July 3 in History

Historical Events on July 3

1775 American Revolutionary War: George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1849 The French enter Rome in order to restore Pope Pius IX to power. This would prove a major obstacle to Italian unification.

1863 American Civil War: The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg culminates with Pickett's Charge.

1913 Confederate veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913 reenact Pickett's Charge; upon reaching the high-water mark of the Confederacy they are met by the outstretched hands of friendship from Union survivors.

1938 United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and lights the eternal flame at Gettysburg Battlefield.

1970 The Troubles: The "Falls Curfew" begins in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1979 U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.

1988 United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

2013 Egyptian coup d'état: President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi is overthrown by the military after four days of protests all over the country calling for Morsi's resignation, to which he didn't respond. President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt Adly Mansour is declared acting president.

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Famous Birthdays on July 3

1883 Franz Kafka

1963 Tracey Emin

1971 Julian Assange

1987 Sebastian Vettel

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Famous Deaths on July 3

1904 Theodor Herzl

1971 Jim Morrison

1994 Lew Hoad

1995 Pancho Gonzales

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