On This Day in History — July 4

Highlights of July 4

• 2024 — Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the United Kingdom general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative rule. Read more
• 1998 — The monster movie Pulgasari, the most-widely-seen North Korean film ever made, premiered in Tokyo, Japan. Read more
• 1988 — Kylie Minogue's first album, Kylie, was released, and went on to top the charts in the UK and New Zealand. Read more
• 1982 — Four Iranian diplomats were kidnapped after they were stopped at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon by Lebanese Phalange forces; their fates remain unknown. Read more
• 1976 — Israeli forces raided Uganda's Entebbe International Airport to free hostages taken by hijackers on Air France Flight 139. Read more
• 1954 — In what is known as "The Miracle of Bern", West Germany defeated Hungary 3–2 to win the FIFA World Cup. Read more
• 1951 — William Shockley announced the invention of the junction transistor, for which he, John Bardeen, and Walter Houser Brattain later won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Read more
• 1945 — The Brazilian cruiser Bahia (pictured) was accidentally sunk by one of its own crewmen, killing more than 300 people. Read more
• 1943 — The aircraft carrying Władysław Sikorski, prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile, crashed off Gibraltar, killing him and fifteen others and leading to several conspiracy theories. Read more
• 1941 — The Holocaust: During the German occupation of Latvia, a number of synagogues in Riga were set on fire, killing many Jews who were confined within. Read more
• 1941 — German AB-Aktion in Poland: After capturing Lwów, the Nazis executed professors of the University of Lwów along with their families. Read more
• 1918 — World War I: Allied forces led by the Australian general John Monash won the Battle of Hamel, demonstrating the effectiveness of combined-arms techniques in trench warfare. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Confederate forces failed in an attempt to recapture the Union-occupied Helena, Arkansas. Read more
• 1862 — In a boat on the River Thames from Oxford to Godstow, author Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell (pictured) and her sisters a story that later formed the basis for his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Read more
• 1837 — The Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction, opened between Birmingham and Newton Junction. Read more
• 1776 — In Philadelphia, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence (signing pictured), announcing that the thirteen American colonies were no longer a part of the British Empire. Read more
• 1643 — First English Civil War: Royalist forces defeated the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Burton Bridge, securing a crossing of the River Trent for a convoy of supplies travelling with Queen Henrietta Maria. Read more
• 1054 — Chinese astronomers recorded the sudden appearance of a "guest star", later identified as the supernova that created the Crab Nebula (pictured). Read more
• 414 — Byzantine emperor Theodosius II proclaimed his elder sister Aelia Pulcheria as Augusta. Read more

Events

• 2025 — A devastating flood strikes the Texas Hill Country, killing at least 108 people. Read more
• 2025 — The Oasis Live '25 tour begins in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, ending a 16-year hiatus. Read more
• 2024 — The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, wins a landslide majority in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government. Read more
• 2015 — Chile claims its first title in international football by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América final. Read more
• 2012 — The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN. Read more
• 2009 — The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks. Read more
• 2009 — The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao. Read more
• 2008 — A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people. Read more
• 2006 — Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program's history to occur on the United States' Independence Day. Read more
• 2005 — The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1. Read more
• 2004 — The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City. Read more
• 2004 — Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history. Read more
• 2002 — A Boeing 707 crashes near Bangui M'Poko International Airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, killing 28. Read more
• 2001 — Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport, killing all 145 people on board. Read more
• 1998 — Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation. Read more
• 1997 — NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars. Read more
• 1994 — Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city. Read more
• 1982 — Three Iranian diplomats and a journalist are kidnapped in Lebanon by Phalange forces, and their fate remains unknown. Read more
• 1982 — Space Shuttle program: Columbia lands at Edwards Air Force Base at the end of the program's final test flight, STS-4. President Ronald Reagan declares the Space Shuttle to be operational. Read more
• 1977 — The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit. Read more
• 1976 — Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists. Read more
• 1973 — Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago sign the Treaty of Chaguaramas in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago establishing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It replaces the Caribbean Free Trade Association as another step towards Caribbean regional integration. Read more
• 1966 — U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act went into effect the next year. Read more
• 1961 — On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years. Read more
• 1960 — The 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state over ten months prior (August 21, 1959), in accordance with the Flag Acts. Read more
• 1954 — Food rationing in Great Britain ends, with the lifting of restrictions on sale and purchase of meat, 14 years after it began early in World War II, and nearly a decade after the war's end. Read more
• 1951 — Cold War: A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on charges of espionage. Read more
• 1951 — William Shockley announces the invention of the junction transistor. Read more
• 1950 — Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts. Read more
• 1947 — The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the independence of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan. Read more
• 1946 — The Kielce pogrom against Jewish Holocaust survivors in Poland. Read more
• 1946 — After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: The Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world's largest tank battle, begins in the village of Prokhorovka. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: In Gibraltar, a Royal Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into the sea in an apparent accident moments after takeoff, killing sixteen passengers on board, including general Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile; only the pilot survives. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: The 250-day Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea ends when the city falls to Axis forces. Read more
• 1941 — Nazi crimes against the Polish nation: Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv. Read more
• 1941 — World War II: The Burning of the Riga synagogues: The Great Choral Synagogue in German-occupied Riga is burnt with 300 Jews locked in the basement. Read more
• 1939 — Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball. Read more
• 1927 — First flight of the Lockheed Vega. Read more
• 1918 — Mehmed V died at the age of 73 and Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne. Read more
• 1918 — World War I: The Battle of Hamel, a successful attack by the Australian Corps against German positions near the town of Le Hamel on the Western Front. Read more
• 1914 — The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations in Sarajevo. Read more
• 1913 — President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913. Read more
• 1911 — A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities. Read more
• 1910 — The Johnson–Jeffries riots occur after African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. Between 11 and 26 people are killed and hundreds more injured. Read more
• 1903 — The Philippine–American War is officially concluded. Read more
• 1901 — William Howard Taft becomes American governor of the Philippines. Read more
• 1898 — En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks with the loss of 549 lives, one of the worst maritime disasters in history. Read more
• 1894 — The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole. Read more
• 1892 — Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a leap year with 367 days. Read more
• 1887 — The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi. Read more
• 1886 — The Canadian Pacific Railway's first scheduled train from Montreal arrives in Port Moody on the Pacific coast, after six days of travel. Read more
• 1881 — In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens. Read more
• 1879 — Anglo-Zulu War: The Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg: The Confederate army in Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege, contributing to the Union capture of the Mississippi River. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Union forces repulse a Confederate army at the Battle of Helena in Arkansas. The battle thwarts a Rebel attempt to relieve pressure on the besieged city of Vicksburg, and paves the way for the Union capture of Little Rock. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Retreat from Gettysburg: The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee withdraws from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signaling an end to his last invasion of the North. Read more
• 1862 — Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels. Read more
• 1855 — The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published in Brooklyn. Read more
• 1845 — Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement. Read more

Born on July 4

• 2003 — Polina Bogusevich, Russian singer Read more
• 1999 — Moa Kikuchi, Japanese musician Read more
• 1995 — Post Malone, American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Read more
• 1993 — Tom Barkhuizen, English footballer Read more
• 1992 — Ángel Romero, Paraguayan footballer Read more
• 1992 — Óscar Romero, Paraguayan footballer Read more
• 1990 — Jake Gardiner, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1990 — Richard Mpong, Ghanaian footballer Read more
• 1990 — Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer Read more
• 1990 — Ihar Yasinski, Belarusian footballer Read more
• 1989 — Benjamin Büchel, Liechtensteiner footballer Read more
• 1988 — Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress Read more
• 1987 — Wude Ayalew, Ethiopian runner Read more
• 1987 — Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer Read more
• 1986 — Ömer Aşık, Turkish basketball player Read more
• 1986 — Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Vietnamese footballer Read more
• 1986 — Rafael Arévalo, Salvadoran tennis player Read more
• 1986 — Willem Janssen, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1986 — Terrance Knighton, American football player Read more
• 1986 — Marte Elden, Norwegian skier Read more
• 1985 — Kane Tenace, Australian footballer Read more
• 1985 — Dimitrios Mavroeidis, Greek basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Wason Rentería, Colombian footballer Read more
• 1984 — Jin Akanishi, Japanese singer-songwriter Read more
• 1983 — Melanie Fiona, Canadian singer-songwriter Read more
• 1983 — Amantle Montsho, Botswanan sprinter Read more
• 1983 — Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer Read more
• 1983 — Amol Rajan, Indian-English journalist Read more
• 1983 — Mattia Serafini, Italian footballer Read more
• 1982 — Vladimir Boisa, Georgian basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Vladimir Gusev, Russian cyclist Read more
• 1982 — Jeff Lima, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1982 — Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, American model, author and television personality Read more
• 1981 — Dedé, Angolan footballer Read more
• 1981 — Brock Berlin, American football player Read more
• 1981 — Christoph Preuß, German footballer Read more
• 1981 — Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player Read more
• 1981 — Will Smith, American football player (died 2016) Read more
• 1980 — Kwame Steede, Bermudan footballer Read more
• 1979 — Siim Kabrits, Estonian politician Read more

Died on July 4

• 2025 — Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (born 1964) Read more
• 2025 — Richard Greenberg, American playwright and television writer (born 1958) Read more
• 2025 — Bobby Jenks, American baseball player (born 1981) Read more
• 2025 — Peter Russell-Clarke, Australian chef, author and illustrator (born 1935) Read more
• 2025 — Mark Snow, American composer for film and television (born 1946) Read more
• 2022 — Cláudio Hummes, Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1934) Read more
• 2022 — Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese manga artist (born 1961) Read more
• 2021 — Harmoko, Indonesian politician, former parliament speaker and government minister (born 1939) Read more
• 2021 — Matīss Kivlenieks, Latvian ice hockey goaltender (born 1996) Read more
• 2018 — Henri Dirickx, Belgian footballer (born 1927) Read more
• 2018 — Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (born 1940) Read more
• 2017 — John Blackwell, American R&B, funk, and jazz drummer (born 1973) Read more
• 2017 — Daniil Granin, Soviet and Russian author (born 1919) Read more
• 2017 — Gene Conley, American MLB player and NBA player (born 1930) Read more
• 2016 — Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (born 1940) Read more
• 2015 — Nedelcho Beronov, Bulgarian judge and politician (born 1928) Read more
• 2015 — William Conrad Gibbons, American historian, author, and academic (born 1926) Read more
• 2014 — Giorgio Faletti, Italian author, screenwriter, and actor (born 1950) Read more
• 2014 — C. J. Henderson, American author and critic (born 1951) Read more
• 2014 — Earl Robinson, American baseball player (born 1936) Read more
• 2014 — Richard Mellon Scaife, American businessman (born 1932) Read more
• 2013 — Onllwyn Brace, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (born 1932) Read more
• 2013 — Jack Crompton, English footballer and manager (born 1921) Read more
• 2013 — James Fulton, American dermatologist and academic (born 1940) Read more
• 2013 — Charles A. Hines, American general (born 1935) Read more
• 2013 — Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (born 1960) Read more
• 2012 — Hiren Bhattacharyya, Indian poet and author (born 1932) Read more
• 2012 — Jimmy Bivins, American boxer (born 1919) Read more
• 2012 — Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (born 1987) Read more
• 2012 — Eric Sykes, English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1923) Read more
• 2010 — Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (born 1927) Read more
• 2009 — Brenda Joyce, American actress (born 1917) Read more
• 2009 — Allen Klein, American businessman and talent agent, founded ABKCO Records (born 1931) Read more
• 2009 — Drake Levin, American guitarist (born 1946) Read more
• 2009 — Steve McNair, American football player (born 1973) Read more
• 2009 — Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author and actor (born 1935) Read more
• 2009 — Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese poet and politician (born 1938) Read more
• 2008 — Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (born 1940) Read more
• 2008 — Jesse Helms, American politician (born 1921) Read more
• 2008 — Evelyn Keyes, American actress (born 1916) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Antoine Daniel; Christian feast day: Andrew of Crete; Christian feast day: Bertha of Artois; Christian feast day: Blessed Catherine Jarrige; Christian feast day: Blessed Józef Kowalski; Christian feast day: Pier Giorgio Frassati; Christian feast day: Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal); Christian feast day: Oda of Canterbury; Christian feast day: Ulrich of Augsburg; Christian feast day: July 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); CARICOM Day; The first evening of Dree Festival, celebrated until July 7 (Apatani people, Arunachal Pradesh, India); Independence Day (United States); Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands); Liberation Day (Rwanda); Republic Day (Philippines)

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