MAPS OF HISTORY · ON THIS DAY · July 4

THE DAY IN HISTORY · JULY 4

July 4 in history

1187 — The Horns of Hattin

4 Jul 1187 — lured onto a waterless plateau, the army of Jerusalem is destroyed by Saladin. The True Cross is captured and the kingdom left almost undefended. The single worst day in Outremer’s history.

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1776

The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

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1863 — Vicksburg

4 Jul 1863 — After a campaign of feints, five battles in eighteen days, and a 47-day siege, the fortress on the bluffs surrenders with 30,000 men — the day after Pickett’s Charge. The Confederacy is cut in two.

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