What are the important events that happened on July 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

July 4: Facts & Myths About This Day

July 4 is the 186^th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is June 21, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 477,792 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectaoctacontahexagon’ day.

Cancer is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Ruby is the modern birthstone for this month. Ruby is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 209 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,213 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

July 4: This Day In History

The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

July 4 Historical Events

• 1810 –
  The French occupy Amsterdam.
• 1817 –
  At Rome, New York, United States, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
• 1831 –
  Samuel Francis Smith wrote My Country, 'Tis of Thee for the Boston, MA July 4th festivities.
• 1863 –
  The Army of Northern Virginia withdraws from the battlefield after its loss at the Battle of Gettysburg, signalling an end to the Southern invasion of the North.
• 1878 –
  Thoroughbred horses Ten Broeck and Mollie McCarty run a match race, immortalized in the song Molly and Tenbrooks.
• 1892 –
  Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
• 1939 –
  Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself “The luckiest man on the face of the earth” as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.
• 1947 –
  The “Indian Independence Bill” is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries – India and Pakistan.
• 1987 –
  In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka the “Butcher of Lyon”) is convicted of crimes against humanity and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
• 2004 –
  The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

Who were born on July 4?

• 1694 –
  Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772)
• 1845 –
  Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian (d. 1905)
• 1923 –
  Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss Federal Councilor
• 1930 –
  Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower
• 1937 –
  Sonja Haraldsen, Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V of Norway)
• 1946 –
  Ed O'Ross, American actor
• 1955 –
  John Waite, English singer
• 1975 –
  Tania Davis, Australian violist
• 1979 –
  Renny Vega, Venezuelan soccer player
• 1984 –
  Miguel Santos Soares, Timorese footballer

Who died on July 4?

• 973 –
  Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
• 1787 –
  Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
• 1946 –
  Gerda Steinhoff, Polish-born German concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
• 1964 –
  Henry (Hank) Sylvern, American radio personality (b. 1908)
• 1989 –
  Jack Haig, British actor (b. 1913)
• 1995 –
  Eva Gabor, Hungarian actress (b. 1919)
• 1997 –
  Charles Kuralt, American television presenter (b. 1934)
• 2008 –
  Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)
• 2009 –
  Allen Klein, American music executive (b. 1931)
• 2011 –
  Otto von Habsburg, last crown prince of Austria-Hungary and MEP (1979–1999) (b. 1912)