What Happened on July 4

Continental Congress

1776 — Congress Unanimously Declares Colonies Free

Second Continental Congress adopts Declaration of Independence, severing ties with Britain.

PHILADELPHIA, July 4 — Unanimously, the Second Continental Congress this day adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming that the thirteen American colonies are no longer a part of the British Empire. At the Pennsylvania State House, delegates from New Hampshire to Georgia cast their assent, severing forever the political bonds that have tied this continent to the crown.

The instrument, drafted by the Committee of Five — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman — was first proposed on the eleventh of June. Jefferson, the young Virginian, is credited as principal author, his pen having traced the bold words that now stand as a perpetual challenge to tyranny.

John Hancock, President of Congress, affixed his signature in a large, flamboyant hand, a flourish that will be remembered as long as the document endures. He presumably signed first, setting an example for the fifty-five others who will follow.

Copies are expected to be struck and dispatched to the several colonies, there to be proclaimed to the people. The Declaration asserts that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that when a long train of abuses evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, their duty, to throw off such government.

• The Declaration of Independence was adopted unanimously by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.
• Congress appointed the Committee of Five—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman—to draft the Declaration on June 11, 1776.
• The Declaration was first published by The Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776, two days after its ratification.
• First public readings of the Declaration occurred simultaneously on July 8, 1776, at noon in Trenton, New Jersey; Easton, Pennsylvania; and Philadelphia.
• Most historians conclude the Declaration was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, not July 4, with 56 delegates eventually signing.

Imperial Observatory

1054 — Guest Star Appears in Taurus, Visible by Day

Chinese astronomers record a brilliant new star — brighter than Venus — that will shine for two years

CHANG'AN, July 4 — Chinese astronomers have recorded the sudden appearance of a 'guest star' in the heavens, a brilliant new light that has burst forth in the constellation of Taurus. The star, first noted this very day, has become visible to the naked eye, glowing with a radiance that surpasses the planet Venus itself.

The guest star shines with a brightness that has astonished the imperial observers, who report its magnitude to be far greater than any star known. It is visible even in daylight, a portent that has stirred both wonder and concern among the court astrologers.

According to the records of the Bureau of Astronomy, the star appeared in the eastern sky, and its light has not diminished since its first appearance. It is expected to remain visible for about two years, a long-lasting omen that the empire's scholars will study with great care.

• Chinese astronomers recorded the supernova as a 'guest star' on July 4, 1054.
• The supernova was visible to the naked eye for about two years after its first observation.
• The supernova reached a maximum brightness between apparent magnitude -7 and -4.5, brighter than Venus.
• The Crab Nebula lies about 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus.
• The Crab Pulsar at the nebula's center spins 30.2 times per second and is 28–30 kilometers across.

Westminster

2024 — Starmer Leads Labour Landslide, Ends 14 Years of Tory Rule

Keir Starmer becomes prime minister after sweeping victory — Labour wins with smallest vote share for a majority since 1830

LONDON, July 4 — The car pulled up outside Buckingham Palace, and Keir Starmer stepped out to be appointed prime minister by King Charles III, the first Labour leader to hold the office since Gordon Brown in 2010. On the way back, he stopped the car to walk through Downing Street, shaking hands with cheering crowds.

The Labour Party's landslide victory at the general election has ended fourteen years of Conservative government, a seismic shift in British politics. Yet the win came with the smallest vote share of any majority government since records began in 1830, a note of caution for the new administration. Biden and Trudeau were quick to congratulate him. He is also the first premier to enter Downing Street with a knighthood since Alec Douglas-Home.

• Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory at the 2024 general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government.
• The Labour win came with the smallest vote share of any majority government since record-keeping began in 1830.
• Starmer was appointed prime minister by King Charles III on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour PM since Gordon Brown in 2010.
• Starmer stopped his car on the way from Buckingham Palace to walkabout in Downing Street and meet cheering crowds.
• World leaders including Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau congratulated Starmer upon his appointment as prime minister.

Literary Gazette

1862 — A River Tale That Will Outlive Its Tellers

A story told on July 4 will one day delight the world, as Alice Liddell, aged ten, has begged him to write it down.

OXFORD, July 4 — A story told this day in a boat on the Thames will one day delight the world, for Lewis Carroll has spun a tale for little Alice Liddell, aged ten, that she has begged him to write down.

• On July 4, 1862, Lewis Carroll told the story to Alice Liddell, aged 10, and her sisters Lorina, 13, and Edith, 8, during a boat trip on the River Thames.
• The boat journey began at Folly Bridge, Oxford, and ended 5 miles upstream at Godstow, Oxfordshire.
• Alice Liddell asked Carroll to write down the story, unlike other tales he had told her, and she received the manuscript more than two years later.
• The Reverend Robinson Duckworth rowed the boat while Carroll told the story to the three Liddell sisters.
• Carroll eventually presented Alice with the manuscript of 'Alice's Adventures Under Ground' in November 1864 as a Christmas gift.

Sports Abroad

1954 — West Germany Stuns Hungary, 3–2, in World Cup Final

West Germany, 3–2, avenges 8–3 group loss to claim first world title.

BERN, July 4 — In the annals of sport, few days rival this: West Germany, the underdog, defeated the mighty Hungarian Golden Team, 3–2, at Wankdorf Stadium to win the FIFA World Cup. Hungary had crushed the Germans 8–3 in the group stage, making this triumph all the more astonishing.

• The final was played at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, on 4 July 1954.
• West Germany beat the heavily favoured Hungarian Golden Team 3–2 in the final.
• Earlier in the group stage, Hungary had defeated West Germany 8–3.
• The 1954 final is often ranked among the greatest World Cup matches and most unexpected upsets.
• The win gave West Germany its first of four World Cup titles (1974, 1990, 2014).

Science and Industry

1951 — Shockley Unveils Junction Transistor, a Sturdy New Amplifier

Bell Laboratories announces 'sandwich' device — expected to replace fragile point-contact type.

NEW YORK, July 4 — William Shockley, the physicist, announced today the junction transistor, a new amplifier with a layered 'sandwich' structure, developed at Bell Laboratories. Patented June 26, 1948, the device, built by chemists Gordon Teal and Morgan Sparks, amplifies with germanium.

• Bell Labs announced the discovery of the new sandwich transistor in a press release on July 4, 1951.
• Shockley invented the junction transistor with a layer or 'sandwich' structure a few months after John N. Shive's point contact transistor in February 1948.
• Bell Labs chemists Gordon Teal and Morgan Sparks produced a working bipolar NPN junction amplifying germanium transistor on April 12, 1950.
• Shockley applied for a patent (2,569,347) for the first bipolar junction transistor on June 26, 1948.
• Shockley's junction transistor design was expected to be more commercially viable than the fragile point contact transistor.

Foreign Desk

1976 — Israeli Raiders Free 100 Hostages in Daring Entebbe Rescue

Commandos strike at Ugandan airport — hijackers overwhelmed — captives flown home.

TEL AVIV, July 4 — In a lightning raid, Israeli commandos stormed the old terminal at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and freed more than 100 hostages held by hijackers of Air France Flight 139, which had been seized en route from Tel Aviv to Paris with a stopover in Athens. The operation, code-named Entebbe, was carried out by the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces. The raiders, arriving by transport plane, surprised the captors and spirited the hostages to safety. The old terminal, scene of the dramatic rescue, has since been demolished, leaving only its control tower and airport hall standing as silent witnesses to the extraordinary feat.

• Israeli Sayeret Matkal commandos conducted the hostage rescue, dubbed Operation Entebbe, at the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport.
• The hijacking involved Air France Flight 139, which was en route from Tel Aviv to Paris with a stopover in Athens, Greece.
• The old terminal used for the rescue has since been demolished, leaving only its control tower and airport hall standing.
• The Israel Defense Forces' successful 1976 Operation Entebbe commando raid freed hijacked airline passengers held captive in Uganda.

Railway Intelligence

1837 — Grand Junction Railway Opens, Linking Birmingham to the North

Opened July 4, the railway runs 82 miles from Birmingham to Newton Junction.

BIRMINGHAM, July 4 — The Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance steam line, opened this day, running 82 miles from Birmingham to Newton Junction. Designed by George Stephenson and Joseph Locke, it connects the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to this city, passing Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, and Warrington.

• The Grand Junction Railway opened on 4 July 1837, running for 82 miles from Birmingham to Newton Junction.
• Designed by George Stephenson and Joseph Locke, the line linked Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham.
• It terminated at Curzon Street Station in Birmingham, shared with the London and Birmingham Railway.
• The GJR established its chief engineering works at Crewe, relocating there from Edge Hill in Liverpool.
• The Grand Junction Railway was the first trunk railway completed in England, and arguably the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction.