Almanac - Monday 7/4/22

1826 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, respectively the second and third presidents of the United States, die on the same day, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. Adams' last words were, "Thomas Jefferson survives," not knowing that Jefferson had died hours earlier.

1827 – Slavery is abolished in the State of New York.

1831 – Samuel Francis Smith writes "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4 festivities.

1832 – John Neal delivers the first public lecture in the US to advocate the rights of women.

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.

1855 – The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published in Brooklyn.

1862 – Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.

1881 – In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.

1892 – Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a year with 367 days.

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.

1911 – A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities.

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.

1946 – After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.

1950 – Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.

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.

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.

1976 – The U.S. celebrates its Bicentennial.

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.

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.

…and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You were born on the Fourth of July along with…

1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1864)

1826 – Stephen Foster, American songwriter and composer (d. 1864)

1872 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)

1883 – Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and engineer (d. 1970)

1898 – Gertrude Lawrence, British actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1952)

1902 – Meyer Lansky, American gangster (d. 1983)

1902 – George Murphy, American actor and politician (d. 1992)

1905 – Irving Johnson, American sailor and author (d. 1991)

1905 – Lionel Trilling, American critic, essayist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1975)

1911 – Mitch Miller, American singer and producer (d. 2010)

1916 – Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American typist and broadcaster (d. 2006)

1924 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress

1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer

1927 – Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2018)

1929 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)

1930 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman (d. 2010)

1938 – Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2020)

1941 – Sam Farr, American politician

1941 – Brian Willson, American soldier, lawyer, and activist

1942 – Peter Rowan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1943 – Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author

1946 – Ron Kovic, American author and activist

1946 – Michael Milken, American businessman and philanthropist

Almanac - Monday 7/4/22

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