Today's Notable U. S. Birthday

Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum - Early promoter of "show business" (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus).

Civil War Cycle - Era of Good Feeling - First Turning, High (1788-1821)
Transcendental Generation - Prophet (Idealist) (1792-1821)

Have a happy 4th.  While you are at it, take a moment to remember what a great gift we were given on this day.

Today's Memorable U. S. Event

7/4/1776 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress approves a Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. (The Lee Resolution of Independence had been passed on July 2nd.)
The Declaration is considered to be a preceding founding document of the later formed United States of America, where July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day. At the time the Declaration was issued, the American colonies were "united" in declaring their independence from Great Britain, but were not yet declaring themselves to be a single nation. That union would evolve and take shape during the next few years after the Declaration was issued.

Revolutionary War Cycle - The American Revolution Era - Fourth Turning, Crisis (1774-1787) 

In a tragic yet beautiful coincidence, two of the central figures in the founding of the United States, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Notable Foreign Birthdays

Carl von Clausewitz - Influential writer on the philosophy and theory of War.
U. S. Contemporaries: Revolutionary War Cycle - Compromise Generation - Artist (Adaptive) (1767-1791)

Today's Notable U. S. Birthday

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Leading Enlightenment philosopher, writer.
U. S. Contemporaries: Revolutionary War Cycle - Awakening Generation - Prophet (Idealist) (1701-1723)

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) - British physicist who developed the Kelvin scale for absolute temperatures.
U. S. Contemporaries: Civil War Cycle - Gilded Generation - Nomad (Reactive) (1822-1842)

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

Blaise Pascal - Early French prodigy in science and mathematics
U. S. Contemporaries: Colonial Cycle - Cavalier Generation - Nomad (Reactive) (1615-1647)

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

Igor Stravinsky - Leading composer of modern classical music
U. S. Contemporaries: World War Cycle - Missionary Generation - Prophet (Idealist) (1860-1882)

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

Adam Smith - Father of modern economics.
U. S. Contemporaries: Revolutionary War Cycle - Awakening Generation - Prophet (Idealist) (1701-1723)

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

Nikolaus Otto - Inventor of the internal combustion engine.
U. S. Contemporaries: Civil War Cycle - Gilded Generation - Nomad (Reactive) (1822-1842) 

Today's Notable Foreign Birthday

James Clerk Maxwell
U. S. Contemporaries: Civil War Cycle - Gilded Generation - Nomad (Reactive) (1822-1842)