It happened on the

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

July 4, 1054 – The brightest known supernova – SN 1054 – is reported by Chinese astrologers. The remnant of the supernova is now known as the Crab Nebula. The supernova remained visible for around two years.

July 4, 1754 – Making history as George Washington's only military surrender was the Battle of Fort Necessity (during the French and Indian War), which began on July 3 and ended with Washington's surrender of the fort to French forces on July 4.

July 4, 1776 – The United States Congress proclaims the Declaration of Independence, which declares the colony's independence from Britain.

July 4, 1789 – The first U.S. Tariff act is signed by President George Washington.

July 4, 1802 – The first U.S. military academy opens at West Point, N.Y. President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation that established the United States Military Academy on this date. West Point had prior history that dated back to the Revolutionary War.

July 4, 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people on this date. The United States acquired some 828,000 miles of Louisiana Territory that extended from what is now the State of Louisiana upwards to the State of Montana. The purchase was ratified in October, and in December of 1803, France transfered the region to the United States.

July 4, 1817 – In Rome, N.Y., construction workers broke ground on what would eventually be the Erie Canal. By the time the canal was completed, it would extend 363 miles from the Great Lakes to the Hudson River.

July 4, 1826 – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, two men who served as founding fathers and later as presidents for the United States of America and consistently went head-to-head as political adversaries, both died on the same day – July 4. Jefferson passed away in Monticello, Va., while Adams passed away in Quincy, Mass.

July 4, 1827 – In 1799, New York passed a Gradual Emancipation act that freed slave children who were born after July 4, 1799. However, the Gradual Emancipation act declared that the slave children would be indentured until they were young adults. In 1817, a new law passed that would free slaves born before 1799 but not until 1827. By the 1830 census there were only 75 slaves in New York and the 1840 census listed no slaves in New York City.

July 4, 1829 – The first London bus “omnibus” is operated by George Shillibeer.

July 4, 1831 – “America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)” is first sung in Boston. The lyrics took songwriter Samuel Francis Smith just 30 minutes to write, and were put to the melody of the national anthem in the United Kingdom, “God Save the Queen.” The song was first performed by a children’s choir at an Independence Day celebration that year at Park Street Church in Boston, Mass.

July 4, 1840 – The RMS Britannia began her maiden voyage on this date. The ship's departure from Liverpool bound to Nova Scotia was the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.

July 4, 1845 – The Republic of Texas, an independent country, comes to an end in 1845 after Texas agrees to become a member of The United States. Prior to being a republic, Texas had been claimed by Spain, France and Mexico, but on July 4, 1845, the Texas Congress agreed to accept an offer to become a state. On Feb. 14, 1846, Texas formally relinquished its sovereignty to the U.S.

July 4, 1862 – Charles Dodgson (aka: Lewis Carroll) creates Alice in Wonderland for Alice Liddell, daughter of Dodgson's friend Dean Henry Liddell, during a family boat trip. The first edition of the book would be published years later on July 4, 1865.

July 4, 1866 – A firecracker thrown into a pile of wood started a fire in Portland, Maine that would destroy half of the city and leave thousands homeless.

July 4, 1870 – Independence Day is celebrated as federal holiday! Prior to this day, American citizens had unofficially celebrated their independence in July. However, on June 28, 1870, the United States government chose to make that year's independence celebrations into a federal holiday, making July 4, 1870 the first-ever federally-endorsed Independence Day.

July 4, 1872 – 30th U.S. President John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. is born in Vermont.

July 4, 1881 – Booker T. Washington established the Tuskegee University, then called the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers

July 4, 1883 – Buffalo Bill Cody presents his first Wild West Show in North Platte, Neb.

July 4, 1884 – The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States, in Paris. The statue wouldn't make its full appearance in New York until June 17, 1885.

July 4, 1895 – Katherine Lee Bates publishes America the Beautiful.

July 4, 1901 – Former judge William Howard Taft is installed as the first governor-general of the Philippines and declares amnesty for all insurgents who take an oath of allegiance. A year later, on July 4 1902, civil government is established and President Theodore Roosevelt offers general amnesty to all insurgents.

July 4, 1911 – Vernon, Vt., reaches 105 F, and Nashua, N.H., reaches 106 F, both heat records for the two states.

July 4, 1914 – The first United States motorcycle race is held on this date, starting in Dodge City, Kan., and encompassing 300 miles.

July 4, 1944 – The first Japanese kamikaze attack on a U.S. fleet takes place near Iwo Jima, which will eventually lead to U.S. Marines – including Monticello native “Boots” Thomas – raising the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.

July 4, 1946 – Philippines is granted their full independence from the United States. The day is celebrated in the Philippines as “Republic Day.”

July 4, 1954 – Food rationing officially ends in Britain, nine years after World War II.

July 4, 1966 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act, which mandates the disclosure of certain information held by the United States government, and allows the general public to request crime data, trial and court history transcripts, investigative reports and other public documents.

July 4, 1996 – Hot Mail, a free internet e-mail service, gets its start.

July 4, 1997 – The first NASA rover to go beyond the moon, the Pathfinder, lands on Mars and began its mission on Independence Day of 1997.

July 4, 2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center. The occasion was almost purely symbolic, as actual construction would not begin for several more weeks.

July 4, 2009 – The crown of The Statue of Liberty reopens to the public after eight years of being closed off due to security precautions following the World Trade Center attacks.

July 4, 2016 – NASA's Juno spacecraft successfully enters Jupiter's orbit.

July 4, 2018 – North Korea fires the first successful intercontinental ballistic missile into Sea of Japan during a test.