July 4

Today in History
• 1054 - Brightest known super-nova (Crab Nebula) starts shining (23 days)
• 1453 - 41 Jewish martyrs burned at stake at Breslau
• 1634 - The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France, later became the province of Quebec
• 1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island form
• 1754 - George Washington gives Fort Necessity to France
• 1776 - US Congress proclaims the Declaration of Independence
• 1789 - 1st US tariff act signed by President Washington
• 1796 - 1st Independence Day celebration is held


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Alice in Wonderland Day
• Filipino-American Friendship Day
• Independence Day
• National Hillbilly Day
• Official Birthday of HM King Tupou
• Philippines Republic Day
• Rwanda Liberation Day
• Zambia Unity Day

Birthdays
• 1330 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (2nd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate)
• 1546 - Murad III, Ottoman Sultan (1574-95)
• 1610 - Cornelis Evertsen, the Elder, Dutch/Swiss Vice-Admiral
• 1753 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French ballonist (1st balloon flights in England and U.S.)
• 1790 - George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest
• 1799 - Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway (1844-59)
• 1810 - Phineas T Barnum, circus magnate
• 1816 - Hiram Walker, entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillerys