1058 Pope Stephen IX (died), (born 1020)
1461 – Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton – Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England.
1461 Henry Percy (died), 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (born 1421)
1500 Cesare Borgia is given the title of Captain General and Gonfalonier by his father Rodrigo Borgia after returning from his conquests in the Romagna.
1602 John Lightfoot (born), English academic and scholar (died 1675)
1638 Swedish colonists establish the first European settlement in Delaware, naming it New Sweden.
1751 Thomas Coram (died), English captain and philanthropist, founded Foundling Hospital (born 1668)
1788 Charles Wesley (died), English clergyman and poet (born 1707)
1790 John Tyler (born), American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the United States (died 1862)
1792 – King Gustav III of Sweden (born 1746) dies after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier. He is succeeded by Gustav IV Adolf.
1800 Marc René, marquis de Montalembert (died), French engineer (born 1714)
1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway.
1809 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d’état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland’s four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.
1824 Ludwig Büchner (born), German physiologist, physician, and philosopher (died 1899)
1847 Mexican–American War: United States forces led by General Winfield Scott take Veracruz after a siege.
1848 John Jacob Astor (died), German-American businessman (born 1763)
1849 The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.
1857 Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company’s rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
1865 American Civil War: Federal forces under Major General Philip Sheridan move to flank Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign begins.
1867 Cy Young (born), American baseball player and manager (died 1955)
1867 Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes the Dominion of Canada on July 1.
1869 Aleš Hrdlička (born), Czech anthropologist (died 1943)
1871 The Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.
1879 Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.
1882 The Knights of Columbus are established.
1886 Dr. John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia.
1891 Georges Seurat (died), French painter (born 1859)
1902 William Walton (born), English composer (died 1983)
1906 E. Power Biggs (born), English-American organist (died 1977)
1908 Dennis O’Keefe (born), American actor (died 1968)
1912 Edward Adrian Wilson (died), English physician and explorer (born 1872)
1912 Henry Robertson Bowers (died), Scottish Lieutenant and explorer (born 1883)
1912 Robert Falcon Scott (died), English navy officer and explorer (born 1868)
1914 Chapman Pincher (born), Indian-English journalist, historian, and author
1916 Eugene McCarthy (born), American politician and author (died 2005)
1917 Man o’ War (born), American race horse (died 1947)
1918 Pearl Bailey (born), American actress and singer (died 1990)
1918 Sam Walton (born), American businessman, founded Walmart and Sam’s Club (died 1992)
1920 John M. Belk (born), American businessman and politician (died 2007)
1924 Charles Villiers Stanford (died), Irish composer and conductor (born 1852)
1929 Richard Lewontin (born), American biologist and geneticist
1936 Judith Guest (born), American author and screenwriter
1937 Billy Carter (born), American businessman and politician (died 1988)
1939 Roland Arnall (born), French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (died 2008)
1940 Ray Davis (born), American singer (The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic) (died 2005)
1941 The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time.
1941 British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
1943 Chad Allan (born), Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Guess Who and Brave Belt)
1943 Eric Idle (born), English actor and singer
1943 John Major (born), English banker and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1943 Vangelis (born), Greek keyboard player and songwriter (Aphrodite’s Child and Jon and Vangelis)
1945 John “Speedy” Keen (born), English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (Thunderclap Newman) (died 2002)
1945 World War II: Last day of V-1 flying bomb attacks on England.
1946 Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of Mexico’s leading universities, is founded.
1947 Bobby Kimball (born), American singer-songwriter (Toto and Yoso)
1947 Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule in Madagascar.
1951 Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.
1954 Karen Ann Quinlan (born), American medical patient (died 1985)
1955 Christopher Lawford (born), American actor and author
1956 Kurt Thomas (born), American gymnast
1961 The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.
1971 A Los Angeles, California jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers.
1971 My Lai massacre: Lieutenant William Calley is convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
1971 Robert Gibbs (born), American political adviser, 28th White House Press Secretary
1973 Vietnam War: The last United States combat soldiers leave South Vietnam.
1974 Local farmers in Lintong District, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China, discover the Terracotta Army that was buried with Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, in the 3rd century BCE.
1974 Marc Gené (born), Spanish race car driver
1974 NASA’s Mariner 10 becomes the first space probe to fly by Mercury.
1980 Mantovani (died), Italian-English conductor (born 1905)
1985 The Singing Nun (died), Belgian singer-songwriter and nun (born 1933)
1999 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the internet boom.
2001 John Lewis (died), American pianist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (born 1920)
2002 In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
2004 Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
2004 The Republic of Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants.
2005 Johnnie Cochran (died), American lawyer (born 1937)
2010 Two female suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
- Patriotism - 4 July, 2017
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- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017