On July 4 ,1776, the Second Continental Congress signs the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. That's the misconception. In fact, the Declaration was adopted on July 4. The date of actual signings is disputed by historians; it was likely signed by all 56 delegates over the course of several days, some as long down the road as August. Footnote: Principle Declaration author Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, member of the declaration writing committee (and of course, our 3rd and 2nd Presidents) both died July 4, 1826. On July 4, 1863, General John C. Pemberton surrenders the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Union forces commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant, ending Grant's 40 day seige of the Confederacy's last stronghold on the Mississippi River. Pemberton asked for terms of surrender on the 3rd, and Grant responded with his customary, "no terms, unconditional surrender." Pemberton purposely delayed his response until the 4th, hoping the significance of the date would bring some mercy from Grant. He was correct: Grant decided he didn't want the responsibility of some 30,000 prisoners. Grant instead would allow the Confederates parole: they surrendered their artillery and rifles, and signed a pledge to return to their homes and not rejoin the war until properly exchanged for a prisoner of equal rank. (Such pledges were taken seriously and honored in 19th century warfare) On July 4, 1976, Israeli commandos execute Operation Thunderbolt, the action to rescue Israeli hostages being held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The hijacking of an Air France Airbus with 248 aboard had been conducted on June 27, just after the flight departed Tel Aviv. Diverting to Entebbe, all non-Israeli passengers were released, leaving 94 Israeli hostages and an air crew of 12, the hijackers demanding the release of more than Palestinian prisoners being held in 5 countries. The Israeli defense force successfully rescued 102 of the 106 hostages. (bullet damage from the raid to the former Entebbe control tower still visible in a 1994 photo) On July 4, 1054, Chinese astronomers notice a star so brilliant it continues to be visible even in the daytime, and remains visible for 2 years. It will eventually be identified as a supernova, an exploding star, and recorded as SN1054. Today, the remnants of SN1054 are the Crab Nebula. On July 4, 1862, Englishman Charles Dodgson is on a boat trip with friends when a child in the party, 10-year old Alice Lindell, asks him to tell her and the other children a story. Dodgson spontaneously weaves a tale of a bored girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole and experiences a bizarre land under the ground. The next day Dodgson begins putting the story to paper; he will publish it in 1865 under his pen name, Lewis Carrol, and the title Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
My wife likes me to tell her the things I write about here every day. Obviously she already knew about the Declaration, but she asked if this started the Revolutionary War. I said the fighting had already been going on for more than a year. She said, "So what was this, an FYI? Heads up?"
Didn't get around to posting on July .... On July 6, 1775, the Continental Congress "sets forth the causes and necessity of their taking up arms” against British authority in the American colonies. The declaration is written one day after Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition directly to King George III, a listing of grievances and a request to settle them peacefully. Both documents are carefully worded to lay the blame for said grievances at the feet of Parliament and not the king. On July 6, 1189, Richard, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, is crowned Richard I, king of England, at age 32. By the age of 18, Richard had already earned the nickname "The Lionheart" for his performance in battle. On July 6, 1933, the first Major League Baseball All Star game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. Conceived by Mayor Edward Kelly and Colonel Robert McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, to boost interest in the ongoing Chicago World's Fair, the game is billed as "The Game of the Century," its organizers believing it will be a one-time event. More than 47,000 attend the game won by the American League (with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig leading the lineup) 4-2. On July 6, 1957, its the annual Woolton Parish Church Garden Fete in Liverpool, England. The entertainment for the outdoor party is a brass band, a dog show, and a late addition to the program, a folk combo called Quarrymen Skiffle Group. In the audience, a 15-year old named Paul McCartney is amazed by the group, especially the showmanship of its leader. A mutual friend arranges a meet after the show, and the group's leader, 17-year old John Lennon, is equally amazed when McCartney begins showing off his own guitar skills. About 2 weeks later, Lennon would invite McCartney to join the band.....
On July 7, 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam begins. 28 years in conception and planning, and 5 years to build, Hoover Dam will be the largest structure of its kind at the time, and remains one of the world's largest manmade structures to this day. A big day for American women in history... 1976, women are accepted as cadets at West Point for the first time. 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated as the first female Supreme Court Justice 1865, Mary Surratt is the first woman executed in the U.S., for her part in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. On the morning of July 7, 2005, bombs are detonated in three crowded London subways and one bus during the peak of the city’s rush hour. The synchronized suicide bombings kill 56 people including the bombers and injure another 700. It is the largest attack on Great Britain since World War II. Al Quaida would eventually claim responsibility for the attack. On July 7, 1973, actor and martial arts master Bruce Lee dies in his sleep at age 32. His death is attributed to a swelling of the brain, a possible reaction to meds he was taking for severe headaches. Lee's first 5 films were mostly released to Asian audiences. Six days after his death, his newly-completed sixth movie, Enter the Dragon, will be released in Hong Kong. It will eventually find American audiences and propel Lee to superstardom. His final film, Game of Death, in which he appeared with his student and basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was never finished, though many of its best action sequences can be found on the internet. (scene from Enter the Dragon) On July 7, 1928, the Chillicothe Baking Company of Missouri unveils its newest product, packaged sliced bread. Engineer/inventor Otto F. Rohwedder gets credit for inventing the machine that gives us something so good, all good things since are considered "the best thing since sliced bread." I know, I kid.
On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry, representing the U.S. government, sails into Tokyo Bay, Japan, with a squadron of four vessels. Under threat of attack by the superior American ships, Japanese officials accept letters from President Millard Fillmore, making the United States the first Western nation to establish relations with Japan in 200 years. Nine months later, Perry returns to Tokyo with nine ships to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Japan. The practice of offering peaceful relations with a show of military strength comes to be known as "gunboat diplomacy." On July 8, 1951, officials for the city of Paris celebrate the city's turning 2,000 years old. Best estimates put the founding of the City of Lights at 250 B.C. by Gallic nomads, but the city instead goes with Julius Caesar's conquering of the area in 52 B.C. as a starting point
@mctiger uh Ceasar May have conquered Paris in 51bc but didn’t convert the Gauls to Christianity as Christ wasn’t born till 4 or 6 BC when Julius had been dead for 40 years or so. St. Denis was apostle to the Gauls was martyred in about 250 ad in the Montmartre indicating Paris was still pagan. France was a mix of pagan and christian likely until the early 500s when Clovis converted and forced the Franks to be baptized.
