A birthday on the globe
4 July on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born
For 4 July, the English Wikipedia lists 97 events and 239 births. 56 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; eight more are dashed circles, where the sentence links only to a country or a sea. The taller the ray, the longer ago it happened. The people born that day come further down, as blue points.
A birthday, yours or someone else’s:
Turn it into a greetingScroll: the globe turns to each place
The day you were born, on the globe.
Three things from your day
Scroll: your day first, then 4 July through the years
The Earth on 4 July
The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in July 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.
On 4 July the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 22.9° north. In London, the day lasts about 16 hours 30 minutes.
Beyond 67° north the Sun no longer sets; beyond 67° south it no longer rises.
The line between day and night is tilted on the globe exactly as on this day of the year. On the dark side you can see the lights of towns.
Britain & Ireland · Durham University
1832
Durham University established by Act of Parliament; the first recognized university to be founded in England since Cambridge over 600 years earlier.
On the map: Durham University.
Britain & Ireland · Birmingham
1837
Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
On the map: Birmingham.
Britain & Ireland · Millennium Stadium
2025
The Oasis Live '25 tour begins in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, ending a 16-year hiatus.
On the map: Millennium Stadium.
Europe · Old Rye
1534
Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
On the map: Old Rye.
Europe · Estádio da Luz
2004
Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.
On the map: Estádio da Luz.
Asia · Sindh Madressatul Islam University
1887
The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
On the map: Sindh Madressatul Islam University.
Asia · Presidencies and provinces of British India
1947
The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the independence of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan.
On the map: Presidencies and provinces of British India.
Latin America · Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago
1973
Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago sign the Treaty of Chaguaramas in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago establishing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It replaces the Caribbean Free Trade Association as another step towards Caribbean regional integration.
On the map: Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.
North America · United States Declaration of Independence
1776
American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress, formally announcing and explaining separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the creation of the United States.
On the map: the coordinates Wikidata gives for the article “United States Declaration of Independence”.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish, Romanian and Chinese.
North America · Brooklyn
1855
The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published in Brooklyn.
On the map: Brooklyn.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
North America · Yankee Stadium
1939
Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
On the map: Yankee Stadium.
4 July
What the other Wikipedias remember#
For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Chinese and Spanish and were translated for this page.
From Wikipedia in Chinese · Washington, D.C.
1848
In Washington, D.C., the United States lays the foundation stone of the Washington Monument.
On the map: Washington, D.C..
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Chinese.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Sochi
2007
The Russian city of Sochi is selected as host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
On the map: Sochi.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
The article on Wikipedia in Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Sochi 2014
4 July
Born on 4 July#
The English Wikipedia lists 239 births for this day. The blue points are the birthplaces of 60 of these people: those written about in the most Wikipedia editions, where Wikidata gives a place of birth.
Born on 4 July
1804
Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (died 1864)
Place of birth: Salem.
Born on 4 July
1927
Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer (died 2023)
Place of birth: Subiaco.
Born on 4 July
1926
Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (died 2014)
Place of birth: Buenos Aires.
Born on 4 July
1868
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (died 1921)
Place of birth: Lancaster.
Born on 4 July
1910
Gloria Stuart, American actress (died 2010)
Place of birth: Santa Monica.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1931
Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (died 1977)
Place of birth: Glengormley.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1961
Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer, created the Ultima series
Place of birth: Cambridge.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1871
Hubert Cecil Booth, English engineer (died 1955)
Place of birth: Gloucester.
4 July
Number one in the charts that week
At the cinema
An animal recorded that day
The record can be seen in GBIF, which brings together wildlife records from around the world.
All your birthdays
The weather that day
Data: Met Office Hadley Centre (HadCET); NOAA (GHCN-Daily, Mauna Loa).
Above the Earth
Sources: Jonathan McDowell, GCAT (launches); GFZ Potsdam (Kp index). Days are counted in Universal Time.
Football that day
International matches played that day:
Source: the “International football results” dataset kept by Mart Jürisoo (CC0).
Also that day
The earthquake’s page at the USGS
Source: the USGS catalogue. The day is counted in Universal Time (UTC).
In those days
Make a link for someone
Type the name, pick the day and the year of birth. The link opens straight on their day, with their name in the greeting.
The link carries the name, date and place typed here; anyone who gets it can see them.
Put another birthday beside it
Your mother’s, your child’s, a friend’s: the two days appear side by side.
Below: 4 July through the years.
The whole globe of the day
Drag the globe to turn it. Touch a ray or a point to read what happened there.
Everything Wikipedia lists for 4 July
The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 33 events have no place on the map: the sentence links to no place with coordinates, only to places too wide to mark, or to several countries.
- 362 BC
Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeat the Spartans.
Europe · Battle of MantineaWikipedia: Battle of Mantinea - 26 BC
Marcus Licinius Crassus is granted a triumph for his victory in Thrace.
Europe · ThraceWikipedia: Marcus Licinius Crassus - 414
Aelia Pulcheria takes a vow of chastity and is proclaimed Augusta, thus becoming the regent of the Byzantine Empire for her 13-year-old brother Theodosius II after the death of the previous regent, praefect Anthemius.
Asia · Byzantine EmpireWikipedia: Pulcheria - 638
Heraclonas and David, sons of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, are proclaimed augustus and caesar respectively, possibly due to the bad health of their elder brother Heraclius Constantine.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Heraclonas - 836
Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Pactum Sicardi - 993
Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Ulrich of Augsburg - 1054
A supernova, called SN 1054, is seen by Chinese Song dynasty, Arab, and possibly indigenous American observers near the star Zeta Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Indigenous peoples of the Americas - 1120
Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Jordan II of Capua - 1187
The Crusades: Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.
Asia · Battle of HattinWikipedia: Battle of Hattin - 1253
Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeats Guy of Dampierre.
no place on the mapWikipedia: John I of Hainaut - 1333
Genkō War: Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo seize Tōshō-ji during the Siege of Kamakura. Hōjō Takatoki and other members of the Hōjō clan commit suicide, ending the rule of the Kamakura shogunate.
Asia · Siege of KamakuraWikipedia: Siege of Kamakura - 1359
Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
Europe · ForlìWikipedia: Francesco II Ordelaffi - 1456
Ottoman–Hungarian wars: The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) begins.
Europe · Siege of BelgradeWikipedia: Hungarian–Ottoman Wars - 1534
Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
Europe · Old RyeWikipedia: Election of Christian III - 1584
Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe arrive at Roanoke Island.
North America · Roanoke IslandWikipedia: Philip Amadas - 1610
The Battle of Klushino is fought between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish–Russian War, after which Polish troops entered Moscow.
Europe · Battle of KlushinoWikipedia: Battle of Klushino - 1634
The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (now Quebec, Canada).
North America · Trois-RivièresWikipedia: Trois-Rivières - 1643
First English Civil War: Royalist forces defeated the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Burton Bridge, securing a crossing of the River Trent for a convoy of supplies travelling with Queen Henrietta Maria.
Britain & Ireland · Battle of Burton BridgeWikipedia: Battle of Burton Bridge - 1744
The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iroquois cede lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, is signed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
North America · Lancaster, PennsylvaniaWikipedia: Six Nations land cessions - 1774
Orangetown Resolutions are adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament's Coercive Acts.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Orangetown Resolutions - 1776
American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress, formally announcing and explaining separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the creation of the United States.
North America · United States Declaration of IndependenceWikipedia: American Revolution - 1778
American Revolutionary War: U.S. forces under George Clark capture Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.
North America · Kaskaskia, IllinoisWikipedia: Illinois campaign - 1802
The United States Military Academy opens at West Point, New York.
North America · United States Military AcademyWikipedia: United States Military Academy - 1803
The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the public.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Louisiana Purchase - 1817
In Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
North America · Rome, New YorkWikipedia: Rome, New York - 1818
U.S. Flag Act of 1818 goes into effect creating a 13-stripe flag with a star for each state. New stars are to be added on the July 4 following the admission of each new state to the Union.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Flag Acts - 1827
Slavery is abolished in the State of New York.
North America · New YorkWikipedia: Slavery in the United States - 1831
Samuel Francis Smith writes "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4 festivities.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Samuel Francis Smith - 1832
Durham University established by Act of Parliament; the first recognized university to be founded in England since Cambridge over 600 years earlier.
Britain & Ireland · Durham UniversityWikipedia: Durham University - 1832
John Neal delivers the first public lecture in the U.S. to advocate the rights of women.
no place on the mapWikipedia: John Neal - 1837
Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
Britain & Ireland · BirminghamWikipedia: Grand Junction Railway - 1838
The Iowa Territory is organized.
North America · Iowa TerritoryWikipedia: Iowa Territory - 1845
Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement.
North America · Walden PondWikipedia: Henry David Thoreau - 1855
The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published in Brooklyn.
North America · BrooklynWikipedia: Walt Whitman - 1862
Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Lewis Carroll - 1863
American Civil War: Confederate forces failed in an attempt to recapture the Union-occupied Helena, Arkansas.
North America · Battle of HelenaWikipedia: American Civil War - 1863
American Civil War: Retreat from Gettysburg: The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee withdraws from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signaling an end to his last invasion of the North.
North America · Battle of GettysburgWikipedia: Retreat from Gettysburg - 1863
American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg: The Confederate army in Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege, contributing to the Union capture of the Mississippi River.
North America · Siege of VicksburgWikipedia: American Civil War - 1863
American Civil War: Union forces repulse a Confederate army at the Battle of Helena in Arkansas. The battle thwarts a Rebel attempt to relieve pressure on the besieged city of Vicksburg, and paves the way for the Union capture of Little Rock.
North America · Battle of HelenaWikipedia: Battle of Helena - 1879
Anglo-Zulu War: The Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.
Africa · UlundiWikipedia: Anglo-Zulu War - 1881
In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
North America · Tuskegee UniversityWikipedia: Alabama - 1886
The Canadian Pacific Railway's first scheduled train from Montreal arrives in Port Moody on the Pacific coast, after six days of travel.
North America · Port MoodyWikipedia: Canadian Pacific Railway - 1887
The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
Asia · Sindh Madressatul Islam UniversityWikipedia: Pakistan - 1892
Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a leap year with 367 days.
Oceania · SamoaWikipedia: Samoa - 1894
The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
North America · Republic of HawaiiWikipedia: Republic of Hawaii - 1898
En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks with the loss of 549 lives, one of the worst maritime disasters in history.
Europe · Le HavreWikipedia: Le Havre - 1901
William Howard Taft becomes American governor of the Philippines.
no place on the mapWikipedia: William Howard Taft - 1903
The Philippine–American War is officially concluded.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Philippine–American War - 1910
The Johnson–Jeffries riots occur after African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. Between 11 and 26 people are killed and hundreds more injured.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Johnson–Jeffries riots - 1911
A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1911 Eastern North America heat wave - 1913
President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913.
no place on the mapWikipedia: American Civil War - 1914
The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations in Sarajevo.
Europe · ViennaWikipedia: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria - 1918
Mehmed V died at the age of 73 and Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Mehmed V - 1918
World War I: The Battle of Hamel, a successful attack by the Australian Corps against German positions near the town of Le Hamel on the Western Front.
Europe · Battle of HamelWikipedia: World War I - 1927
First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Lockheed Vega - 1939
Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
North America · Yankee StadiumWikipedia: Yankee Stadium - 1941
Nazi crimes against the Polish nation: Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Europe · Nazi war crimes in occupied Poland during World War IIWikipedia: Nazi war crimes in occupied Poland during World War II - 1941
World War II: The Burning of the Riga synagogues: The Great Choral Synagogue in German-occupied Riga is burnt with 300 Jews locked in the basement.
Europe · RigaWikipedia: World War II - 1942
World War II: The 250-day Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea ends when the city falls to Axis forces.
Europe · Siege of SevastopolWikipedia: Siege of Sevastopol - 1943
World War II: In Gibraltar, a Royal Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into the sea in an apparent accident moments after takeoff, killing sixteen passengers on board, including general Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile; only the pilot survives.
Europe · 1943 Gibraltar Liberator AL523 crashWikipedia: 1943 Gibraltar Liberator AL523 crash - 1943
World War II: The Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world's largest tank battle, begins in the village of Prokhorovka.
Europe · Battle of KurskWikipedia: Battle of Kursk - 1945
The Brazilian cruiser Bahia was accidentally sunk by one of its own crewmen, killing more than 300 people.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Brazilian cruiser Bahia - 1946
After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.
Asia · PhilippinesWikipedia: Philippines - 1946
The Kielce pogrom against Jewish Holocaust survivors in Poland.
Europe · Kielce pogromWikipedia: Kielce pogrom - 1947
The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the independence of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan.
Asia · Presidencies and provinces of British IndiaWikipedia: House of Commons of the United Kingdom - 1950
Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Cold War - 1951
Cold War: A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on charges of espionage.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - 1951
William Shockley announces the invention of the junction transistor.
no place on the mapWikipedia: William Shockley - 1954
Food rationing in Great Britain ends, with the lifting of restrictions on sale and purchase of meat, 14 years after it began early in World War II, and nearly a decade after the war's end.
no place on the mapWikipedia: World War II - 1954
In what is known as "The Miracle of Bern", West Germany defeated Hungary 3–2 to win the FIFA World Cup.
Europe · Wankdorf StadiumWikipedia: 1954 FIFA World Cup final - 1960
The 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state over ten months prior (August 21, 1959), in accordance with the Flag Acts.
North America · PhiladelphiaWikipedia: Flag of the United States - 1961
On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Soviet submarine K-19 - 1966
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act went into effect the next year.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Lyndon B. Johnson - 1973
Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago sign the Treaty of Chaguaramas in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago establishing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It replaces the Caribbean Free Trade Association as another step towards Caribbean regional integration.
Latin America · Chaguaramas, Trinidad and TobagoWikipedia: Treaty of Chaguaramas - 1976
Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
Africa · Entebbe raidWikipedia: Entebbe raid - 1977
The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit.
North America · Olympia, WashingtonWikipedia: Washington - 1982
Space Shuttle program: Columbia lands at Edwards Air Force Base at the end of the program's final test flight, STS-4. President Ronald Reagan declares the Space Shuttle to be operational.
North America · Edwards Air Force BaseWikipedia: Space Shuttle program - 1982
Three Iranian diplomats and a journalist are kidnapped in Lebanon by Phalange forces, and their fate remains unknown.
Asia · LebanonWikipedia: 1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats - 1988
Kylie Minogue's first album, Kylie, was released, and went on to top the charts in the UK and New Zealand.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Kylie Minogue - 1994
Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city.
Africa · KigaliWikipedia: Rwandan genocide - 1997
NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
no place on the mapWikipedia: NASA - 1998
Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Nozomi - 1998
The monster movie Pulgasari, the most-widely-seen North Korean film ever made, premiered in Tokyo, Japan.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Monster movie - 2001
Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport killing all 145 people on board.
Asia · Vladivostok Air Flight 352Wikipedia: Vladivostok Air Flight 352 - 2002
A Boeing 707 crashes near Bangui M'Poko International Airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, killing 28.
Africa · 2002 Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crashWikipedia: 2002 Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crash - 2004
Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.
Europe · Estádio da LuzWikipedia: UEFA Euro 2004 final - 2004
The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City.
North America · One World Trade CenterWikipedia: World Trade Center site - 2005
The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Deep Impact - 2006
Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program's history to occur on the United States' Independence Day.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Space Shuttle program - 2008
A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people.
Europe · 2008 Minsk bombingWikipedia: 2008 Minsk bombing - 2009
The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.
North America · Statue of LibertyWikipedia: September 11 attacks - 2009
The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.
Asia · Datu PiangWikipedia: 2009 Mindanao bombings - 2012
The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.
Europe · Large Hadron ColliderWikipedia: Higgs boson - 2015
Chile claims its first title in international football by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América final.
Latin America · Julio Martínez Prádanos National StadiumWikipedia: 2015 Copa América final - 2024
The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, wins a landslide majority in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 2024 United Kingdom general election - 2025
A devastating flood strikes the Texas Hill Country, killing at least 108 people.
North America · July 2025 Central Texas floodsWikipedia: July 2025 Central Texas floods - 2025
The Oasis Live '25 tour begins in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, ending a 16-year hiatus.
Britain & Ireland · Millennium StadiumWikipedia: Oasis Live '25 Tour
What the other Wikipedias remember
For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Chinese and Spanish and were translated for this page.
- 1848
In Washington, D.C., the United States lays the foundation stone of the Washington Monument.
- 2007
The Russian city of Sochi is selected as host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Europe · SochiTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Juegos Olímpicos de Sochi 2014
Who was born on 4 July
In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 239 are shown.
- 1872
Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (died 1933)
Plymouth NotchWikipedia: Calvin Coolidge - 1807
Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (died 1882)
- 1804
Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (died 1864)
- 1927
Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer (died 2023)
SubiacoWikipedia: Gina Lollobrigida - 1926
Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (died 2014)
Buenos AiresWikipedia: Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1964
Edi Rama, Albanian politician
TiranaWikipedia: Edi Rama - 1546
Murad III, Ottoman sultan (died 1595)
ManisaWikipedia: Murad III - 1868
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (died 1921)
LancasterWikipedia: Henrietta Swan Leavitt - 1910
Gloria Stuart, American actress (died 2010)
Santa MonicaWikipedia: Gloria Stuart - 1799
Oscar I of Sweden (died 1859)
- 1959
Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer
- 1995
Post Malone, American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer
SyracuseWikipedia: Post Malone - 1952
Álvaro Uribe, Colombian lawyer and politician, 39th President of Colombia
MedellínWikipedia: Álvaro Uribe - 1898
Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician (died 1998)
SialkotWikipedia: Gulzarilal Nanda - 1937
Queen Sonja of Norway
- 1790
George Everest, Welsh geographer and surveyor (died 1866)
GreenwichWikipedia: George Everest - 1924
Eva Marie Saint, American actress (died 2026)
- 1910
Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and scholar (died 2003)
PhiladelphiaWikipedia: Robert K. Merton - 1921
Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2004)
CalaisWikipedia: Gérard Debreu - 1973
Tony Popovic, Australian footballer and manager
SydneyWikipedia: Tony Popovic - 1928
Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer and politician (died 2021)
- 1990
Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer
- 1927
Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter (died 2018)
The BronxWikipedia: Neil Simon - 1937
Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and academic
BelgradeWikipedia: Thomas Nagel - 1938
Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2020)
Slab ForkWikipedia: Bill Withers - 1960
Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (died 1994)
SalzburgWikipedia: Roland Ratzenberger - 1715
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and academic (died 1769)
- 1918
King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga, (died 2006)
Royal Palace of NukuʻalofaWikipedia: Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV - 1826
Stephen Foster, American songwriter and composer (died 1864)
LawrencevilleWikipedia: Stephen Foster - 1896
Mao Dun, Chinese journalist, author, and critic (died 1981)
Tongxiang CityWikipedia: Mao Dun - 1842
Hermann Cohen, German philosopher (died 1918)
CoswigWikipedia: Hermann Cohen - 1942
Prince Michael of Kent
- 1962
Pam Shriver, American tennis player and sportscaster
BaltimoreWikipedia: Pam Shriver - 1931
Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (died 1977)
GlengormleyWikipedia: Stephen Boyd - 1943
Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author
BrooklynWikipedia: Geraldo Rivera - 1973
Gackt, Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor
OkinawaWikipedia: Gackt - 1983
Amantle Montsho, Botswanan sprinter
- 1883
Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and engineer (died 1970)
San FranciscoWikipedia: Rube Goldberg - 1902
Meyer Lansky, American gangster (died 1983)
HrodnaWikipedia: Meyer Lansky - 1978
Émile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
- 1986
Ömer Aşık, Turkish basketball player
BursaWikipedia: Ömer Aşık - 1931
Sébastien Japrisot, French author, director, and screenwriter (died 2003)
MarseilleWikipedia: Sébastien Japrisot - 1948
René Arnoux, French race car driver
PontcharraWikipedia: René Arnoux - 1095
Usama ibn Munqidh, Muslim poet, author and faris (Knight) (died 1188)
ShaizarWikipedia: Usama ibn Munqidh - 1961
Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer, created the Ultima series
CambridgeWikipedia: Richard Garriott - 1973
Jan Magnussen, Danish race car driver
RoskildeWikipedia: Jan Magnussen - 1987
Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer
TbilisiWikipedia: Guram Kashia - 1694
Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (died 1772)
- 1988
Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress
Saint-ClaudeWikipedia: Angelique Boyer - 1753
Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (died 1809)
Les AndelysWikipedia: Jean-Pierre Blanchard - 1965
Horace Grant, American basketball player and coach
AugustaWikipedia: Horace Grant - 1974
Jill Craybas, American tennis player
ProvidenceWikipedia: Jill Craybas - 1871
Hubert Cecil Booth, English engineer (died 1955)
GloucesterWikipedia: Hubert Cecil Booth - 1941
Tomaž Šalamun, Croatian-Slovenian poet and academic (died 2014)
ZagrebWikipedia: Tomaž Šalamun - 1963
Henri Leconte, French tennis player and sportscaster
LillersWikipedia: Henri Leconte - 1854
Victor Babeș, Romanian physician and biologist (died 1926)
ViennaWikipedia: Victor Babeș - 1964
Elie Saab, Lebanese fashion designer
BeirutWikipedia: Elie Saab - 1976
Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (died 2003)
SaitamaWikipedia: Daijiro Kato - 1983
Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer
SantiagoWikipedia: Miguel Pinto - 68
Salonia Matidia, Roman daughter of Ulpia Marciana (died 119)
What is celebrated on 4 July
- Christian feast day: Antoine Daniel
- Christian feast day: Andrew of Crete
- Christian feast day: Bertha of Artois
- Christian feast day: Blessed Catherine Jarrige
- Christian feast day: Blessed Józef Kowalski
- Christian feast day: Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Christian feast day: Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal)
- Christian feast day: Oda of Canterbury
- Christian feast day: Ulrich of Augsburg
- Christian feast day: July 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- CARICOM Day
- The first evening of Dree Festival, celebrated until July 7 (Apatani people, Arunachal Pradesh, India)
- Independence Day (United States)
- Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
A greeting link for someone
Type a name and, if you like, the year of birth. The link opens with a greeting, and beside each event it says how old the person turned that day, or how many years before their birth it happened.
The name and the year go only into the link you send.
All 366 days
How the globe is made
Where the events come from
Each edition of this page uses the day’s list from Wikipedia in its own language: Romanian, English, Spanish, Chinese. The lists are written by volunteers and differ from one edition to the next; the text of each event is Wikipedia’s, with a link to the article. A row that appears twice in a list is shown once. The lists have not been checked event by event: they are Wikipedia’s, mistakes included.
For events before 1582, and for countries that moved to the Gregorian calendar later (Britain in 1752, Russia in 1918), the same day may be counted Old Style in one list and New Style in another.
The chapter “What the other Wikipedias remember” adds up to five events a day from the lists of the other three editions, only for years in which the English list has nothing on that day. They were translated for this page, passed the same filters as the tour, and are not counted among the events of the English list.
How an event gets onto the map
The place comes from Wikidata. If the sentence links to the article about the event itself (a battle, an opening, an earthquake), dated to the same year, the ray stands on its coordinates or on those of its location. Otherwise it stands on the first place the sentence links to: a town, a building, a mountain, an island. This second step can be wrong: sometimes the sentence only mentions the place. That is why the page says, under each event, which place the ray stands on.
When the sentence links to a single state or province, or to a single sea, lake or desert larger than 5,000 km², the globe shows a dashed circle, not a ray. The circle has the area Wikidata gives, with its radius kept between 1.2° and 16°, or a radius of 4.5° when Wikidata gives no area; it says only that the sentence links to that place. Organisations, ships, spacecraft, museum objects, rivers, mountain ranges, languages and continents are never used as places. When a sentence names several states and no exact place, the event stays in the list only.
What the height means
The height of a ray shows how many years have passed, on a logarithmic scale: 10 years, 100 years and 1,000 years are equal steps apart; anything older than about 2,600 years has the tallest ray. The colour runs from pale yellow for recent years to violet for antiquity.
Where the tour stops
In each region the tour stops at up to three events (five in Britain and Ireland), chosen mainly by three things: whether Wikipedia’s editors put the event in the “On this day” box of their main page (the English, Spanish and Chinese editions), how many Wikipedia editions have an article about it, and how many of the four lists include it. Events whose sentence or article is about a war, an attack, a crime or a disaster are left out of the tour; they stay in the whole list, in Wikipedia’s wording. The filter is a list of words and a list of Wikidata types, so it can miss some.
The tour of births names the people with articles in the most editions and leaves aside those whom the list or Wikidata describes as rulers, politicians, commanders, leaders of movements or criminals; they stay in the list.
The Earth and the Sun
The daytime images are NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation mosaics, one for each month of 2004; the night side is Black Marble 2016. The tilt of the line between day and night is computed for the day; the hour is chosen so that the place being read is in daylight. The latitude where the Sun stands overhead is the average of the four years of the leap cycle; in a given year it can differ by up to 0.4°.
The day you were born
The number ones come from the weekly lists on Wikipedia: Billboard for the United States (from 1940; the Hot 100 from August 1958), the UK Singles Chart (from November 1952), Los 40 Principales for Spain (from July 1966) and, for Romania, the Romanian Top 100 and Airplay 100 (2001–2021, with missing weeks). The page shows the chart of the week in which the day of birth falls, with its date; Billboard and the UK chart are dated at the end of their week. For Romania before 2001 and for China these sources have no weekly chart.
The films are those that reached cinemas in the United States up to ten days before or three days after that day (some of them in a few cinemas at first), from the English Wikipedia’s yearly lists (from 1968), in order of how many editions have an article about them. The events “in those days” are the ones on the neighbouring days’ lists that carry the year of birth, passed through the same filter as the tour.
The day of birth, year included
The Moon, the star sign and the constellation are worked out by the page itself, for noon Universal Time on the day. The lit part of the Moon is rounded and can differ by a few per cent from that at the hour of birth. The sign follows the usual zodiac of twelve equal parts starting at the March equinox; the constellation is the one the Sun actually stood in front of, by the borders set by the International Astronomical Union, and within a day of a border the page does not name it. When the Sun changes sign while it is that day anywhere on Earth, the page gives the moment of crossing, rounded to ten minutes and accurate to within about a quarter of an hour, and the clock time in a few cities, with the time zone and summer time of that year.
The year in the Chinese calendar is the one your device’s own calendar gives for the date, checked against the Hong Kong Observatory’s tables. “All your birthdays” uses the same sources as the rest of the chapter for the same day in every year since the birth: the temperature, well-known launches that took place on that very day, matches of the teams the edition follows, snow deeper than 10 cm and strong geomagnetic storms. The three things at the top and the four on the picture are chosen in a fixed order (the song, the animal, a full Moon, a well-known launch before an ordinary earthquake); on the picture you can change them.
When the link carries a year of birth, the page adds a few things about that exact day. The weather is the Met Office’s Central England temperature record and the readings from New York’s Central Park; the “usual high” is the average of the daily highs of 1961–1990 for that date, with two days either side. The carbon dioxide figure is the monthly mean at the Mauna Loa observatory, where measurements begin in March 1958.
The earthquake is the one with the largest magnitude in the USGS catalogue for that day, counted in Universal Time. Before the 1960s the catalogue has gaps even above magnitude 5.5, so in the older years many days have no earthquake. The page gives only the magnitude and the place: the country the epicentre falls in or, when the epicentre is at sea within 300 km of a coast, the nearest country; farther out, only the ocean.
The launches are those that reached orbit or left for the Moon and the planets, from Jonathan McDowell’s GCAT catalogue. If nothing left that day, the page shows the nearest launch within three days before or after, and says how many days away it was. The geomagnetic storm appears only when the Kp index reached at least 5 in one of the day’s eight three-hour intervals.
The animal comes from GBIF: an observation made by a person (the animal seen or heard, or its tracks), dated to that exact day, with coordinates and a CC0 or CC BY licence. Only a few hundred well-known species are searched (mammals, birds, turtles, butterflies); of those noted that day, mammals and species with articles in many Wikipedia editions come first; birds noted almost every day, and species used recently, wait their turn. Observations dated 1 January are left out, because records without a day are often filed there. An observation shows that the animal was recorded there, not how many animals there were.
The matches are those between national teams. Only matches of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia are shown, along with those at the big final tournaments. The picture to send is drawn in the page from the day’s globe and the facts above, and stays on your device until you send it.
Sources
- Events, births and holidays: the day’s page on Wikipedia, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates, places of birth and the number of editions: Wikidata (CC0).
- The Earth by day: NASA Blue Marble Next Generation. The Earth by night: NASA Black Marble 2016.
- Borders and regions: Natural Earth.
- World population and births per year: UN World Population Prospects 2024.
- Charts and films: Wikipedia’s lists for Billboard, the UK Singles Chart, Los 40 Principales, Romanian Top 100, Airplay 100 and American films by year (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Weather: Met Office Hadley Centre, HadCET (Open Government Licence) and NOAA GHCN-Daily, New York Central Park. Carbon dioxide: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Mauna Loa.
- Earthquakes: the USGS catalogue. Launches: Jonathan McDowell, GCAT (CC BY). Kp index: GFZ Potsdam (CC BY 4.0). Matches: International football results, Mart Jürisoo (CC0).
- Animal observations: GBIF, with a link to each record; species names come from Wikidata.