July 2

July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (the 184th day in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. On this day, there are 182 days remaining until the end of the year. The date is known for its historical importance. In so many ways, this day has seen world-changing events that have changed lives. Among those notable events, on July 2, 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the most extensive civil rights act in history. To take part in the signing of this act, Johnson invited hundreds of guests to the televised ceremony in the White House’s East Room. During the signing, he used more than 75 different pens then proceeded to give them away as mementos to mark the moment in tradition. He gave one of the first pens to Martin Luther King Jr. who called it “one of his most cherished possessions.”http://www.history.co.uk/this-day-in-history/July-02.html;jsessionid=7B64906ACFF929E7A969E7AE98E57F68.public2

This day also marked other notable events, including the death of disappearance of Amelia Earheart, the opening of the first Wal-Mart, and the patent of the first steam engine.http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/July-02, This day has changed the world throughout history leaving one to wonder, what will happen this July 2?

This page details some of the other famous happenings, events, and stories that have made July 2 a monumental day throughout history.

July 2 marked a huge day for America. It was the day that Congress met to vote on the Declaration of Independence. South Carolina leader's son, Arthur Middleton ignored his absent and ailing father's wishes and chose to the change the colony's position to aye for Independence. At this point, there was a 1 to 1 deadlock that needed a final vote to decide the state of independence for the country. That vote was decided by the great patriot Caesar Rodney. Rodney was suffered from serious facial cancer and asthma but he rode 80 miles through the rain and a lightening storm to be there for the vote. His vote for independence changed America forever. All 12 colonies voted on July 2nd thus adopting the resolution which declared independence from Great Britain.http://www.thedeclarationofindependence.org/

Amelia Earhart is the world’s most famous female aviator. She achieved a number of aviation records as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. She was becoming a legend in her own right until her fateful disappearance on July 2. During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight across the globe, she disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean somewhere near Howland Island.

She was a celebrity who won the hearts and minds of Americans all over the nation. She was a noted author, an incredible pilot, and role model for young females who aspired to take on the world as she did. In fact, she was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross for her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00228 She set her eyes to skies as she planned to fly from Hawaii to Howland Island then Australia back home. With her co-pilot Fred Noonan, she took off at midnight on July 2, 1937. At 8:00 GMT, Amelia made her last radio contact. She reported being on course for Howland Island at 12,000 feet. No one saw or heard the plane fly over. Several short transmissions were received but the varying signal strength made it difficult to get an exact point of location. They finally received an audible transmission at 7:30 p.m., which stated “KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you but cannot see you…gas is running low..” http://www.ellensplace.net/ae_lflt.html At 8:14 p.m. the Itasca received the very last voice transmission from Amelia in which she gave her positioning data. The team started to worry and continued to transmit on all frequencies until 9:30 p.m. At this point they began to implement search and rescue procedures.http://www.ellensplace.net/ae_lflt.html

The Search for Amelia Earhart
It was determined that the plane went down 35 to 100 miles off the coast of Howland Island. A life raft was kept on board but no trace of it had ever been found. President Roosevelt authorized a search of 9 navy ships and 66 aircrafts. However, on July 18, the search was called off. She was pronounced dead on January 5, 1939. http://www.ellensplace.net/ae_lflt.html

The Civil Rights Act opened doors for African Americans, minorities, and women all over the nation. The act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson among hundreds of guests at the White House. The act forbade discrimination based on sex or race.

Below are some of the highlights from the speech he gave when he signed the historical act.

“My fellow Americans, I am about to sign into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I want to take this occasion to talk to you about what the law means to every American . . . This is a proud triumph. Yet those who founded our country knew that freedom would be secure only if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning. From the minutemen at Concord to the soldiers in Vietnam, each generation has been equal to that trust . . . Americans of every race and color have died in battle to protect our freedom. Americans of every race and color have worked to build a nation of widening opportunities. Now our generation of Americans has been called on to continue the unending search for justice within our own borders . . . We believe that all men are created equal. Yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights. Yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights. . . . The purpose of the law is simple. It does not restrict the freedom of any American, so long as he respects the rights of others.”http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/speeches.hom/640702.asp,

• 2007: President George W. Bush commuted the two and half year prison sentence of Scooter Libby who played a role in the Valeri Plame CIA leak case.

• 1976: The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was not cruel or unusual.

• 1947: A weather balloon crashes in Roswell, New Mexico, many later speculate that it was an alien spacecraft.

• 1937: Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.

• 1881: James A. Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Washington railroad station, he would die in the following September.

World UFO Day

• 1986: Lindsay Lohan - Mean Girls
• 1983: Michelle Branch - Musician
• 1947: Larry David - Seinfeld creator
• 1937: Richard Petty - NASCAR driver

• 1997: James Stewart - The Philadelphia Story
• 1961: Ernest Hemingway - Author
• 1566: Nostradamus- Astrologer

• 2008: Hancock - John Ratzenberger
• 2007: Transformers Movie - Shia LaBeouf
• 2006: Superman Returns - Brandon Routh
• 2005: War of the Worlds - Tom Cruise
• 2004: Spider-Man 2 - Tobey Maguire
• 1998: Armageddon Movie - Bruce Willis

• 2007: Rihanna - Umbrella
• 2004: Usher - Burn
• 1999: Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love
• 1988: Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana
• 1979: Anita Ward - Ring My Bell