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TODAY IN HISTORY

July 4, 2008

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Friday, July 4, the 186th day of 2008. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.

Highlight in History: In 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The Valley Then: In 1911, Wilkes-Barre celebrated its first Independence Day commemoration under an ordinance prohibiting the sale and discharge of firecrackers, except those 6 inches and under, and most fireworks.

On this date: In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, N.Y.

In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.

In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City.

In 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, was born in Plymouth, Vt.

In 1917, during a ceremony in Paris honoring the French hero of the American Revolution, U.S. Lt. Col. Charles E. Stanton declared, “Lafayette, we are here!”

In 1939, baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, said farewell to his fans at New York’s Yankee Stadium.

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