What happened on July 4

91 documented historical events happened on July 4, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Byzantine emperor Theodosius II proclaimed his elder sister Aelia Pulcheria as Augusta. On the same day, in another year: Chinese astronomers recorded the sudden appearance of a "guest star", later identified as the supernova that created the Crab Nebula (pictured). On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.

160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on July 4, including Eva Marie Saint, Delia Fiallo, Ciril Zlobec. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.

142 people with a Wikipedia article died on July 4, including Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria, Taejo of Goryeo, Pope Benedict V. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.

16 observances are celebrated on July 4 around the world: 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. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.