July 2 has seen dramatic moments in aviation, politics, and civil rights throughout history.
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished over the Pacific Ocean during their attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Despite extensive searches, neither they nor their plane were ever found.
The Second Continental Congress formally voted to declare independence from Great Britain, two days before the Declaration was officially adopted. John Adams believed July 2 would be celebrated as the great anniversary.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington railroad station. Garfield lingered for 80 days before dying, and the assassination spurred civil service reform in the United States.
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's LZ 1 made its first flight over Lake Constance in Germany. The rigid airship flew for 18 minutes and pioneered lighter-than-air travel that would dominate aviation for three decades.
French astrologer and physician Michel de Nostredame died in Salon-de-Provence, France. His book of prophecies, published in 1555, remains one of the most famous and controversial works of prognostication in history.
The Egyptian military removed President Mohamed Morsi from power following massive protests against his rule. The coup ended Egypt's brief experiment with democratic governance after the 2011 revolution.