This Day in History: What Happened Today in History – 04 July

July 4 is one such day—packed with powerful events that shaped nations, cultures, and people.

Of course, we all know that July 4, 1776, is the day the United States declared independence from Great Britain. But that's just the beginning. 

Did you know two U.S. presidents—Jefferson and Adams—died on the same July 4? Or that on this day, Saladin won a significant battle in 1187, and Saint Ulrich was canonised in 993?

From ancient treaties and fierce battles to significant scientific milestones, key inventions, and civil rights achievements, this date resonates across time.

In this article, we'll explore the many historic events that happened on July 4. Let's travel back in time and see what made today unforgettable.

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What Happened on this Day – July 04?

Here’s what happened in history on July 04:

Early History & Medieval Events

• 836 – Pactum Sicardi signed, a peace deal between Benevento and Naples.
• 993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is officially declared a saint.
• 1054 – Chinese astronomers record the brightest supernova, SN 1054 (Crab Nebula).
• 1120 – Jordan II becomes prince after his infant nephew dies.
• 1187 – Saladin defeats Crusader armies at the Battle of Hattin near Tiberias.
• 1301 – The Battle of Breukelen was fought between Holland and Lichtenberg.
• 1359 – Francesco II Ordelaffi surrenders to the Papal army.
• 1415 – Pope Gregory XII (Angelo Correr) steps down to help end a church split.
• 1453 – 41 Jewish people were burnt at the stake in Breslau.

Kings, Rulers & Power Changes

• 1534 – Christian III chosen as King of Denmark and Norway.
• 1610 – The Polish-Lithuanian army defeats Russia and Sweden at the Battle of Klushino.
• 1634 – Trois-Rivières was founded in New France (now Quebec, Canada).
• 1636 – Providence, Rhode Island, is founded.
• 1652 – The Prince of Condé starts a bloody fight in Paris.
• 1653 – The English Barebones Parliament begins its session.
• 1672 – William III is made stadholder after Holland cancels the "Eternal Edict".
• 1693 – Battle at Boussu-lez-Walcourt between French, English, and Dutch armies.
• 1708 – King Charles XII of Sweden wins a surprise battle at Holowczyn.

United States Independence & Related Events

• 1754 – George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to the French.
• 1774 – Orangetown Resolutions protest British laws in New York.
• 1776 – The Liberty Bell was said to ring during the independence vote.
• 1776 – U.S. Congress declares independence from Great Britain.
• 1779 – French forces take control of Grenada during a naval war.
• 1782 – William Petty becomes British Prime Minister.
• 1785 – James Hutton shares his geology theory called uniformitarianism.
• 1789 – The First U.S. Tariff Act is signed.
• 1796 – First Independence Day celebration held in the U.S.
• 1802 – U.S. Military Academy opens at West Point, NY.
• 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people.

Growth, Invention & Expansion

• 1810 – French troops occupy Amsterdam.
• 1817 – Construction starts on the Erie Canal in Rome, New York.
• 1819 – William Herschel makes his last observation of a comet.
• 1826 – Presidents Jefferson and Adams both died on this day.
• 1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York.
• 1828 – Work begins on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
• 1829 – The Second U.S. Mint's cornerstone was laid in Philadelphia.
• 1829 – The First London "omnibus" bus service begins.
• 1831 – Song "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" sung for the first time.
• 1836 – Wisconsin Territory is formed.
• 1837 – The Grand Junction Railway opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
• 1838 – 26 children die in a mine flood in England, leading to safety laws.
• 1838 – Iowa Territory is created from Wisconsin Territory.
• 1840 – The First Cunard Line ship sails across the Atlantic to Halifax, Canada.

Culture, Books & Important Firsts

• 1845 – Henry David Thoreau moved to Walden Pond.
• 1845 – Texas Congress votes to join the United States.
• 1855 – Walt Whitman publishes the first edition of Leaves of Grass.
• 1861 – Abraham Lincoln asks Congress for 400,000 troops.
• 1861 – A Skirmish happens at Harper's Ferry.
• 1862 – Lewis Carroll created Alice in Wonderland during a boat trip.
• 1863 – Boise, Idaho, is founded.
• 1863 – The Confederate army fails in an attack on Helena, Arkansas.
• 1863 – General Lee retreats after Gettysburg.
• 1863 – Vicksburg surrenders to Union forces.
• 1865 – The First edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
• 1866 – A Fire in Portland, Maine, destroyed half the city.
• 1867 – Texas Republican Party founded.
• 1868 – The Battle of Ueno marks the end of Japan's Tokugawa period.
• 1868 – Maori leader Te Kooti escapes from exile and returns to New Zealand.

Monuments, Movements & Milestones

• 1873 – An Aquarium opens in San Francisco.
• 1874 – The Social Democratic Workmen's Party of North America is formed.
• 1875 – White Democrats attack Black residents in Vicksburg.
• 1876 – The First electric light show was held in San Francisco.
• 1876 – Bartholdi visits the site for the Statue of Liberty.
• 1879 – The African National Congress is formed in the Cape Colony.
• 1879 – Zulu King Cetshwayo defeated at Battle of Ulundi.
• 1881 – Booker T. Washington opens Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
• 1882 – Telegraph Hill Observatory opens in San Francisco.
• 1883 – Buffalo Bill Cody launches his Wild West show.
• 1884 – The Statue of Liberty is officially presented to the U.S. in Paris.
• 1886 – The First cross-Canada passenger train arrives in British Columbia.

World Leaders & Global Shifts

• 1887 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah begins studies in Karachi.
• 1888 – The First organised rodeo was held in Arizona.
• 1889 – Washington State's constitutional convention begins.
• 1892 – James Keir Hardie becomes the first socialist in the British Parliament.
• 1892 – Western Samoa had two July 4ths due to the date line change.
• 1894 – The Early American car was tested at 6 MPH.
• 1894 – The Republic of Hawaii is declared.
• 1895 – "America the Beautiful" is published.
• 1898 – French ship sinks; 560 people die.
• 1898 – U.S. flag raised over Wake Island in the Spanish-American War.

Global Conflicts & World Wars

• 1900 – Louis Lépine founded the Sûreté, a police force in Paris.
• 1903 – Dorothy Levitt becomes the first British woman to race a car.
• 1903 – The First cross-country automobile trip reaches California.
• 1904 – American boxer Jack Johnson wins his first title fight.
• 1908 – The U.S. Navy's Great White Fleet arrives in San Francisco.
• 1910 – African-American boxer Jack Johnson fights in the famous "Fight of the Century".
• 1911 – Germany sends gunboat Panther to Morocco, sparking tension in Europe.
• 1914 – The Funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was held in Austria.
• 1918 – Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI declares jihad against the Allies in WWI.
• 1918 – Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire dies.
• 1919 – Jack Dempsey wins the world heavyweight title.
• 1926 – American soldiers leave the Dominican Republic after an eight-year occupation.

American Politics & Society

• 1930 – U.S. Congress creates the Veterans Administration.
• 1934 – Leo Szilard patents the concept of a nuclear chain reaction.
• 1939 – Lou Gehrig makes his famous "Luckiest Man" farewell speech.
• 1941 – United States exports to the Axis powers are cut off during WWII.
• 1942 – News of Nazi gas chambers reaches Switzerland.
• 1946 – The Philippines became independent from the United States.
• 1947 – The U.S. introduces the AK-47 rifle design to testing.
• 1948 – Britain grants independence to Burma (now Myanmar).
• 1950 – The First radio broadcast of "The Lives of Harry Lime" airs, starring Orson Welles.
• 1954 – Food rationing ends in Britain, nine years after the end of World War II.

Music, Culture & Celebrations

• 1959 – 49th star (for Alaska) added to U.S. flag.
• 1960 – 50th star (for Hawaii) added to U.S. flag.
• 1966 – The Beatles perform at Rizal Stadium in Manila, greeted by 80,000 fans.
• 1969 – The Rolling Stones perform a free concert in Hyde Park, London.
• 1970 – Casey Kasem debuts "American Top 40" on the radio.
• 1976 – Bicentennial celebrations across the U.S. mark 200 years of independence.
• 1980 – Björn Borg wins his fifth Wimbledon title.
• 1982 – Ozzy Osbourne marries Sharon Arden.
• 1987 – Baseball player Don Mattingly sets the record for grand slams in a season.
• 1992 – Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is nominated for U.S. president.
• 1996 – Hotmail launches its email service on July 4, not Independence Day.
• 1997 – NASA's Pathfinder rover lands on Mars and sends back images.
• 1999 – U.S. women's soccer team beats Germany in World Cup semifinal.

Modern History & 21st Century Events

• 2001 – Vladivostok–North Korea railway line opens for trade and travel.
• 2004 – The Cornerstone of the Freedom Tower (now One World Trade Centre) is laid in NYC.
• 2004 – Greece wins UEFA Euro 2004 by defeating Portugal.
• 2005 – NASA's Deep Impact probe hits comet Tempel 1 to study its interior.
• 2006 – North Korea test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2.
• 2009 – The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after an eight-year closure.
• 2012 – CERN announces the discovery of the Higgs boson (God Particle).
• 2015 – BP agrees to pay $18.7 billion for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill damages.
• 2016 – NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter.
• 2017 – North Korea successfully tests its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
• 2019 – The U.S. celebrates its first military-themed Independence Day parade under President Trump.
• 2020 – COVID-19 restrictions impact July 4th celebrations across the U.S.
• 2022 – Highland Park, Illinois, shooting occurs during a Fourth of July parade.
• 2023 – Record-breaking heat wave affects multiple U.S. states during Independence Day.

Which Famous Personalities Were Born and Died on July 04?

Here are the most notable famous personalities born and died on July 04:

Born on July 4

• Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933): 30th U.S. President—the only one born on Independence Day.
• Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864): American novelist, author of The Scarlet Letter.
• Stephen Foster (1826–1864): Composer behind "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races" 
• Rube Goldberg (1883–1970): Cartoonist famous for his humorously complex machines.
• Neil Simon (1927–2018): Legendary American playwright (The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park).
• Gina Lollobrigida (1927–2023): Iconic Italian actress and photographer. 
• Gloria Stuart (1910–2010): Titanic actress and Oscar nominee at 87.
• Bill Withers (1938–2020): Singer-songwriter of "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine” .
• Geraldo Rivera (born 1943): Television journalist and commentator.
• Ron Kovic (born 1946): Vietnam veteran and activist, author of Born on the Fourth of July.
• Eva Marie Saint (born 1924): Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress, turned 100 in 2024.
• Post Malone (born 1995): Rapper and singer known for "Rockstar” .
• Malia Obama (born 1998): First daughter, daughter of President Barack Obama.

Died on July 4

• Marie Curie (1867–1934): Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist 
• Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902): Influential Indian spiritual leader and philosopher 
• Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835–1910): Italian astronomer who mapped Mars ("canali").
• Melville Fuller (1833–1910): Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 
• Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943): Polish Prime Minister and army general during WWII.

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