TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Monday, July 4, the 185th day of 2022. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.
Today’s highlight in history
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
On this date
In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, N.Y.
In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died. In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City at age 73.
In 1910, in what was billed as “The Fight of the Century,” Black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated White former champ James J. Jeffries in Reno, Nev.
In 1912, the 48-star American flag, recognizing New Mexico statehood, was adopted. A train wreck near Corning, N.Y., claimed 39 lives.
In 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees delivered his famous farewell speech in which he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
In 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. (He died in September 1991.)
In 2009, Serena Williams beat her older sister, Venus, 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship.
In 2016, NASA received a radio signal from the solarpowered Juno spacecraft confirming that it was in orbit around the planet Jupiter after a trip of nearly five years and 1.8 billion miles.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Eva Marie Saint is 98. Actor Gina Lollobrigida is 95. Singer Ray Pillow is 85. Actor Ed Bernard is 83. Actor Karolyn Grimes is 82. Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 79. Vietnam War veteran and peace activist Ron Kovic is 76. Musician Ralph Johnson (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 71. Singer John Waite is 70. Musician Kirk Pengilly (INXS) is 64. Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 60. Actor-writer Tracy Letts is 57. Actor Al Madrigal is 51. Actor-singer John Lloyd Young is 47. Actor Becki Newton is 44. TV personality Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is 40. Former first daughter Malia Obama is 24.