THIS DAY IN HISTORY ― JULY 5

July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 179 days remaining until the end of the year.

328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. It was completed or rebuilt in 328 and remained in use for no more than four decades. With an overall length of 2437 m, 1137 m of which spanned the Danube's riverbed, Constantine's Bridge is considered the longest ancient river bridge and one of the longest of all time. The photo shows the present day Romania-Bulgaria bridge (the Vidin-Califit).

1687 – Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Widely regarded as one of the most important works in both the science of physics and in applied mathematicsduring the Scientific Revolution, the work underlies much of the technological and scientific advances from the Industrial Revolution (usually dated from 1750) which it helped to create.

1775 – The Second Continental Congress adopts the Olive Branch Petition, ostensibly in a final attempt to avoid a full-on war between the Thirteen Colonies, that the Congress represented, and Great Britain, however Congress had already authorized the invasion of Canada over a week previously. The petition affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and beseeched the king to prevent further conflict. However, the petition was followed by the July 6 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, making its success in London improbable. In August 1775 the colonies were formally declared to be in rebellion by the Proclamation of Rebellion, and the petition was rejected in fact, although not having been received by the king before declaring the Congress-supporting colonists traitors.

1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock (Buffalo) and Plattsburgh, New York commence.

1814 – War of 1812: Battle of Chippawa ― American Major General Jacob Brown defeats British General Phineas Riallat Chippawa, Ontario.

1915 – The Liberty Bell leaves Philadelphia by special train on its way to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. This is the last trip outside Philadelphia that the custodians of the bell intend to permit.

1934 – "Bloody Thursday": Police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco. The San Francisco General Strike, along with the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike led by the American Workers Partyand the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 led by theCommunist League of America, were important catalysts for the rise of industrial unionism in the 1930s, much of which was organized through the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

1935 – The National Labor Relations Act, which governs labor relations in the United States, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts elections that can require employers to engage in collective bargaining with labor unions (also known as trade unions).

1941 – World War II: Operation Barbarossa ― German troops reach the Dnieper river. In Phase One of the German invasion of Soviet Union.

1945 – World War II: The liberation of the Philippines via the Phillipines Campaign is declared by General Douglas MacAruther.

1950 – Korean War: Task Force Smith ―  American and North Korean forces first clash, in the Battle of Osan.

1971 – Right to vote: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, is formally certified by President Richard Nixon.

1975 – Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title.

1989 – Iran–Contra affair: Oliver North is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. His convictions are later overturned.

1996 – Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

1999 – U.S. President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

2006 – North Korea tests four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.

2009 – The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, is found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England.

Today's Births

1413 – Musa Çelebi, Ottoman prince and co-ruler of the Ottoman Empire 

1819 – William Cornwallis, English admiral and politician, surender to Washington at Yorktown to end the American Revolutionary War (b.1744)

From Wikipeia and Google (images), ex as noted.