Historical timeline for July 4

A devastating flood strikes the Texas Hill Country, killing at least 108 people.

The Oasis Live '25 tour begins in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, ending a 16-year hiatus.

The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, wins a landslide majority in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government.

Chile claims its first title in international football by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América final.

The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.

The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.

The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.

A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people.

Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program's history to occur on the United States' Independence Day.

The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.

Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.

The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City.

A Boeing 707 crashes near Bangui M'Poko International Airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, killing 28.

Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport killing all 145 people on board.

Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.

NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.

Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city.

Three Iranian diplomats and a journalist are kidnapped in Lebanon by Phalange forces, and their fate remains unknown.

Space Shuttle program: Columbia lands at Edwards Air Force Base at the end of the program's final test flight, STS-4. President Ronald Reagan declares the Space Shuttle to be operational.

The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit.