Today in History: July 3, Union wins Battle of Gettysburg

Today in History

Today is Friday, July 3, the 184th day of 2026. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 3, 1863, the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops failed to breach Union positions during an assault known as Pickett's Charge.

Also on this date:

In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk from the Germans.

In 1950, the first carrier strikes of the Korean War took place as the USS Valley Forge and the HMS Triumph sent fighter planes against North Korean targets.

In 1971, singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.

In 1979, Dan White, convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (mahs-KOH'-nee) and Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan presided over a gala ceremony in New York Harbor that saw the relighting of the renovated Statue of Liberty.

In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

In 2011, Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich) won his first Wimbledon, beating defending champion Rafael Nadal.

In 2012, Andy Griffith who made homespun American Southern wisdom his trademark as the wise sheriff in "The Andy Griffith Show," died at his North Carolina home. He was 86.

In 2015, Andre Borschberg landed his solar-powered aircraft in Hawaii after a 4,000-mile (6,400-kilometer) flight of nearly 118 hours from Japan, claiming the longest nonstop flight harnessing the sun's energy. The Solar Impulse 2 had 17,000 solar cells spanning wings wider than a Boeing 747's.

In 2022, a man opened fire at a mall near Copenhagen in Denmark, killing three people, believing the victims were zombies. Twenty-three other people were injured in the attack and the rush to flee; the man, who was not identified during the trial because of court rules, was later convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to a secure medical facility.

Today's Birthdays: Attorney Gloria Allred is 85. Actor Kurtwood Smith is 83. Country singer Johnny Lee is 80. Humorist Dave Barry is 79. Actor Betty Buckley is 79. Talk show host Montel Williams is 70. Country singer Aaron Tippin is 68. Rock musician Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure) is 66. Actor Tom Cruise is 64. Actor Connie Nielsen is 61. Actor Yeardley Smith is 62. Actor-singer Audra McDonald is 56. Hockey Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne is 56. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is 55. Actor Patrick Wilson is 53. Former mixed martial artist Wanderlei Silva is 50. Actor Olivia Munn is 46. Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel is 39. Rock singer-songwriter Elle King is 37. Actor Mia McKenna-Bruce is 29. Actor Sara Waisglass is 28. Dancer and actor Corinne Joy is 19.