July 4th:
U.S. Independence Day 
July 4, 1776 - The amended Declaration of Independence from Britain, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, was approved and signed by John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress in America.
1987 - Klaus Barbie, a WWII Nazi and the former Gestapo chief known as the "Butcher of Lyon," was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
1976 - The U.S. celebrated its Bicentennial (200 years).
1959 - The 49-star U.S. flag was debuted (adding Alaska).
1960 - The 50-star U.S. flag made its debut in Philadelphia, Pa (adding Hawaii).
1955 - The first king cobra snakes born in captivity in the U.S. hatched at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
1863 - The Confederate town of Vicksburg, MS, surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant.
1848 - In Washington, DC, the cornerstone for the Washington Monument was laid.
1817 - Construction began on the Erie Canal in New York State, to connect Lake Erie and the Hudson River.
1802 - The U.S. Military Academy officially opened at West Point, NY.
Hannah Harper (British/American pornstar 2001-) 1982
Geraldo Rivera (talk-show host, reporter for FOX News Channel) 1943
George Steinbrenner (Owner of the NY Yankees baseball team since 1973) 1930
Ann Landers (advice columnist, twin sister of "Dear Abby") 1918
Mitch Miller (big band leader) 1911
Gloria Stuart (actress in the 1930s-70s, played old Rose in "Titanic") 1910
Rube Goldberg (Newspaper cartoonist, drew complicated inventions/machines to do simple tasks) 1883
Calvin Coolidge (30th US President, from 1923-29) 1872