Chamblee54

By the time this is posted, it will be July 2 in G.M.T. Many things have happened on this day.
In non leap years, July 2 is the middle of the year, with 182 days before and after. In Leap years, it is day 184, which is the second day of the second half.
In 1776, the Continental Congress voted to declare Independence from Great Britain. Many feel that this is the true birthday of the United States. Of course, the tradition is to celebrate on the fourth, and tradition usually wins out over facts.
Taking the freedom theme a step further, in 1839, fifty three rebelling African slaves, led by Joseph Cinque, took over the slave ship Amistad. In 1863, this was the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. This battle is considered the turning point of the War Between the States.
In 1881, President James Garfield was fatally wounded by Charles Guiteau. The cartoon cat did not have a comment.
In 1934, this was the end of the Night of the Long Knives. Ernst Rohm died this night.
In a reversal from the freedom theme, in 1962 the first Wal Mart opened in Rogers, Arkansas.
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.

Most days have famous people born on them. On July 2, 1877, Hermann Hesse entered the earth. In 1932, Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas was born. Richard Petty followed in 1937, Jose Canseco in 1964, and Lindsay Lohan in 1986.

How many dates feature the death of an actor who played a Funeral home employee? Fred Gwynne, who played Herman Munster, left the planet on July 2, 1993. Other performers to exit stage right include Betty Grable (1973), Lee Remick (1991), Jimmy Stewart(1997), and Beverly Sills (2007). Other famous people who didn’t see July third include Nostradamus (1566), Ernest Hemingway (1961) and Vladimir Nabokov (1977).
Many thanks to Wikipedia for the information in this feature.