The fourth is with you
★ WILL the fourth be with Rishi “Biggles” Sunak as he announces the General Election – or will Labour leader Keir Starmer be heading to No 10?
Whatever the result, the July date chosen for the ballot by the PM is already famous as Independence Day in the US.
★ But it’s not the only historic thing that happened on July 4, as reveals…
1776 – America goes it alone: The US Congress adopts a Declaration of Independence from British rule.
1807 – Revolutionary moment: The Italian general Guiseppe Garibaldi, who’d later help unify Italy, is born.
1826 – Spooky coincidence: Former US Presidents John Adams, 90, and Thomas Jefferson, 83, die on the same day.
1829 – Bus begins: Britain’s first bus service, a horse-drawn carriage, starts in London.
1862 – Bright idea: Writer Lewis Carroll tells a story he’d later turn into Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
1934 – Pioneer perishes: Polishborn boffin Marie
Curie, famous for discovering radium, dies aged 66.
1954 - Rationing ends: Nine years after the end of World War Two, Britain finally comes off rationing.
1962 – Men Behaving Badly star arrives: Actor Neil Morrissey is born. 1969 – Wimbledon triumph: Britain’s Ann Jones wins the women’s singles tennis title.
1976 – Clash kick off: The Clash play their first gig. On the same day Israeli commandos free 100 hostages in Entebbe, Uganda.
1981 – McEnroe beats Borg: John McEnroe beats Björn Borg for his first Wimbledon men’s singles tennis title.
1985 – Dot debuts: Actress June Brown’s legendary character Dot Cotton debuts on TV’s EastEnders.
1990 – Gazza blubs: Paul Gascoigne cries during England’s defeat to West Germany in the World Cup in Italy.
1997 – Soap landmark: The Battersby clan arrive on ITV’s Coronation Street.
1999 – Posh and Becks wed: David Beckham marries Spice Girl Victoria Adams at an Irish castle, famously sitting on golden thrones at a star-studded reception.
2003 – Barry White dies: The American crooner dies aged 58.
2004 – Footie shock: Greece defy 80-1 odds to win Euro 2004 beating hosts Portugal 1-0.
2012 – Great and small: Comedy legend Eric Sykes dies at 89, while boffins announce they’ve found the mysterious Higgs boson particle.
2014 – Rolf jailed: TV star Rolf Harris is given five years and nine months in prison for sex offences.
2016 – Top quitter: Top Gear presenter Chris Evans quits his role on the BBC motoring show.
2023 – Star’s bombshell: TV’s Fiona Phillips reveals that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.