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7 Other Things That Happened on the 4th of July

Happy birthday, Hotmail!
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 4, 2017 4:11 AM CDT
7 Other Things That Happened on the 4th of July
In this Sept. 4, 1947 file photo, an eastbound tanker, in foreground, prepares to pass a westbound one, background, after being released from a lock in the Erie Canal, in New York.   (AP Photo, File)

If you don't feel like celebrating Independence Day this year, Ranker has a list of more than 30 other things that also happened on July 4. A sampling:

  • Slavery was abolished in New York. The children born to slaves in the state were freed on July 4 in 1799; by July 4, 1827, all slaves in the state were freed.
  • The Philippines gained independence from the US. The Treaty of Manila was signed between the US and the Philippines on July 4 in 1946.
  • Hotmail was born. On July 4, 1996, with the announcement, "Happy Independence Day. In return, we are going to give you a great new way to get email. It’s called Hotmail. Be free from your internet service provider!"

  • Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass. The first edition came out on July 4, 1855.
  • Construction began on the Erie Canal. Construction began on the nearly 400-mile water route on July 4 in 1817 in Rome, New York.
  • The Republic of Hawaii was born. On July 4, 1894; just four years later it was annexed by the US.
  • The US got the Statue of Liberty. France gave it as a gift on July 4 in 1884.
Click for the complete list. (More lists stories.)

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