July 4th anniversaries

Santo Domingo.- The anniversaries of July 4th are marked by important historical events and international celebrations that left a mark on world history. Below are the main anniversaries of July 4th:

• World Day for Dolphins in Captivity.
• World E-book Day.
• United States: Independence Day.

Saints’ Day: Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal. Saint Laureanus

National: July 4th anniversaries

• 1747: According to historian Diego Blanco Izquierdo, the city of Dajabón is founded by Spanish brigadier José Solano y Bote, on the eastern bank of the Masacre or Dajabón River.
• 1839: Monsignor Francisco Fantino Falco dies in San Pedro de Macorís, with his body buried the same day at Santo Cerro.
• 1844: Matías Ramón Mella proclaims Juan Pablo Duarte as President of the Republic in the Cibao, which was rejected by the Founding Father, arguing that it did not emanate from elections.
• 1845: The National Congress approves the entry into force of the French Restoration Codes for the entire Dominican Republic.
• 1861: Founding Father Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and 21 of the patriots who rose up in arms against the Annexation are executed by firing squad in San Juan de la Maguana, sentenced to death by a military tribunal led by General Pedro Santana.
• 1889: Congress issues a resolution declaring July 4th as a National Day of Mourning in memory of the martyrs of the Restoration.
• 1942: Left-wing leader Henry Segarra Santos is born in the community of Quinigüa, Santiago province; he disappeared during the so-called “12-Year Government” of President Joaquín Balaguer.
• 1958: Law 2439 is enacted, granting council members the authority to assign names to streets, avenues, monuments, plazas, and public buildings in their respective municipalities.
• 1959: The last group of guerrillas from Constanza is annihilated, the date on which the campaign diary of Juan Enrique Puig Subirá (Johnny) is interrupted.
• 1959: Physician and historian Guido Despradel Bautista dies in Ciudad Trujillo.
• 1961: 25 political prisoners linked to the June 14th Movement, convicted for activities against the Trujillo dictatorship, are pardoned.
• 1961: The Senate approves the abolition of Mandatory Military Service, which required men between 17 and 35 years of age to serve for six months.
• 1968: President Joaquín Balaguer declares that the exodus of Haitians constitutes “a danger to the Dominican nationality,” during a press conference at the National Palace.
• 1969: Vice President Francisco Augusto Lora breaks with Joaquín Balaguer, warning that his reelection would bring serious consequences for the country.
• 1973: The Executive Branch issues Decree No. 3673, granting the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology the authority to issue academic degrees with the same validity as universities.
• 1976: The first live television broadcast from the Dominican Republic to abroad takes place from the Primatial Cathedral of America on the occasion of the U.S. Independence.
• 1982: President Antonio Guzmán Fernández is officially declared dead, having shot himself hours earlier in his office at the National Palace. Jacobo Majluta assumes the presidency.
• 1986: Law 32-86 on Copyright, based on the Universal Convention, is enacted.
• 1994: A hundred journalists march in Santo Domingo demanding answers regarding the disappearance of writer Narciso González.
• 2000: CONES recommends that the Executive Branch approve the Naval Academy of Higher Studies as a university.
• 2002: Former President Joaquín Balaguer is admitted to the Abreu clinic due to health complications.
• 2006: The President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa, prohibits through a circular that judges manage rulings or files outside of the courts.
• 2016: Pope Francis accepts the resignation of Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez and appoints Monsignor Francisco Ozoria Acosta in his place.
• 2021: Three people are gunned down in the San Martín de Porres (Rabo Chivo) neighborhood of San Francisco de Macorís.
• 2023: A scandal comes to light regarding alleged “ghost” flights of the Spanish presidential plane to the Dominican Republic, according to the newspaper “El Debate”.
• 2024: The Senate approves the Penal Code bill in its second reading, excluding the three grounds for abortion.

International: July 4th anniversaries

• 1498: Christopher Columbus concludes his stopover in the Cape Verde Islands, the first contact of Europeans with an area endemic to yellow fever.
• 1776: In Philadelphia, John Hancock signs the Declaration of Independence of the 13 British colonies in the United States of America.
• 1826: Former US presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson pass away.
• 1846: The Philippines gains independence from the United States.
• 1884: The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States in Paris.
• 1884: Louis B. Mayer, film producer and founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is born.
• 1910: In Reno (USA), boxer Jack Johnson knocks out Jim Jeffries, sparking violent racist riots.
• 1934: Marie Curie, pioneer in physics and chemistry and two-time Nobel Prize winner, passes away.
• 1941: Josip Broz Tito organizes the partisan resistance in Yugoslavia.
• 1946: The United States recognizes the independence of the Philippines.
• 1964: The National Liberation Army (ELN) is founded in Colombia.
• 1973: The Treaty of Chaguaramas is signed, creating the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
• 1976: An Israeli commando frees hostages at Entebbe airport, Uganda; 31 people die.
• 1979: Former Algerian president Ahmed Ben Bella is released.
• 1989: South African President Pieter Botha meets with Nelson Mandela.
• 1991: The new Constitution of Colombia is enacted.
• 2005: The President of Costa Rica, Abel Pacheco, ratifies his refusal to be part of a regional military force and to implement a single visa in Central America.
• 2014: Two former Argentine military officers are convicted for the murder of Bishop Enrique Angelelli during the dictatorship.
• 2014: Former guerrilla fighter Fermín Solano Barrillas is sentenced to 90 years in prison for the massacre of 22 peasants in 1988.
• 2022: Russia accuses Ukrainian formations of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes in several cities.
• 2023: The European Union needs to invest 700 billion euros annually to achieve its energy transition and reduce dependence on Russian gas.
• 2023: Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez, convicted of “treason against the homeland,” is released from prison and placed under the protection of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua.
• 2024: The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election, and Keir Starmer is set to become the new prime minister.
• 2024: The Federal Police of Brazil indicts former president Jair Bolsonaro for crimes related to jewelry, vaccination card fraud, money laundering, and criminal association.

Births: July 4th anniversaries

• 1942: Left-wing leader Henry Segarra Santos is born in the community of Quinigüa, Santiago province; he disappeared during the so-called “12-Year Government” led by Joaquín Balaguer.
• 1884: Louis B. Mayer is born, film producer and founder of Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

Deaths: July 4th anniversaries

• 1839: Monsignor Francisco Fantino Falco dies in San Pedro de Macorís, being buried the same day at Santo Cerro.
• 1861: Founding father Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and 21 patriots who rose up against the Annexation are executed by firing squad in San Juan de la Maguana.
• 1982: President Antonio Guzmán Fernández passes away after taking his own life in his office at the National Palace.
• 1934: Marie Curie, Polish-French physicist and chemist, double Nobel Prize winner (Physics and Chemistry), dies.