United States marks July 4 with historic events from spaceflight to 1776 declaration

The July 4 calendar overview highlights several notable moments. In 2006 astronaut Thomas Reiter became the first German to launch aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery for a mission to the International Space Station. The same year the German national football team lost 0‑2 to Italy in the World Cup semi‑final in Dortmund.

Earlier historical entries include the 1946 Kielce pogrom in Poland, where a mob killed 42 people, most of them Jews, and injured about 80 others. In 1926 the Nazi Party founded the Hitler Youth during its second party congress in Weimar. The 1776 entry marks the U.S. Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence, establishing the United States.

Birthdays noted are German TV journalist Bettina Böttinger and Austrian chef Eckart Witzigmann. Deaths recorded include Spanish football legend Alfredo Di Stéfano and American Founding Fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.