What are the important events that happened on July 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
July 4: Facts & Myths About This Day
July 4 is the 186th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is June 21, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,720,051,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectaoctacontahexagon’ day.
Cancer is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Ruby is the modern birthstone for this month. Ruby is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 209 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,213 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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July 4: This Day In History
The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.
July 4 Historical Events
- 993 –Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
- 1569 –The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus finally sign the document of union between Poland and Lithuania, creating new country known as Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1776 –American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
- 1803 –The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
- 1827 –Slavery is abolished in New York State.
- 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 is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
- 1918 –Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
- 1941 –Nazi Germans massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv.
- 1997 –NASA’s Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
- 2009 –The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens to the public after 8 years, due to security reasons following the World Trade Center attacks.
Who were born on July 4?
- 1694 –Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772)
- 1790 –George Everest, Welsh surveyor (d. 1866)
- 1874 –Sir John McPhee, Australian politician, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1952)
- 1902 –Meyer Lansky, Russian-born American gangster (d. 1983)
- 1948 –Phil Wheatley, Director-General of the National Offender Management Service
- 1956 –Mark Belling, American radio talkshow host
- 1961 –Richard Garriott, English video game designer
- 1967 –Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player
- 1972 –Oleg Prudius, Ukrainian professional wrestler
- 1986 –Takahisa Masuda, Japanese singer
Who died on July 4?
- 1821 –Richard Cosway, English artist (b. 1742)
- 1857 –William L. Marcy, American statesman (b. 1786)
- 1905 –Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
- 1970 –Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American industrialist (b. 1884)
- 1979 –Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer (b. 1905)
- 2000 –Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer (b. 1919)
- 2004 –Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (b. 1920)
- 2007 –Bill Pinkney, American singer and performer (b. 1925)
- 2008 –Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
- 2009 –Jim Chapin, American drummer (b. 1919)
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