The History Shack

   OTD July 3rd is the one-hundred-eightieth-fourth day of the year, with 181 days remaining until the end of the year.   Events 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty to rule France until the French Revolution in 1792. 1035 – William the Conqueror becomes the Duke of Normandy, reigning until 1087. 1754 – French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French forces. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1819 – The Bank for Savings in the City of New York, the first savings bank in the United States, opens. 1849 – France invaded the Roman Republic and restored the Papal States. 1886 – Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile. 1938—The Mallard sets the world speed record for a steam locomotive in England, reaching 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h). 1944 – World War II: T

On a warm July afternoon in 1863, the rolling fields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, bore witness to one of the most defining and heartbreaking moments of the American Civil War: Pickett's Charge. This daring but doomed assault marked the climax of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg and became a turning point in the war, etched into the annals of history with both awe and sorrow. The morning of July 3, 1863, dawned clear and bright, typical of a mid-summer day in Pennsylvania. The Union Army, under the command of Major General George G. Meade, held strong defensive positions along Cemetery Ridge. These soldiers were weary but resolute, their morale bolstered by the knowledge that they had successfully repelled Confederate attacks over the previous two days. In contrast, the Confederate Army, led by General Robert E. Lee, faced a daunting challenge. Supplies dwindled after two days of fierce fighting, and many soldiers were exhausted. Despite these hardships, morale remained high among

   OTD July 2nd is the one-hundred-eightieth-third day of the year, with 182 days remaining until the end of the year.   Events 1504 – Bogdan III the One-Eyed becomes Voivode of Moldavia. 1698 – Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine. 1776 – American Revolution: The Continental Congress adopted a resolution severing ties with the Kingdom of Great Britain, although the wording of the formal Declaration of Independence was not adopted until July 4. 1839 – Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 kidnapped Africans led by Joseph Cinqué mutiny and take over the slave ship Amistad. 1900 – An airship designed and constructed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin of Germany made its first flight on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen. 1937 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight. 1962 – The first Walmart store, then known as Wal-Mart, opened for business in Roge

   OTD July 1st is the one-hundred-eightieth-second day of the year, with 183 days remaining until the end of the year.   Events 1643 – First meeting of the Westminster Assembly, a council of theologians ("divines") and members of the Parliament of England appointed to restructure the Church of England, at Westminster Abbey in London. 1770—Lexell's Comet is seen closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching at a distance of 0.0146 astronomical units (2,180,000 km; 1,360,000 mi). 1823—The five Central American nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica declare independence from the First Mexican Empire after being annexed the year before. 1862 – The Russian State Library was founded as the Moscow Public Museum Library. 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Gettysburg begins. 1898 – Spanish–American War: The Battle of San Juan Hill is fought in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. 1908 – SOS is adopted as the