Today in History - July 4
 

Today in History - July 4

Today is Sunday, July 4, the 186th day of 2004. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.



Today's Highlight in History:

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

On this date

In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, N.Y.

In 1804, 200 years ago, American author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Mass.

In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.



In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simpler living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Mass.

In 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, was born in Plymouth, Vt.

In 1917, during a ceremony in Paris honoring the French hero of the American Revolution, U.S. Lt. Col. Charles E. Stanton declared, "Lafayette, we are here!"

In 1939, baseball's "Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, said farewell to his fans at New York's Yankee Stadium.

In 1976, Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers.

In 1997, NASA's Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars, inaugurating a new era in the search for life on the Red Planet.

Ten years ago: Rwandan Tutsi rebels seized control of most of their country's capital, Kigali, and continued advancing on areas held by the Hutu-led government. The United States opened its embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a July 4 party.

Five years ago: White supremacist Benjamin Nathaniel Smith shot himself to death as police closed in on him in southern Illinois, hours after he'd apparently shot and killed a Korean man outside a church in Bloomington, Ind.; authorities believe Smith was also responsible for killing former college basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong during a three-day rampage targeting minorities. Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport won the singles titles at Wimbledon, defeating Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

One year ago

A speaker claiming to be Saddam Hussein called on Iraqis in a taped message to rally behind anti-U.S. resistance and promised "days of hardship" for the Americans. Attackers killed about 50 Shiite Muslim worshippers in a Pakistani mosque. President Bush visited Dayton, Ohio, to praise the work of U.S. troops and celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in the hometown of the Wright brothers. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after a woman accused him of sexual misconduct at a hotel near Vail, Colo. Rhythm and blues singer Barry White died in Los Angeles at age 58.

Today's Birthdays

Conductor Mitch Miller is 93. Advice columnist Pauline Phillips (the original "Dear Abby") is 86. Actress Eva Marie Saint is 80. Playwright Neil Simon is 77. Baseball team owner George Steinbrenner is 74. Country singer Ray Pillow is 67. Singer Bill Withers is 66. Actor Ed Bernard is 65. Actress Karolyn Grimes is 64. Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 61. Rhythm and blues musician Ralph Johnson (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 53. Rock musician Domingo Ortiz (Widespread Panic) is 52. Singer John Waite is 49. Rock musician Kirk Pengilly (INXS) is 46. Country musician Teddy Carr is 44. Rock D-J Zonka (Big Audio Dynamite) is 42. Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 42. Rock musician Matt Malley (Counting Crows) is 41. Actress Jenica Bergere is 30. Singer Stephen "Ste" McNally (BBMak) is 26.

Thought for Today: "America is American: that is incontestable." - Henry James, American author (1843-1916)

Re: Today in History - July 4
 

you're a day behind. I think we are in Monday