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 185^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is June 21, 2025 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 486,552 hours 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 ‘hectaoctacontapentagon’ 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 228 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 4,578 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

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.
• 1120 –
  Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew’s death.
• 1803 –
  The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
• 1837 –
  Grand Junction Railway, the world’s first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
• 1838 –
  The Iowa Territory is organized.
• 1927 –
  First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
• 1943 –
  World War II: Beginning of the Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world’s largest tank battle at Prokhorovka village.
• 1951 –
  A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on a charge of espionage.
• 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).
• 2006 –
  North Korea tests four short-range missiles, 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.

Who were born on July 4?

• 1826 –
  Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864)
• 1883 –
  Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
• 1918 –
  Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984)
• 1943 –
  Konrad “Conny” Bauer, German musician
• 1948 –
  Ed Armbrister, baseball player
• 1957 –
  Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand
• 1960 –
  Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler
• 1963 –
  José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1973 –
  Michael Johnson, English-born Jamaican footballer
• 1979 –
  Renny Vega, Venezuelan soccer player

Who died on July 4?

• 965 –
  Pope Benedict V (b. unknown)
• 1603 –
  Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
• 1787 –
  Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
• 1826 –
  John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
• 1881 –
  Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (b. 1806)
• 1926 –
  Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Saint (b. 1901)
• 1984 –
  Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• 1997 –
  John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
• 2004 –
  Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man), British street entertainer (b. 1932)
• 2008 –
  Charles Wheeler, British journalist (b. 1923)