On This Day in History - July 2nd - Almanac
By: Charles J. Guiteau (UPI)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Today is Wednesday, July 2, the 183rd day of 2025 with 182 to follow.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Mars.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include writer Hermann Hesse in 1877; King Olav V of Norway in 1903; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1908; musician/actor Ken Curtis in 1916; fashion designer Pierre Cardin in 1922; civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 1925; Imelda Marcos, wife of former Philippine President Fernando Marcos, in 1929 (age 96); entrepreneur Dave Thomas in 1932; actor Polly Holliday in 1937 (age 88); International Motorsports Hall of Fame member Richard Petty in 1937 (age 88); actor/filmmaker Ron Silver in 1946; writer/actor Larry David in 1947 (age 78); actor Saul Rubinek in 1948 (age 77); musician Roy Bittan (E Street Band) in 1949 (age 76); actor/model Jerry Hall in 1956 (age 69); actor Jimmy McNichol in 1961 (age 64); former MLB player/TV personality Jose Canseco in 1964 (age 61); musician Dave Parsons (Bush) in 1966 (age 59); musician Jenni Rivera in 1969; musician Michelle Branch in 1983 (age 42); TV personality/U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame member Johnny Weir in 1984 (age 41); actor Vanessa Lee Chester in 1984 (age 41); actor Ashley Tisdale in 1985 (age 40); actor Nelson Franklin in 1985 (age 40); actor Lindsay Lohan in 1986 (age 39); former soccer player Alex Morgan in 1989 (36); actor Margot Robbie in 1990 (age 36); musician Burna Boy in 1991 (age 34); musician Saweetie in 1993 (age 32); musician/actor Vince Staples in 1993 (age 32); actor Caitlin Carmichael in 2004 (age 21).
On this date in history:
In 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted a resolution for independence from Britain.
In 1788, it was announced in the U.S. Congress that the new Constitution had been ratified by the required nine states, the ninth being New Hampshire.
In 1839, slaves being shipped to Cuba revolted and seized the ship Amistad, leading to an eventual end of the African slave market.
In 1881, U.S. President James Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a mentally unstable lawyer and office-seeker. Garfield died Sept. 19 and was succeeded by Vice President Chester Arthur. Guiteau was convicted and hanged in 1882.
In 1900, the world's first rigid airship was demonstrated by Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in Germany.
In 1917, Greece declared war on the Central Powers, joining World War I on the side of Britain, France, Russia and Italy.
In 1934, 6-year-old Shirley Temple signed a contract with Fox Film Corp. She went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the era. Her mother told United Press that to keep her daughter grounded, she would tell her "You're not so good as an actress, Shirley."
In 1937, U.S. aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan were reported lost over the Pacific Ocean. They were never found.
In 1943, Lt. Charles Hall became the first Black American pilot to shoot down a Nazi plane in World War II during an Allied assault on three Italian air bases. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower personally congratulated Hall when the escort squadron returned to base.
In 1962, the first Walmart store opened -- in Rogers, Ark. In May 2018, the retail outlet topped the Fortune 500 list for the sixth year in a row as the first U.S. company with $500 billion in yearly sales.
In 1964, the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law with the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1976, North and South Vietnam reunited, forming the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and naming Hanoi the capital.
In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed numerical hiring goals for minorities, rejecting the Reagan administration view that affirmative action be limited to proven victims of race discrimination.
In 1990, a stampede in a pedestrian tunnel at the Muslim holy city of Mecca during the annual hajj killed 1,426 pilgrims.
In 1992, the 1 millionth Corvette rolled off the production line in Bowling Green, Ky. The white convertible was later damaged when a sinkhole opened up under the National Corvette Museum in 2014. A full restoration was completed a year later.
In 1993, Islamist extremists set fire to a hotel in Sivas, Turkey, in an apparent attempt to kill the translator of British author Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Thirty-five people died.
In 2002, American Steve Fossett completed the first round-the-world solo flight in a balloon, reaching Queensland in the Australian outback to finish a 13-day, 19,428-mile trip that began in Western Australia.
In 2015, 62 people were killed in the Philippines when a crowded ferry carrying nearly 200 people abruptly capsized -- just minutes after it left port.
In 2019, the European Union elected German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as the first female leader of the European Commission.
In 2024, a Hindi gathering in India's Uttar Pradesh state ended with a panicked stampede that killed more than 100 people.
A thought for the day: "Ending racial discrimination in jury selection can be accomplished only by eliminating peremptory challenges entirely." -- Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall
Tags
Who is online
397 visitors
Today is the mid-point of the year, with 182 days before and after. (Except leap years, of course.)
Some other notable events that occurred on July 2:
1863 – Battle of Gettysburg Continues
Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee attack Union positions at Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top but are repelled during the second day of the pivotal battle
1865 – Salvation Army Founded
William and Catherine Booth established the Christian Mission in London’s East End, later renamed the Salvation Army, to fight poverty and spiritual apathy.
1947 – Soviet Union Rejects the Marshall Plan
Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov walks out of talks with the U.K. and France, signalling Soviet rejection of the U.S.-backed European recovery initiative, intensifying Cold War tensions.
1977 – “Gonna Fly Now” Hits #1
Bill Conti’s Theme from Rocky reaches #1 on the U.S. pop charts, solidifying its place in cinematic and musical history.
1992 – Stephen Hawking Breaks Records
A Brief History of Time becomes the longest-running nonfiction bestseller in British publishing history.
1997 – Men in Black Premieres
The sci-fi comedy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones hits theatres, eventually earning over $250 million in the U.S. alone.
2021 – U.S. Withdraws from Bagram Air Base
The United States formally hands over Bagram Airfield to Afghan forces, marking a major moment in the winding down of the 20-year Afghanistan War.
2024 – Sierra Leone Bans Child Marriage
A major human rights victory: Sierra Leone officially criminalises child marriage, a move expected to protect thousands of girls.