Very Busy Day in History - July 4th

1948
In Britain, the beginning of the NHS - the National Health Service.
1946I
ndependence for the Philippine Islands from the United States of America.
1943
Polish prime minister Wladyslaw Sikorski, leader of the Polish Government in exile during World War II, is killed in an aircrash.
1919
In Toledo, Ohio, American boxer Jack Dempsey beats Jess Willard to become heavyweight champion of the world. Williard is knocked down 7 times before retiring in the third round.
1906
Britain, France and Italy guarantee the independence of Ethiopia.
1904
Start of construction work to build the Panama Canal.
1903
USA President Theodore Roosevelt inaugurates the Pacific Communications Cable by sending a message around the world.
1892
James Keir Hardie is elected MP for Holytown, Lanarkshire to become the first socialist to win seat in British parliament.
1884
The Statue of Liberty is presented to America by the people of France.
1881
American outlaw William H Bonney, known as Billy the Kid, is shot dead by lawman Pat Garrett.
1863
American Civil War: Union forces defeat the Confederates at the Battle of Vicksburg.
1848
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish their Communist Manifesto.
1840
The Cunard Shipping Line begins its first Atlantic crossing when the paddle steamer Britannia sails from Liverpool en route to Halifax. The voyage takes 14 days.
1829
First regular scheduled bus service starts in London - a horse drawn service between Marylebone Road and the Bank of England.
1776
American commander George Washington signs the Declaration of Independence during the war with the British. July 4th is now recognised as American Independence Day.

On This Day

1945: U.N. Charter signed

Delegates from nations around the world sign the United Nations Charter on June 26, 1945. Even before celebrations for the end of World War II in Europe commenced, delegates from 51 nations began a 63-day conference in San Francisco to establish the United Nations, an organization designed to help ensure future world peace. The United States proposed establishing the world body in 1942, and the groundwork was laid at an Allied conference held in Washington in 1944. In April 1945, the international conference convened in California, culminating in the signing of the Charter. The first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly occurred in London early the next year.

On this Day

1968
Start of the first Open Wimbledon lawn tennis championships - open to both professional and amateur players.
1948
The beginning of the Berlin Airlift following the USSR blockade of Berlin. With West Berlin completely surrounded by East Germany and with the road and rail links to West Germany having been cut, Western Europe, aided by the Americans ferry food and other essential supplies into West Berlin by air. The operation, involving more than 1,000 flights, lasts several months.
1947
The world hears the first stories of 'flying saucers' when American pilot Kenneth Arnold reports seeing 9 disc-shaped objects in the sky near Mount Rainier in Washington, USA.
1917
World War I: Mutiny of Russian sailors serving with the Black Sea fleet at Sevastopol.
1878
Formation of the St John Ambulance - originally called the St John Ambulance Association.
1859
Swiss businessman Henri Dunant witnesses the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in Italy - the large number of wounded soldiers, many of whom later die from their injuries, inspires him to found the International Red Cross.