July 3 Gets Overshadowed by July 4, but It's Not Trivial in American History!

American History Is Waaay More Fun When It's Optional

If history class was a while ago, or you just weren't that into it, ThriftBooks has so many reads that make it cool! Just as every person you pass on the street has a story, every day that goes by has a history—some more fascinating than others, like today. The list of all things July 3 is long, but here are a few highlights to peruse and books to shop.

July 3 Firsts and Lasts

• 1754: George Washington surrendered to the French at Fort Necessity, ending the Seven Years' War that spanned the globe.
• 1819: The first US savings bank (The Bank for Savings in New York) was founded.
• 1861: The Pony Express arrived in San Francisco with overland letters from New York, using a cross-country relay system that allowed riders to travel at a breakneck pace.
• 1863: The Battle of Gettysburg ended with a Union victory that was a major turning point in the Civil War. It was the largest battle ever fought on American soil with 51,112 casualties—23,049 Union and 28,063 Confederate (over a third of Lee's army).
• 1884: Dow Jones published its first stock index—the Dow Jones Transportation Average.

Significant Events

• 1871: Jesse James robbed the Ocobock bank in Corydon, Iowa bank in the amount of $45,000 (a whopping $894,538 today).
• 1939: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Lou Gehrig made his famous "Luckiest Man" speech at Yankee Stadium in New York.
• 1958: The Andy Williams Show premiered on ABC, then later on CBS and NBC.
• 1985: Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd was released in theaters, grossing $210,609,762.
• 1986: President Ronald Reagan presided over the relighting of the renovated Statue of Liberty.

July 3 Author Birthdays

• 1860: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• 1906: Francis Steegmuller
• 1923: Ashley Bryan
• 1935: John Yount
• 1908: M.F.K. Fisher
• 1937: Sir Tom Stoppard

Read more by Beth Clark