Today is Friday, July 4, the 186th day of 2008. 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 1807, soldier-statesman Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played a key role in Italy's unification during the 19th century, was born in Nice. 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 1862, English mathematician and clergyman Charles L. Dodgson ("Lewis Carroll") began devising the story of "Alice in Wonderland" for his young friend Alice Pleasance Liddell during a boating trip. 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. Continued... |