the operation, 3 hostages, one Israeli soldier, and Ugandan soldiers were killed.
75. 4th July 1997: Mars Pathfinder launched by NASA landed on Mars today after traveling 120 million miles in 7 months. It became the first US spacecraft to land on Mars.
21st Century – July 4 This Day In History – The 2000s
76. 4th July 2006: Space shuttle Discovery, bound for International Space Station was launched today from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
77. 4th July 2006: Suspected Taliban militants today killed 5 Afghan civilians who were working for the United States military base in the Kunar province of Eastern Afghanistan.
78. 4th July 2008: After six decades, after political ties were broken between Taiwan and China broke, the first direct flight between Taiwan and China was established today.
79. 4th July 2009: In defiance of UN sanctions banning activities involving ballistic missiles in the country, North Korea tested seven ballistic missiles over the Sea of Japan. This was thought to be an act of protest against the US and took place on US Independence Day.
80. 4th July 2012: Scientists announced the Higgs Boson(a particle that would help explain how matter gets its mass) Discovery today.
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