WEDNESDAY, July 2, 2025

626-Incident at Xuanwu Gate: Prince Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rivals, the brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng, sons of Emperor Gaozu; he then forces the emperor to name him as successor to the throne

1776-Continental Congress resolves "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States"

1823-Bahia Independence Day: End of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia

1865-One-time Methodist Reform Church minister William Booth and his wife Catherine Booth found the East London Christian Mission, now known as the Salvation Army

1916-Lenin says Imperialism is caused by capitalism

1964-U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law

1976-Formal reunification of North and South Vietnam

1990-1,426 pilgrims trampled to death after a panic in a tunnel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia