993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized
1636 – Providence, Rhode Island, is founded by Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
1672 – States of Holland declare the “Eternal Edict” void and appoint William III as stadholder
1876 – First public exhibition of electric light in San Francisco
1894 – Republic of Hawai’i is proclaimed, Sanford B Dole as serves as the first and only elected president
1914 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers wins her 7th and last Wimbledon singles title beating Ethel Larcombe 7-5, 6-4
1968 – Lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in July at 41°F
1980 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley beats Chris Evert 6-1, 7-6 for her 3rd Wimbledon singles crown
Author: gil7
Today in History for 4th July 2026
Historical Events
1845 – Texas Congress votes almost unanimously for annexation to US
1904 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: Laurence Doherty and Reggie Doherty beat Paul de Borman and William le Maire de Warzée 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 to give British Isles an unassailable 3-0 lead over Belgium (ends 5-0)
1912 – Jack Johnson beats “Fireman” Jim Flynn by disqualification in 9 in Las Vegas to retain world heavyweight boxing title
1944 – Allied forces in Normandy fire a coordinated Fourth of July salute against German lines, using 1,100 American guns
2025 – MLB Chicago Cubs belt franchise record 8 home runs in 11-3 win over visiting St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field
Famous Birthdays
1753 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French ballonist (1st balloon flights in England and U.S.), born in Les Andelys, France (d. 1809)
1845 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish-born British social worker, and philanthropist (established Barnardo homes for children), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1905)
1921 – Gérard Debreu, French-American economist (Nobel Prize, 1983), born in Calais, France (d. 2004)
1931 – Duncan Lamont, Scottish jazz and session trumpet and saxophone player, arranger, and songwriter (“I Told You So”), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2019)
1948 – Jeremy Spencer, British rock guitarist (Fleetwood Mac – “Oh Well”), born in Hartlepool, County Durham, England
Famous Deaths
943 – Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (918 to 943), unified the Later Three Kingdoms, dies at 70
973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, Prince-Bishop of Augsburg and first saint to be canonized by a Pope, dies at 82 or 83 (b. 890)
1826 – John Adams, Second US President (1797-1801), Vice President (1789-97) and Founding Father, dies at 90
1976 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israel commander killed freeing Israeli hostages during Operation Entebbe in Uganda, at 30 years
2021 – Richard Lewontin, American geneticist (The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm), dies at 92
Famous Deaths for 3rd July 2026
1704 – Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia (1682-89), dies at 46
1863 – Richard B. Garnett, American Confederate Brigadier General, killed during Pickett’s Charge, Battle of Gettysburg at 45
1863 – Samuel K. Zook, American Union general-major, dies of his wounds from the Battle of Gettysburg at 40
1890 – Gilman Marston, American Brigadier General (Union Army) and politician (R-NH), dies at 78
1978 – James Daly, American actor (Medical Center, Planet of the Apes), dies of heart failure at 59
1996 – B. Gerald Cantor, American investment banker, philanthropist and arts patron (Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation), dies at 79
2004 – Andrian Nikolayev, Soviet cosmonaut (Vostok 3), dies at 73
2004 – John Barron, British actor (Emergency – Ward 10; The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin), dies at 83
2018 – Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (Breaking the Waves, Dead Man, Korczak), dies at 78
2023 – Vince Tobin, American football coach (head coach Arizona Cardinals 1996-2000), dies at 79
Historical Events for 3rd July 2026
1849 – French forces enter Rome to restore Pope Pius IX to power, providing a major obstacle to Italian unification
1861 – Pony Express arrives in San Francisco with overland letters from New York
1876 – Montenegro formally declares war on the Ottoman Empire
1900 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: R.F. Doherty beats Sydney Smith 6-8, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 for his 4th consecutive Wimbledon singles title
1940 – German occupiers forbid using Dutch royal names
1974 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 14 carries two cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3
1977 – Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew’s nine-race winning streak ends in the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park, where he finishes fourth
2006 – US Open Women’s Golf, Newport CC: Annika Sörenstam wins her 10th and final major title by 4 strokes in a playoff with Pat Hurst
Today in History for 3rd July 2026
Historical Events
987 – Hugh Capet, is coronated as King of France, in Paris, after being elected by the nobility
1849 – French forces enter Rome to restore Pope Pius IX to power, providing a major obstacle to Italian unification
1884 – Dow Jones publishes its first stock index, the Dow Jones Transportation Average
1886 – In Germany, Karl Benz first drives the first automobile in Mannheim at a top speed of 16 km/h (10 mph)
1988 – Gene Nelson of the Oakland A’s becomes first AL pitcher to steal a base since 1973 in 9-8 win over Toronto Blue Jays
Famous Birthdays
1906 – Alberto Lleras Camargo, Colombian journalist and politician (President of Colombia, 1945-46 and 1958-62; Secretary General of the Organization of American States, 1948–54), born in Bogotá, Colombia (d. 1990)
1913 – Hugh Stirling Mackenzie, British Royal Navy officer, born in Inverness, Scotland (d. 1996)
1923 – Sue Ryder, Baroness Ryder of Warsaw and Cavendish, British volunteer with Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England (d. 2000)
1959 – Stoyan Deltchev, Bulgarian gymnast (Olympic gold horizontal bar 1980), born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
1970 – Shawnee Smith, American actress (Saw), born in Orangeburg, South Carolina
Famous Deaths
1863 – Little Crow [Ta-oya-te-duta], Mdewakanton Dakota leader (Treaty of Mendota), shot and killed by settlers at about 53
1863 – Elon John Farnsworth, American Brigadier General (Union Army), dies at the battle of Gettysburg at 25
1918 – Mehmed V, 35th Ottoman Sultan (1909-18), dies at 73
1994 – Pieter Hennipman, Dutch economist, dies at 85
2025 – David Mabuza, Deputy President of South Africa (2018-23), dies at 64
Famous Deaths for 2nd July 2026
1298 – Adolf, German Count of Nassau, King of the Roman (1292-98), dies in the battle of Göllheim at about 43
1911 – Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), dies at 54
1918 – Mehmed V Resjad, Sultan of Turkey (1909-18), dies at 73
1946 – Anthony Overton, publisher/cosmetics manufacturer/banker, dies at 81
1949 – Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian Communist leader (Prime Minister 1946-49), dies at 67
1975 – James Robertson Justice, British actor (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Moby-Dick), dies from complication following a stroke at 68
1987 – Michael Bennett, American theater director and choreographer (Chorus Line), dies of AIDS at 44
1994 – Marion Williams, American gospel singer (Stars of Faith), dies of diabetes at 66
1995 – Krissy Taylor, American model (17 Mag), dies of respiratory problems at 17
2022 – Saúl Lorenzo Rivero, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (9 caps; Liverpool de Montevideo, Atlético Español México), dies at 67
Historical Events for 2nd July 2026
706 – Remains of Chinese Emperor Gaozong, his wife Empress Wu Zetian and family members interred in Qianling Mausoleum by Emperor Zhongzong, outside Chang’an on Mount Liangshan
1858 – Russia implements partial emancipation of serfs
1902 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Muriel Robb wins her only major title with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of fellow Briton Charlotte Cooper
1926 – US Army Air Corps created; Distinguished Flying Cross authorized, to award “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight”
1979 – First US coin to honor a woman is issued with Susan B. Anthony
2005 – Live 8 concert in front of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; performers include Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, The Black-Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, and Linkin Park
2020 – Funeral for slain Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo amid nationwide unrest at his death that has killed over 80 people
2022 – Largest ever exhibition on African fashion “Africa Fashion” opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
Today in History for 2nd July 2026
Historical Events
1954 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Czech Jaroslav Drobný beats Ken Rosewall of Australia 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7 for his only Wimbledon singles title
1990 – TV cooking competition show “MasterChef” presented by Loyd Grossman, and created by Franc Roddam, first airs in the UK
1995 – LA Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo is first Japanese player to be selected for a MLB All-Star Game when he is named in the NL squad
2019 – Virginie Viard presents her first haute couture collection as designer at Chanel after the death of Karl Lagerfeld at the Grand Palais
2020 – Funeral for slain Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa in Ambo amid nationwide unrest at his death that has killed over 80 people
Famous Birthdays
1363 – Maria, Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria, born in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily (d. 1401)
1589 – Guillaume Messaus, Flemish composer, born in Antwerp, Dutch Republic (d. 1640)
1903 – Alec Douglas-Home, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1963-64), born in London (d. 1995)
1949 – Hanno Pöschl, Austrian actor (“Exit…But No Panic”; “Tales from the Vienna Woods”), born in Vienna, Austria
1958 – Thomas Bickerton, American Methodist bishop, born in Glen Dale, West Virginia
Famous Deaths
1778 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher, political theorist, and writer (Confessions) whose works inspired French Revolution leaders and Romantic academics, dies of cerebral bleeding from a stroke at 66
1917 – Herbert Beerbohm Tree, British actor and theatre manager (King John, Trilby), dies at 64
1963 – Seth Barnes Nicholson, American astronomer who discovered four satellites of Jupiter, dies at 71
2013 – Fawzia Fuad, Egyptian princess who became Queen of Iran as the first wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, dies at 91
2020 – Betsy Ancker-Johnson, American physicist (plasmas), inventor (high-frequency signal generator), first woman Presidential appointee to the Department of Commerce and first woman VP in the automotive industry, dies at 93
Famous Deaths for 1st July 2026
1943 – Johan Brouwer, Dutch writer, Hispanist, and anti-Nazi resistance fighter, executed at 45
1963 – Camille Chautemps, French politician (Prime Minister of France, 1930, 1933-34, and 1937-38), dies at 78
1982 – Ray Scarborough, American MLB pitcher (All Star 1950), dies at 64
1989 – Chauncey Haughton, American jazz clarinetist, and saxophonist (Blanche Calloway; Chick Webb; Cab Calloway), dies at 80
1994 – Johanna Ader-Appels, resistance fighter/author, dies
2005 – Luther Vandross, American soul singer, songwriter (“Endless Love”; “Dance With My Father”), and vocal arranger (David Bowie – Young Americans), dies of a heart attack at 54
2014 – Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician, dies at 76
2017 – Heathcote Williams [John Henly Heathcote Williams], British poet, actor and political activist, dies at 75
2020 – Everton Weekes, West Indian cricket batsman (48 Tests; 4,455 runs @ 58.61, 15 x 100s), dies at 95
2025 – Brian Clarke, British artist known for his work with stained glass (World Without End), dies of cancer at 71
Historical Events for 1st July 2026
1535 – Thomas More goes on trial in England on charges of treason for refusing to accept Henry VIII’s supremacy over the Pope
1858 – First Canadian coins minted (1, 5, 10 and 20 cent) at the Royal Mint in London, England
1861 – US War Department decrees that Kansas and Tennessee are to be canvassed for volunteers
1889 – US mint at Carson City, Nevada, officially reopens after a four-year hiatus
1916 – Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner, at 42 and 4 months, connects at Cincinnati to become the oldest to hit an inside-the-park HR; Pirates beat Reds, 2-1
1925 – Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs is created in UK
1932 – NY Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated for president at Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois
1981 – Prince Willem-Alexander opens the C. Veerling designed 318-meter cable-stayed Willemsbrug Bridge in Rotterdam