July 3 in Pop Culture History

July 3 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

July 3 History Highlights

  • 1608 – Quebec, Canada was founded by Samuel de Champlain. The name came from the Native American word “kebec” meaning ‘where the river narrows’
  • 1775 – George Washington took command of the Continental Army
  • 1819 – The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York, the first(?) savings bank in the United States, opened.
  • 1852 – Congress established the United States’ 2nd mint in San Francisco.
  • 1863 – The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg culminates with Pickett’s Charge (US Civil War)
  • 1952 – The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved by the United States Congress.
  • If you were born on July 3rd,
    You were likely conceived the week of… October 10th (prior year)

Fried Clam Day

Lawrence Henry “Chubby” Woodman and his wife Bessie had a small concession stand on Main Street in Essex, Massachusetts. On a slow July 3, 1916, a fisherman named Tarr saw a bucket of clams nearby and suggested, “Why don’t you fry up some of your clams? If they’re as tasty as those potato chips of yours, you’ll never have to worry about having enough customers.” Fried clams were unheard of, but the couple considered the idea and tested frying them like potato chips.

The following day was July 4, and the “Fried Clams” were offered successfully at the town’s Independence Day Parade and festivities.

July 3 through August 11 are the “Dog Days of Summer”
July 3 through August 15th are “Air Conditioning Appreciation Days”

July 3 is…

American Redneck Day
Compliment Your Mirror Day
Disobedience Day
National Chocolate Wafer Day
National Compliment Your Mirror Day
National Eat Your Beans Day
National Fried Clam Day
National Independent Beer Run Day
Plastic Bag Free Day
Stay Out of the Sun Day

July 3 Birthday Quotes

“Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
– Franz Kafka

“Don’t tell ’em – SHOW ’em!”
– George M. Cohan

“You can only be young once but you can be immature forever.”
– Dave Barry

“I don’t care what you say about me, as long as you say something about me, and as long as you spell my name right”
– George M. Cohan

“What are the differences between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I’m a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Man of the Year.”
– Julian Assange

July 3 Birthdays

1871 – William Henry Davies, Welsh poet and writer (d.1940)
1878 – George M. Cohan, American songwriter, actor, singer, and dancer (died in 1942)
1883 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian author (died in 1924)
1889 – Richard Cramer, American actor (died in 1960)
1906 – George Sanders, Russian-born British actor (died in 1972)
1918 – Johnny Palmer, American golfer (died in 2006)
1927 – Ken Russell, English actor, director, and producer (died in 2011)
1940 – Lamar Alexander, American lawyer and politician
1941 – Gloria Allred, American lawyer and activist
1943 – Judith Durham, Australian folk-pop singer-songwriter and musician
1943 – Kurtwood Smith, American actor
1944 – Annette Beard, American soul/R&B singer, Vandella
1947 – Dave Barry, American comedic journalist and author
1952 – Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter (died in 2004)
1957 – Poly Styrene, British musician (died in 2011)
1958 – Aaron Tippin, American singer-songwriter
1962 – Tom Cruise, American actor
1964 – Yeardley Smith, American actress, voice actress
1965 – Connie Nielsen, Danish-American actress
1966 – Moisés Alou, American baseball player
1971 – Julian Assange, Australian journalist, publisher, and activist, founded WikiLeaks
1994 – Ben Winchell, American actor

July 3 History

1035
William the Conqueror became the Duke of Normandy.

1819
The Bank of Savings in New York City, an early savings bank in the United States, opened. Many think it was the oldest, but the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) was founded on December 4, 1816, and is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.

1852
Congress established the United States 2nd Mint in San Francisco.

1884
Dow Jones and Company published its first stock average. Three reporters founded the company: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser.

1886
The New York Tribune became the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting by hand.

1890
Idaho was admitted as the 43rd U.S. state.

1952
The Congress of the United States approved the Constitution of Puerto Rico.

1952
Mr. Peepers, starring Wally Cox, debuted on NBC

1953
Nanga Parbat – 26,660 ft (8,126 m) – Pakistan – First ascent: July 3, 1953, by Hermann Buhl

1969
Rolling Stone member Brian Jones died in an accidental drowning (aged 27)

Lulu the elephant went off-script on live BBC television’s Blue Peter, making the first on-air animal “blooper” we could find.

1971
Doors frontman Jim Morrison died of an accidental drug overdose (aged 27)

1973
July 3, 1973 Birthday (fictional) Will Smith, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, TV

1979
President Jimmy Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul, Afghanistan.

1982
#1 Hit July 3, 1982July 23, 1982: The Human League – Don’t You Want Me

1985
Back to the Future was released, featuring the now-famous 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 time machine/automobile.

1988
The USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

2013
The Egyptian military overthrew the President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The average number of fingers on July 3rd is probably almost always higher than on July 4th.

July and Julie each look like how the other should sound.

If you take the first letter of the month from July to November you spell out “Jason”

Smile, because life is too short to be unhappy. #happy

Anyone trying to win the argument isn’t really interested in having a discussion.

Milli and Vanilli weren’t the ones actually singing on their album. This is one of the things we cared about in July of 1989.

Oprah’s parents named her after Harpo Marx. “Oprah” is “Harpo” backward.

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” – Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore – (Robert Duvall) #moviequotes

Some alien might have the Milky Way as their desktop wallpaper.

There is a giant mushroom in Oregon that is over 2,400 years old, covers 3.4 square miles of land, and is still growing.

“I’ll be back” – The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) #moviequotes

All of humanity, put together, has over 168 billion hours a day to accomplish things.

The singular of Spaghetti is a “Spaghetto”.

The original artwork for the iconic “Jaws” poster has been missing for decades.

Charlie Brown’s father was a barber.

Gruntled is a word, and it is the opposite of the word disgruntled.

I wonder how many typos I see ever day without noticing.

Movie theater Popcorn costs more per ounce than Fillet Mignon, the price of Popcorn is more than 1200% higher than its production costs.

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