| 1608 |
The city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain. |
| 1775 |
Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass. |
| 1878 |
Broadway song-and-dance man George M. Cohan was born in Providence, R.I. (Cohan claimed to have been – as he wrote in one of his patriotic songs – “born on the Fourth of July.”) |
| 1890 |
Idaho became the 43rd state. |
| 1898 |
The U.S. Navy defeated a Spanish fleet in the harbor at Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War. |
| 1930 |
Congress created the Veterans Administration. |
| 1962 |
Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule. |
| 1971 |
Rock singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27. |
| 1985 |
The time-travel comedy “Back to the Future,” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, was released in movie theaters. |
| 1986 |
President Ronald Reagan presided over a ceremony in New York Harbor that saw the relighting of the renovated Statue of Liberty. |
| 1988 |
The USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. |
| 2001 |
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic refused to enter a plea on war crimes charges in his first appearance before a U.N. tribunal at The Hague. |
| 2005 |
A NASA space probe, Deep Impact, hit its comet target as planned in a mission to learn how the solar system formed. |
| 2009 |
Sarah Palin announced she would resign as Alaska governor with 16 months left in her term. |
| 1930 |
Pete Fountain, Jazz clarinetist, turns 82 |
| 1937 |
Tom Stoppard, Playwright, turns 75 |
| 1939 |
Jay Tarses, Writer, producer, turns 73 |
| 1940 |
Lamar Alexander, U.S. senator, R-Tenn., turns 72 |
| 1943 |
Kurtwood Smith, Actor (“That 70s Show”), turns 69 |
| 1945 |
Michael Cole, Actor (“The Mod Squad”), turns 67 |
| 1947 |
Dave Barry, Humor writer, turns 65 |
| 1947 |
Betty Buckley, Actress (“Eight is Enough,” “Cats”), turns 65 |
| 1949 |
Jan Smithers, Actress (“WKRP In Cincinnati”), turns 63 |
| 1956 |
Montel Williams, Talk show host, turns 56 |
| 1962 |
Thomas Gibson, Actor (“Dharma and Greg”), turns 50 |
| 1962 |
Hunter Tylo, Actress (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), turns 50 |
| 1964 |
Yeardley Smith, Actress (“The Simpsons”), turns 48 |
| 1970 |
Audra McDonald, Singer, actress, turns 42 |
| 1980 |
Shoshannah Stern, Actress, turns 32 |
| 63 |
Robert Adam 7/3/1728 – 3/3/1792
Scottish architect and designer |
| 64 |
Samuel Huntington 7/3/1731 – 1/5/1796
American colonial leader; signed the Declaration of Independence |
| 77 |
John Singleton Copley 7/3/1738 – 9/9/1815
American painter |
| 55 |
Dankmar Adler 7/3/1844 – 4/16/1900
German-born American architect and engineer |
| 75 |
Charlotte Gilman 7/3/1860 – 8/17/1935
American writer and women’s rights advocate |
| 40 |
Franz Kafka 7/3/1883 – 6/3/1924
Czech-born German author |
| 83 |
M. F. K. Fisher 7/3/1908 – 6/22/1992
American food essayist and novelist |
| 86 |
Stavros Spyros Niarchos 7/3/1909 – 4/15/1996
Greek shipping magnate and art collector |
| 52 |
Dorothy Kilgallen 7/3/1913 – 11/8/1965
American columnist, journalist and panelist |
George M. Cohan 7/3/1878 – 11/5/1942 American songwriter, actor, producer and director.
