1776 – US Congress proclaims the Declaration of Independence and independence from Great Britain.
1831 – “America” (My Country ‘Tis of ‘Thee) is 1st sung in Boston.
1884 – Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris.
1910 – “Fight of the Century”: Jack Johnson beats James J. Jeffires by TKO in 15 in Reno, Nevada to retain his world heavyweight boxing title.
1925 – 44 die when Dreyfus Hotel in Boston, collapses.
1931 – 1st fireworks are held at Cleveland Stadium.
1939 – Lou Gehrig is first MLB player to have his number (4) retired on his “Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium, makes iconic “luckiest man” speech.
1941 – Howard Florey and Norman Heatley meet for 1st time, 11 days later they successfully recreate penicillin.
1942 – 1st American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe (WWII).
1944 – 1st Japanese kamikaze attack, US fleet near Iwo Jima.
1956 – US most intense rain fall (1.23″ in 1 minute) at Unionville, Maryland.
1960 – America’s new 50-state flag honoring Hawaiian statehood unfurled.
1970 – Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” debuts on LA radio.
1980 – Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) fans Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become 4th pitcher to record 3,000 MLB strikeouts.
1993 – Pizza Hut blimp deflates and lands safely on W. 56th Street in NYC.
2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. (This was largely a symbolic event; actual construction would not start for several weeks.
2009 – The Statute of Liverty’s crown reopens to the public after 8 years, due to security reasons following the World Trade Center attacks.
2013 – 12 people are killed and 60 are injured in a wave of shootings across Chicago.
2018 – Wildfire in Yolo County, California, grows to 82,700 acres with 2,800 fire fighters battling the blaze.
2019 – US President Donald Trump holds a “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebration in Washington, D.C., controversial for its emphasis on the military and presence of tanks.