AP Highlight in History: On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
On this date in:
1802
The U.S. Military Academy opened at West Point, N.Y.
1804
Author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Mass.
1826
Death claimed the second and third presidents of the United States: John Adams died at age 90 in Braintree, Mass., while Thomas Jefferson died at 83 at Monticello, his home near Charlottesville, Va.
1826
Songwriter Stephen Foster was born in present-day Pittsburgh.
1831
James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, died at age 73 in New York City.
1845
American writer Henry David Thoreau began a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Mass.
1872
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vt.
1939
Baseball player Lou Gehrig, afflicted with a fatal illness, bid a tearful farewell at Yankee Stadium in New York, telling fans, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
Lou Gehrig
AP Photo/Murray Becker
1946
The Philippines became independent.
1958
Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed auxilliary bishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Pius XII.
1959
A 49th star was added to the American flag to represent the new state of Alaska.
1960
The number of stars on the American flag was increased to 50 to honor the new state of Hawaii.
1966
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law.
1976
Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers.
1987
Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the "Butcher of Lyon," was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
2004
The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid at the World Trade Center site.
Actress Becki Newton ("Ugly Betty") turns 31 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
Name
Profession
Age
Gloria Stuart
Actress ("Titanic")
99
Mitch Miller
Bandleader
98
Pauline Phillips
Advice columnist ("Dear Abby")
91
Eva Marie Saint
Actress
85
Gina Lollobrigida
Actress
82
Neil Simon
Playwright
82
George Steinbrenner
Baseball owner
79
Ray Pillow
Country singer
72
Bill Withers
R&B singer
71
Ed Bernard
Actor
70
Karolyn Grimes
Actress ("It's a Wonderful Life")
69
Ralph Johnson
Rock musician (Earth, Wind and Fire)
58
Domingo Ortiz
Rock musician (Widespread Panic)
57
John Waite
Rock singer
54
Kirk Pengilly
Rock musician (INXS)
51
Teddy Carr
Country musician
49
Pam Shriver
Tennis Hall of Famer
47
Zonka
Rock D.J. (Big Audio Dynamite)
47
Matt Malley
Rock musician (Counting Crows)
46
Horace Grant
Basketball player
44
Al Madrigal
Actor
38
Jenica Bergere
Actress
35
John Lloyd Young
Actor, singer
34
Stephen "Ste" McNally
Singer (BBMak)
31
TV journalist Geraldo Rivera turns 66 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
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Residential
