We all know that the 4th of July is our nation’s independence day. But aside from the fireworks, hotdogs, and celebrations, it may be surprising what also has happened on this notorious date. Here are a few of them!
- It may be the birthday of the country they served, but July 4th is also the date that three of America’s presidents passed away. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1826 and James Monroe in 1831.
- The beloved child’s storybook Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was published in 1865.
- Famous Yankee’s player diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig, delivered his retirement speech in which he called himself “the luckiest man alive", on this date in 1936.
- Koko, the signing gorilla, was born July 4th, 1971. Koko is famous communicating with humans using sign language.
- Many others also share their birthday with the US including 30th president Calvin Coolidge, columnist ‘Dear Abby’, singer-songwriter Bill Withers, and famous novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne.
- The Zodiac Killer took his first known victims in 1968 at Lake Herman Road in California.
- NASA’s Pathfinder landed on Mars in 1997 and began taking photographs which provide groundbreaking information about the surface and conditions of our closest neighboring planet.
- France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty as a gift. Lady Libertas has been a welcoming sight and emblem of freedom for arriving immigrants.
- The Battle of Gettysburg drew to a close in 1863 when the Confederate army retreated. This marked the end of the invasion of the North during the Civil War.
- The Philippines also call July 4th their independence day as of 1946. It was the last US colony to gain its independence.
