Today is Monday, July 4, the 185th day of 2005. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.
Today's Highlight in History:
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
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 1845, Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simpler living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Mass.
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. Lieutenant Colonel 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.
In 1976, Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers.
In 1997, NASA's Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars, inaugurating a new era in the search for life on the Red Planet.
In 2003, rhythm-and-blues singer Barry White died in Los Angeles at age 58.
Ten years ago: President Boris Yeltsin announced that Russian troops would be permanently stationed in Chechnya. British Prime Minister John Major won re-election as Conservative Party leader. The space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir parted after spending five days in orbit docked together. Actress Eva Gabor died in Los Angeles at age 74.
Five years ago: Tall ships sailed through New York Harbor during OpSail 2000, celebrating Independence Day.
One year ago: A 20-ton slab of granite, inscribed to honor "the enduring spirit of freedom," was laid at the World Trade Center site as the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower skyscraper that will replace the destroyed twin towers. Defending the war in Iraq, President Bush told a cheering crowd outside the West Virginia state capitol that America was safer because Saddam Hussein was in a prison cell. Roger Federer overcame Andy Roddick's power game to win his second straight Wimbledon title, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Meg Mallon won the women's U.S. Open with a 6-under 65.
Today's Birthdays: Conductor Mitch Miller is 94. Advice columnist Pauline Phillips (the original "Dear Abby") is 87. Actress Eva Marie Saint is 81. Playwright Neil Simon is 78. Baseball team owner George Steinbrenner is 75. Country singer Ray Pillow is 68. Singer Bill Withers is 67. Actor Ed Bernard is 66. Actress Karolyn Grimes is 65. Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 62. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ralph Johnson (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 54. Rock musician Domingo Ortiz (Widespread Panic) is 53. Singer John Waite is 50. Rock musician Kirk Pengilly (INXS) is 47. Country musician Teddy Carr is 45. Rock D-J Zonka (Big Audio Dynamite) is 43. Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 43. Rock musician Matt Malley (Counting Crows) is 42. Actress Jenica Bergere is 31. Singer Stephen "Ste" McNally (BBMak) is 27.
Thought for Today: "If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile." — Samuel Eliot Morison, American historian (1887-1976).