July 4, 1954 - Dr Sam Sheppard's wife Marilyn is murdered in Bay Village Ohio. Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press.
Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" debuts on LA radio on July 4, 1970. Photo Credit: LA Observed.
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On Friday, Americans-from sea to shining sea-will be firing up the grills, attending parades and listening to the thunderous crackling of fireworks in celebration of the approval of the Declaration of Independence 238 years ago by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pa.
It’s worth noting, however, that July 4th has historical significance for reasons other than the 13 colonies gaining freedom from Great Britain.
Here is a list of some newsworthy events that took place on July 4th.
July 4, 1826: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die within two hours of each other; oddly enough on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
July 4, 1923: Jack Dempsey beats Tommy Gibbons in a 15-round decision in Shelby, Montana (population 500) to retain his heavyweight title. The New York Times reports Dempsey and his manager fled the town in Wild West style immediately after the fight ``with guns and sheriffs pursing them.’’
July 4, 1933: In India, Mahatma Gandhi is sentenced to one year in prison.
July 4, 1942: Don Budge crushes Bobby Riggs in straight sets (6-2, 6-2, 6-2) at the tennis tournament in Forest Hills, N.Y.
July 4, 1944: African-Americans are prevented from voting in Georgia’s Democratic primary when many are told by election officials their names couldn’t be found on the registration lists.
July 4, 1948: 50 leaders of the Democratic Party, many of whom have proposed a draft Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower movement, also expressed support for the inclusion of President Truman’s civil rights program in the party’s 1948 platform.
July 4, 1954: Dr. Samuel Sheppard is injured; and his wife, Marilyn, beaten to death in their Bay Village, Ohio home. Sheppard was convicted of her murder five months later.
July 4, 1954: Down by two goals, West Germany storms back to stun Hungary, 3-2, to win the world soccer championship at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland.
July 4, 1956: The motion picture of Herman Melville’s epic classic, ``Moby Dick’’, starring Gregory Peck and Orson Welles premiers at the Sutton and Criterion movie theaters in New York City.
July 4, 1963: Chicago mayor Richard Daley is booed off stage at an outdoor NAACP rally in Grant Park, following a civil rights parade down State Street. The previous week, Daley stated publicly that there were no black ghettos in Chicago, comments which sparked outrage within the black community.
July 4, 1966: Farm workers begin to fan across Texas to protest the low minimum wage. The National Farm Workers Association (a California union) claimed Mexican-Americans, who comprise 90 percent of farm workers, are paid less than 80 cents an hour and are seeking a $1.25 minimum wage.
July 4, 1968: Speaking to a crowd gathered for an Independence Day celebration in Columbia, Calif., Gov. Ronald Reagan says that many U.S. citizens carry guns because ``they have lost faith in government’s ability to protect them.’’
July 4, 1970: Five civilians are killed, 200 injured, and more than 300 arrested after a riot breaks out between British soldiers and Roman Catholics in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
July 4, 1970: Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" debuts on LA radio on a radio network of just seven stations. Modeled after the 1940s program "Your Hit Parade,"American ``Top 40'' eventually aired on more than 1,000 stations, including 400 on the Armed Forces Radio Network.
July 4, 1975: Billie Jean King disposes of Evonne Goolagong Cawley (6-0, 6-1) in 39 minutes, winning her sixth Wimbledon singles title. The Wimbledon champ announced she was retiring from major singles competition. ``What a way to end my career’’, King told the press after the match.
July 4, 1977: A Ku Klux Klan rally in Columbus, Ohio turned into a brawl, when over 100 ``fist-swinging protestors’’ charged Klan members. Three of the protestors were arrested.
July 4, 1983: Dave Righetti pitches The New York Yankees first no-hitter since September 28, 1951 in a 4-0 win over the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
July 4, 1988: The U.S. is chosen as host for the 15th World Soccer Tournament in 1994; marking the first time the World Cup will be played on American soil.
A Footnote: On July 4, 1994, the U.S. lost to Brazil, 1-0, in the World Cup quarter finals.
July 4, 2002: The New York Times learns of a military planning document, which calls for a U.S. attack on Iraq in order to oust Saddam Hussein involving air, land, and sea-based forces.
-Bill Lucey
July 3, 2014
Source: The New York Times’ Historical Archives; ``Facts on File’’; ``20th Century: Day by Day’’ (DK Publishing Co.)
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