… in 1776 the Continental Congress approved a resolution declaring independence. Twelve of the 13 colonies voted in favor. (New York did not approve independence until July 9th.)
Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.
That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.
The Declaration of Independence stating the reasons for independence was approved two days later (and most likely not signed until August).
… in 1863 the second day of battle was fought at Gettysburg.
… in 1877 the Noble laureate Hermann Hesse was born.
… in 1881 Charles J. Guiteau assassinated President James A. Garfield.
On July 2, 1881 . . . President James A. Garfield was shot at the Baltimore & Potomac station in Washington by a failed lawyer named Charles Guiteau. The President took two months to die, and the trial of his assassin raised issues of criminal responsibility and the insanity defense that American jurisprudence struggles with to this day.
So begins a solid summary of the event and its legal aftermath at AmericanHeritage.com. Be the first kid on your block to know any details of the second presidential assassination in American history. Of course, if you’ve read Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation
… in 1908 Thurgood Marshall was born.
Thurgood Marshall, pillar of the civil rights revolution, architect of the legal strategy that ended the era of official segregation and the first black Justice of the Supreme Court, died today. A major figure in American public life for a half-century, he was 84 years old.
The New York Times (1993)
… in 1937 Amelia Earhart was lost.
Coast Guard headquarters here received information that Miss Earhart probably overshot tiny Howland Island because she was blinded by the glare of an ascending sun. The message from the Coast Guard cutter Itasca said it it was believed Miss Earhart passed northwest of Howland Island about 3:20 P.M. [E.D.T.], or about 8 A.M., Howland Island time. The Itasca reported that heavy smoke was bellowing from its funnels at the time, to serve as a signal for the flyer. The cutter’s skipper expressed belief the Earhart plane had descended into the sea within 100 miles of Howland.
The New York Times (1937)
American Heritage has a lengthy essay on Earhart: Searching for Amelia Earhart.
… in 1946 the Air Force says a weather balloon crashed near Roswell, New Mexico.
… in 1961 Ernest Hemingway committed suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho.
… in 1964 President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
Today is the day Richard Petty turns 73.
Today is the day Luci Baines Johnson, the younger daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, turns 63.
Larry David turns 63 today as well.
Lindsay Lohan is 24 today.
The year 2010 is half over today at 1PM (noon if you’re not on daylight saving time). How are those New Year’s resolutions working for you?