Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your July 4 shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the July 4 offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of July 4 at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a July 4? Wrong! If the July 4 is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about July 4 then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling July 4? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about July 4 and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your July 4 wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your July 4 then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the July 4 site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about July 4, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your July 4, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States).
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Events
- 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- 993 - Saint Ulrich of Augsburg canonized.
- 1054 - A supernova is observed by the Song Dynasty, the Arabs and possibly Indigenous Peoples of the Americas near the star ζ Taurus (constellation). For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
- 1120 - Jordan II of Capua anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death
- 1187 - Crusades: Battle of Hattin - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, Kings 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.
- 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island, Rhode Island forms.
- 1712 - 11 slaves are executed in New York for starting an uprising that killed 9 Caucasians
- 1776 - American Independence Day . The United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress declaring itself free of British rule. Signed in Philadelphia.
- 1802 - At West Point, New York, New York the United States Military Academy opens.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
- 1810 - The France occupy Amsterdam.
- 1817 - At Rome, New York, United States, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
- 1826 - Former United States presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
- 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State.
- 1837 - Grand Junction Railway, world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
- 1838 - The Iowa Territory is organized.
- 1840 - The Cunard Line's 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for City of Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
- 1845 - Near Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond (see Walden).
- 1855 - In Brooklyn, New York, the first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems titled Leaves of Grass is published.
- 1859 - Austro-Sardinian War: The Battle of Magenta.
- 1862 - Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Vicksburg - Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. 150 miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate Army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
- 1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
- 1881 - In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
- 1886 - First scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia.
- 1887 - Founder of Pakistan, Jinnah joined Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
- 1892 - Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
- 1894 - The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
- 1910 - African-American boxer Jack Johnson (boxer) knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States.
- 1918 - Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
- 1918 - Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
- 1927 - First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
- 1934 - Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match.
- 1934 - Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
- 1939 - Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.
- 1941 - Massacre of Lwów professors, committed by Nazism Germany in the captured Poland city of Lwów.
- 1946 - After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States.
- 1947 - "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British Raj into two sovereign countries - India and Pakistan.
- 1950 - First broadcast by Radio Free Europe.
- 1954 - Miracle of Bern, Germany wins the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland against Hungary.
- 1954 - Dr. Sam Sheppard is a suspect in the murder of his wife Marilyn
- 1959 - With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 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 - President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act (United States) into United States law. The act goes into effect the next year.
- 1968 Two teens are killed at Lake Herman Road in California. They were the first (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer.
- 1970 - Popular syndicated radio show, "American Top 40", hosted by Casey Kasem, debuts.
- 1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
- 1982 - Iranian diplomats kidnapping (1982):Four Iranian diplomats kidnapped 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 is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1992 - USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy is commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia.
- 1997 - NASA's Mars Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars (planet).
- 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 (space mission) collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
- 2006 - Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission - Space Shuttle Discovery launches at 18:37:55 UTC.
- 2006 - North Korea North Korean missile test, 2006, one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.
Births
- 1330 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (d. 1367)
- 1546 - Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1595)
- 1694 - Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772)
- 1715 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769)
- 1719 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (d. 1797)
- 1790 - George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest (d. 1866)
- 1799 - King Oscar I of Sweden, French general (d. 1859)
- 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer (d. 1864)
- 1807 - Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot (d. 1882)
- 1816 - Hiram Walker, American grocer and distiller (d. 1899)
- 1826 - Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864)
- 1845 - Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian (d. 1905)
- 1847 - James Anthony Bailey, American circus impresario (d. 1906)
- 1854 - Victor Babeş, Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926)
- 1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
- 1881 - Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier (d. 1968)
- 1882 - Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
- 1895 - Irving Caesar, American lyricist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1896 - Mao Dun, Chinese writer (d. 1981)
- 1898 - Dr. Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997)
- 1898 - Gertrude Lawrence, English-born actress (d. 1952)
- 1902 - Meyer Lansky, Russian-born American gangster (d. 1983)
- 1902 - George Murphy, American entertainer (d. 1992)
- 1903 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1986)
- 1904 - Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
- 1905 - Irving Johnson, American adventurer (d. 1991)
- 1907 - Gordon Griffith, American director (d. 1958)
- 1910 - Gloria Stuart, American actress
- 1911 - Mitch Miller, American entertainer
- 1912 - Viviane Romance, French actress (d. 1991)
- 1916 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American thought to be Tokyo Rose in World War II (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- 1918 - Ann Landers, American advice columnist (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Pauline Phillips, American advice columnist ("Dear Abby")
- 1918 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Norm Drucker, American basketball referee
- 1920 - Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor (d. 2007)
- 1921 - Gerard Debreu, French economist, Nobel Prize in Economics (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1924 - Eva Marie Saint, American actress
- 1926 - Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentine footballer
- 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
- 1927 - Neil Simon, American playwright
- 1929 - Al Davis, American football team owner (Oakland Raiders)
- 1929 - Chuck Tanner, American baseball player
- 1929 - Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1930 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor
- 1930 - George Steinbrenner, American businessman & baseball team owner (New York Yankees)
- 1930 - Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower
- 1931 - Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish actor (d. 1977)
- 1931 - Sébastien Japrisot, French author, film director and sreenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Colin Welland, English actor
- 1935 - Paul Scoon, Governor General of Grenada
- 1937 - Sonja Haraldsen, Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V of Norway)
- 1938 - Bill Withers, American singer and songwriter
- 1942 - Hal Lanier, American baseball player
- 1942 - Floyd Little, American football player
- 1942 - Stefan Meller, Polish foreign minister
- 1943 - Conny Bauer, German musician
- 1943 - Geraldo Rivera, American reporter
- 1943 - Alan Wilson (musician), American musician (Canned Heat) (d. 1970)
- 1943 - Emerson Boozer, American football player
- 1944 - Ray Meagher, Australian actor
- 1946 - Tish Howard, American model
- 1946 - Ron Kovic, American peace activist
- 1946 - Michael Milken, American financier
- 1946 - Ed O'Ross, American actor
- 1947 - Morganna, American personality (kissing bandit)
- 1948 - Ed Armbrister, baseball player
- 1948 - René Arnoux, French race car driver
- 1948 - Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
- 1948 - Jeremy Spencer, English musician
- 1950 - David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ
- 1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician
- 1952 - Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Colombian politician
- 1954 - Jim Beattie, American baseball player
- 1955 - John Waite, English singer (The Babys)
- 1958 - Kirk Pengilly, Australian musician (INXS)
- 1959 - Victoria Abril, Spanish actress
- 1960 - Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1994)
- 1961 - Richard Garriott, English video game designer
- 1962 - Neil Morrisey, English actor
- 1962 - Pam Shriver, American former tennis player
- 1963 - Henri Leconte, French former tennis player
- 1963 - Matt Malley, American musician (Counting Crows)
- 1963 - José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1964 - Cle Kooiman, American soccer player
- 1964 - Mark Slaughter, American singer (Slaughter (band))
- 1966 - Lee Reherman, American actor
- 1965 - Horace Grant, American basketball player
- 1967 - Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player
- 1967 - Andy Walker, Canadian television personality
- 1967 - Rick Wilkins, American baseball player
- 1971 - Andy Creeggan, Canadian musician (ex-Barenaked Ladies)
- 1971 - Brendan Donnelly, American baseball player
- 1971 - Koko (gorilla), sign-language gorilla
- 1971 - Andrew Murray, English entrepreneur
- 1973 - Keiko Ihara, Japanese racing driver
- 1973 - Michael Johnson (footballer), English-born Jamaican footballer
- 1973 - Jan Magnussen, Danish racing driver
- 1973 - Tony Popović, Australian soccer player
- 1974 - La'Roi Glover, American football player
- 1974 - Vince Spadea, American tennis player
- 1975 - Tania Davis, Australian violist (Bond (band))
- 1976 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
- 1977 - Katia Zygouli, Greek super model, winner of Elite Model Look contest 1996
- 1978 - Emile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
- 1978 - Becki Newton, American actress
- 1983 - Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model
- 1983 - Ben Jorgensen, American musician
- 1984 - Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist
- 1984 - Akanishi Jin, Japanese Idol (member of KAT-TUN)
- 2003 - Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (d. 2005)
Deaths
- 907 - Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
- 965 - Pope Benedict V
- 973 - Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
- 1187 - Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch
- 1541 - Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
- 1546 - Hayreddin Barbarossa, Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (b. 1478)
- 1603 - Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
- 1623 - William Byrd, English composer
- 1648 - Antoine Daniel, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
- 1742 - Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (b. 1671)
- 1754 - Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist (b. 1680)
- 1761 - Samuel Richardson, English writer (b. 1689)
- 1780 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (b. 1712)
- 1787 - Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
- 1821 - Richard Cosway, English artist (b. 1742)
- 1826 - John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
- 1826 - Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
- 1831 - James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
- 1848 - François-René de Chateaubriand, French writer (b. 1768)
- 1850 - William Kirby (entomologist), English entomologist (b. 1759)
- 1854 - Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (b. 1781)
- 1857 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (b. 1786)
- 1881 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (b. 1806)
- 1882 - Joseph Brackett, American composer (b. 1797)
- 1891 - Hannibal Hamlin, U.S. Vice President (b. 1809)
- 1901 - Johannes Schmidt (linguist), German linguist (b. 1843)
- 1902 - Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863)
- 1905 - Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
- 1910 - Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
- 1910 - Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer (b. 1835)
- 1916 - Alan Seeger, American war poet (b. 1888)
- 1922 - Lothar von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1894)
- 1926 - Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian mountaineer (b. 1901)
- 1931 - Buddie Petit, American jazz musician (b. 1895)
- 1931 - Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1869)
- 1934 - Maria Sklodowska-Curie, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1867)
- 1938 - Otto Bauer, Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881)
- 1938 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
- 1941 - Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
- 1946 - Gerda Steinhoff, Nazi concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
- 1948 - Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian writer (b. 1882)
- 1963 - Bernard Freyberg, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
- 1970 - Barnett Newman, American artist (b. 1905)
- 1970 - Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1884)
- 1971 - August Derleth, American writer and editor (b. 1909)
- 1975 - Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
- 1976 - Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet (b. 1895)
- 1977 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (b. 1918)
- 1980 - Maurice Grevisse, Belgian grammarian (b. 1895)
- 1982 - Terry Higgins, early British AIDS death (b. 1945)
- 1984 - Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1986 - Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
- 1986 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist, and teacher (b. 1903)
- 1988 - Adrian Adonis, American artist (b. 1954)
- 1991 - Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- 1992 - Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian composer (b. 1921)
- 1993 - Bona Arsenault, French Canadian politician and historian (b. 1903)
- 1994 - Joey Marella, American professional wrestling referee (b. 1964)
- 1995 - Eva Gabor, Hungarian actress (b. 1919)
- 1995 - Bob Ross, American artist and television host (b. 1942)
- 1997 - Charles Kuralt, American television presenter (b. 1934)
- 1997 - John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
- 1999 - Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b.1917)
- 2000 - Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer (b. 1919)
- 2002 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American general (b. 1912)
- 2002 - Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
- 2003 - Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2003 - André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man), an eccentric street entertainer in Nottingham, England (b. 1932)
- 2005 - Hank Stram, American football coach (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician (b. 1979)
- 2007 - Bill Pinkney, American singer and performer (b. 1925)
Holidays and observances
Liturgical feasts
- Saint Flavian
- Translation, Ordination of Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, confessor Bruges, sometimes in red
- Saint Odo, bishop of Canterbury
- Procopius of Sazaba, abbot (at Prague), confessor Prague, Gnesen, Meissen
- Ulrich of Augsburg, bishop of Augsburg, confessor (died 973)
- Bertha of Artois, widow, abbess of Blangy in Artois
- Saint Elizabeth Lusitania of Portugal (died 136)
External links
- BBC: On This Day
-
- On This Day in Canada
For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States).
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Events
- 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- 993 - Saint Ulrich of Augsburg canonized.
- 1054 - A supernova is observed by the Song Dynasty, the Arabs and possibly Indigenous Peoples of the Americas near the star ζ Taurus (constellation). For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
- 1120 - Jordan II of Capua anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death
- 1187 - Crusades: Battle of Hattin - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, Kings 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.
- 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island, Rhode Island forms.
- 1712 - 11 slaves are executed in New York for starting an uprising that killed 9 Caucasians
- 1776 - American Independence Day . The United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress declaring itself free of British rule. Signed in Philadelphia.
- 1802 - At West Point, New York, New York the United States Military Academy opens.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
- 1810 - The France occupy Amsterdam.
- 1817 - At Rome, New York, United States, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
- 1826 - Former United States presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
- 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State.
- 1837 - Grand Junction Railway, world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
- 1838 - The Iowa Territory is organized.
- 1840 - The Cunard Line's 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for City of Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
- 1845 - Near Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond (see Walden).
- 1855 - In Brooklyn, New York, the first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems titled Leaves of Grass is published.
- 1859 - Austro-Sardinian War: The Battle of Magenta.
- 1862 - Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Vicksburg - Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. 150 miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate Army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
- 1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
- 1881 - In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
- 1886 - First scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia.
- 1887 - Founder of Pakistan, Jinnah joined Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
- 1892 - Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
- 1894 - The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
- 1910 - African-American boxer Jack Johnson (boxer) knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States.
- 1918 - Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
- 1918 - Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
- 1927 - First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
- 1934 - Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match.
- 1934 - Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
- 1939 - Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.
- 1941 - Massacre of Lwów professors, committed by Nazism Germany in the captured Poland city of Lwów.
- 1946 - After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States.
- 1947 - "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British Raj into two sovereign countries - India and Pakistan.
- 1950 - First broadcast by Radio Free Europe.
- 1954 - Miracle of Bern, Germany wins the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland against Hungary.
- 1954 - Dr. Sam Sheppard is a suspect in the murder of his wife Marilyn
- 1959 - With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 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 - President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act (United States) into United States law. The act goes into effect the next year.
- 1968 Two teens are killed at Lake Herman Road in California. They were the first (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer.
- 1970 - Popular syndicated radio show, "American Top 40", hosted by Casey Kasem, debuts.
- 1976 - Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
- 1982 - Iranian diplomats kidnapping (1982):Four Iranian diplomats kidnapped 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 is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1992 - USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy is commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia.
- 1997 - NASA's Mars Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars (planet).
- 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 (space mission) collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
- 2006 - Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission - Space Shuttle Discovery launches at 18:37:55 UTC.
- 2006 - North Korea North Korean missile test, 2006, one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.
Births
- 1330 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (d. 1367)
- 1546 - Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1595)
- 1694 - Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772)
- 1715 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769)
- 1719 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (d. 1797)
- 1790 - George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest (d. 1866)
- 1799 - King Oscar I of Sweden, French general (d. 1859)
- 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer (d. 1864)
- 1807 - Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot (d. 1882)
- 1816 - Hiram Walker, American grocer and distiller (d. 1899)
- 1826 - Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864)
- 1845 - Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian (d. 1905)
- 1847 - James Anthony Bailey, American circus impresario (d. 1906)
- 1854 - Victor Babeş, Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926)
- 1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
- 1881 - Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier (d. 1968)
- 1882 - Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
- 1895 - Irving Caesar, American lyricist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1896 - Mao Dun, Chinese writer (d. 1981)
- 1898 - Dr. Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997)
- 1898 - Gertrude Lawrence, English-born actress (d. 1952)
- 1902 - Meyer Lansky, Russian-born American gangster (d. 1983)
- 1902 - George Murphy, American entertainer (d. 1992)
- 1903 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1986)
- 1904 - Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
- 1905 - Irving Johnson, American adventurer (d. 1991)
- 1907 - Gordon Griffith, American director (d. 1958)
- 1910 - Gloria Stuart, American actress
- 1911 - Mitch Miller, American entertainer
- 1912 - Viviane Romance, French actress (d. 1991)
- 1916 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American thought to be Tokyo Rose in World War II (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- 1918 - Ann Landers, American advice columnist (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Pauline Phillips, American advice columnist ("Dear Abby")
- 1918 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Norm Drucker, American basketball referee
- 1920 - Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor (d. 2007)
- 1921 - Gerard Debreu, French economist, Nobel Prize in Economics (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1924 - Eva Marie Saint, American actress
- 1926 - Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentine footballer
- 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
- 1927 - Neil Simon, American playwright
- 1929 - Al Davis, American football team owner (Oakland Raiders)
- 1929 - Chuck Tanner, American baseball player
- 1929 - Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1930 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor
- 1930 - George Steinbrenner, American businessman & baseball team owner (New York Yankees)
- 1930 - Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower
- 1931 - Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish actor (d. 1977)
- 1931 - Sébastien Japrisot, French author, film director and sreenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Colin Welland, English actor
- 1935 - Paul Scoon, Governor General of Grenada
- 1937 - Sonja Haraldsen, Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V of Norway)
- 1938 - Bill Withers, American singer and songwriter
- 1942 - Hal Lanier, American baseball player
- 1942 - Floyd Little, American football player
- 1942 - Stefan Meller, Polish foreign minister
- 1943 - Conny Bauer, German musician
- 1943 - Geraldo Rivera, American reporter
- 1943 - Alan Wilson (musician), American musician (Canned Heat) (d. 1970)
- 1943 - Emerson Boozer, American football player
- 1944 - Ray Meagher, Australian actor
- 1946 - Tish Howard, American model
- 1946 - Ron Kovic, American peace activist
- 1946 - Michael Milken, American financier
- 1946 - Ed O'Ross, American actor
- 1947 - Morganna, American personality (kissing bandit)
- 1948 - Ed Armbrister, baseball player
- 1948 - René Arnoux, French race car driver
- 1948 - Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
- 1948 - Jeremy Spencer, English musician
- 1950 - David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ
- 1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician
- 1952 - Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Colombian politician
- 1954 - Jim Beattie, American baseball player
- 1955 - John Waite, English singer (The Babys)
- 1958 - Kirk Pengilly, Australian musician (INXS)
- 1959 - Victoria Abril, Spanish actress
- 1960 - Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1994)
- 1961 - Richard Garriott, English video game designer
- 1962 - Neil Morrisey, English actor
- 1962 - Pam Shriver, American former tennis player
- 1963 - Henri Leconte, French former tennis player
- 1963 - Matt Malley, American musician (Counting Crows)
- 1963 - José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1964 - Cle Kooiman, American soccer player
- 1964 - Mark Slaughter, American singer (Slaughter (band))
- 1966 - Lee Reherman, American actor
- 1965 - Horace Grant, American basketball player
- 1967 - Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player
- 1967 - Andy Walker, Canadian television personality
- 1967 - Rick Wilkins, American baseball player
- 1971 - Andy Creeggan, Canadian musician (ex-Barenaked Ladies)
- 1971 - Brendan Donnelly, American baseball player
- 1971 - Koko (gorilla), sign-language gorilla
- 1971 - Andrew Murray, English entrepreneur
- 1973 - Keiko Ihara, Japanese racing driver
- 1973 - Michael Johnson (footballer), English-born Jamaican footballer
- 1973 - Jan Magnussen, Danish racing driver
- 1973 - Tony Popović, Australian soccer player
- 1974 - La'Roi Glover, American football player
- 1974 - Vince Spadea, American tennis player
- 1975 - Tania Davis, Australian violist (Bond (band))
- 1976 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
- 1977 - Katia Zygouli, Greek super model, winner of Elite Model Look contest 1996
- 1978 - Emile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
- 1978 - Becki Newton, American actress
- 1983 - Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model
- 1983 - Ben Jorgensen, American musician
- 1984 - Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist
- 1984 - Akanishi Jin, Japanese Idol (member of KAT-TUN)
- 2003 - Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (d. 2005)
Deaths
- 907 - Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
- 965 - Pope Benedict V
- 973 - Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
- 1187 - Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch
- 1541 - Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
- 1546 - Hayreddin Barbarossa, Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (b. 1478)
- 1603 - Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
- 1623 - William Byrd, English composer
- 1648 - Antoine Daniel, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
- 1742 - Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (b. 1671)
- 1754 - Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist (b. 1680)
- 1761 - Samuel Richardson, English writer (b. 1689)
- 1780 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (b. 1712)
- 1787 - Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
- 1821 - Richard Cosway, English artist (b. 1742)
- 1826 - John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
- 1826 - Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
- 1831 - James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
- 1848 - François-René de Chateaubriand, French writer (b. 1768)
- 1850 - William Kirby (entomologist), English entomologist (b. 1759)
- 1854 - Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (b. 1781)
- 1857 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (b. 1786)
- 1881 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (b. 1806)
- 1882 - Joseph Brackett, American composer (b. 1797)
- 1891 - Hannibal Hamlin, U.S. Vice President (b. 1809)
- 1901 - Johannes Schmidt (linguist), German linguist (b. 1843)
- 1902 - Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863)
- 1905 - Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
- 1910 - Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
- 1910 - Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer (b. 1835)
- 1916 - Alan Seeger, American war poet (b. 1888)
- 1922 - Lothar von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1894)
- 1926 - Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian mountaineer (b. 1901)
- 1931 - Buddie Petit, American jazz musician (b. 1895)
- 1931 - Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1869)
- 1934 - Maria Sklodowska-Curie, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1867)
- 1938 - Otto Bauer, Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881)
- 1938 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
- 1941 - Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
- 1946 - Gerda Steinhoff, Nazi concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
- 1948 - Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian writer (b. 1882)
- 1963 - Bernard Freyberg, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
- 1970 - Barnett Newman, American artist (b. 1905)
- 1970 - Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1884)
- 1971 - August Derleth, American writer and editor (b. 1909)
- 1975 - Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
- 1976 - Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet (b. 1895)
- 1977 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (b. 1918)
- 1980 - Maurice Grevisse, Belgian grammarian (b. 1895)
- 1982 - Terry Higgins, early British AIDS death (b. 1945)
- 1984 - Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1986 - Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
- 1986 - Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist, and teacher (b. 1903)
- 1988 - Adrian Adonis, American artist (b. 1954)
- 1991 - Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- 1992 - Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian composer (b. 1921)
- 1993 - Bona Arsenault, French Canadian politician and historian (b. 1903)
- 1994 - Joey Marella, American professional wrestling referee (b. 1964)
- 1995 - Eva Gabor, Hungarian actress (b. 1919)
- 1995 - Bob Ross, American artist and television host (b. 1942)
- 1997 - Charles Kuralt, American television presenter (b. 1934)
- 1997 - John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
- 1999 - Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b.1917)
- 2000 - Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer (b. 1919)
- 2002 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American general (b. 1912)
- 2002 - Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
- 2003 - Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2003 - André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man), an eccentric street entertainer in Nottingham, England (b. 1932)
- 2005 - Hank Stram, American football coach (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician (b. 1979)
- 2007 - Bill Pinkney, American singer and performer (b. 1925)
Holidays and observances
Liturgical feasts
- Saint Flavian
- Translation, Ordination of Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, confessor Bruges, sometimes in red
- Saint Odo, bishop of Canterbury
- Procopius of Sazaba, abbot (at Prague), confessor Prague, Gnesen, Meissen
- Ulrich of Augsburg, bishop of Augsburg, confessor (died 973)
- Bertha of Artois, widow, abbess of Blangy in Artois
- Saint Elizabeth Lusitania of Portugal (died 136)
External links
- BBC: On This Day
-
- On This Day in Canada
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