TODAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, July  04, 2012 On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
On this date in: 1802 The U.S. Military Academy opened at West Point, N.Y. 1804 Author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Mass. 1826 Death claimed the second and third presidents of the United States: John Adams died at age 90 in Braintree, Mass., while Thomas Jefferson died at 83 at Monticello, his home near Charlottesville, Va. 1831 James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, died at age 73 in New York City. 1845 American writer Henry David Thoreau began a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Mass. 1872 Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vt. 1939 Baseball player Lou Gehrig, afflicted with a fatal illness, bid a tearful farewell at Yankee Stadium in New York, telling fans, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." Lou Gehrig AP Photo/Murray Becker 1946 The Philippines became independent. 1958 Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed auxilliary bishop of Krakow in his native Poland. 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law. 1976 Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers. 1987 Former Getaspo chief Klaus Barbie was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison. 2010 Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Playwright Neil Simon turns 85 years old today. AP Photo/Charles Sykes Name Profession Age Pauline Phillips Advice columnist ("Dear Abby") 94 Eva Marie Saint Actress 88 Gina Lollobrigida Actress 85 Bill Withers R&B singer 74 Karolyn Grimes Actress ("It's a Wonderful Life") 72 John Waite Rock singer 57 Pam Shriver Tennis Hall of Famer 50 Horace Grant Basketball player 47 Becki Newton Actress ("Ugly Betty") 34 Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera turns 69 years old today. AP Photo/Red Huber