July 3rd

Battle of Adrianople: Roman Emperor Constantine I defeats his co-emperor Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.

Coup in Egypt. Egyptian defense minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi staged a coup and forced out President Mohamed Morsi, just over a year after he was elected.

British House of Commons annouces Stone of Scone, used in the coronation of Scottish and British monarchs, will be returned to Scotland after 600 years.

Iran Air flight 655 is shot down by a US Navy ship. The USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down the airplane en route to Dubai, killing all 290 people aboard. The Vincennes, a guided missile cruiser, incorrectly identified the plane as a military aircraft. In 1996, the United States government made a cash settlement with Iran in order to close the case Iran had brought against the US in the International Court of Justice.

Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.

The U.S. Veterans Administration was created by Congress.

Idaho became the 43rd state in the United States.

Dow Jones publishes its 1st stock index, the Dow Jones Transportation Average.

Battle of Gettysburg: Largest battle ever fought on the American continent, ends in a major victory for the Union during the US Civil War.

The Great Auks go extinct. The last known pair of Great Auks, members of a species of flightless birds, were killed off the coast of Iceland at the request of a collector. It is believed that the extinction of these birds was caused by human activities and hunting due to the high demand for their feathers.

Commander in chief George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.

Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec.

Battle of Horns of Hattin: Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, destroys Jerusalem's crusader army.