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Today in History, July 1st

On July 1, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began in Pennsylvania. Plus Canada's founding as a dominion and Hong Kong's return to China.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 2 min read Sources checked

Published July 1, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

July 1 is best known for 1863, when Union and Confederate armies collided at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, opening the Civil War’s most famous battle. The date also marks Canada’s birth as a self-governing dominion in 1867 and Britain’s return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

The big story: The Battle of Gettysburg begins (1863)

Robert E. Lee had carried the war north, into Pennsylvania, with an army of about 80,000. Chasing him was the Army of the Potomac, just under 100,000 strong, under a commander who had held the job for three days: George G. Meade had replaced Joseph Hooker on June 28. Advance units bumped into each other just outside the town on the morning of July 1, and by noon the fighting was heavy. Union General John Reynolds was killed in the first hours. Outnumbered, Federal troops were driven back through the streets, but by evening they had rallied on high ground at the town’s southeastern edge. That turned out to matter a great deal. Over the next two days, Meade’s fishhook-shaped line along Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge held, through Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Lee’s army then retreated to Virginia.

More events on July 1

Year	What happened
1867	Britain recognized the Dominion of Canada as a self-governing state.
1898	U.S. troops attacked Spanish positions at El Caney and San Juan Hill in the campaign for Santiago de Cuba.
1904	The St. Louis Olympics opened, the first Olympic Games held in the U.S.
1916	British forces launched a major offensive against German lines along the Somme in France.
1942	The First Battle of El Alamein began, a fight that halted Erwin Rommel’s advance in North Africa.
1947	Diplomat George Kennan’s “Mr. X” article in Foreign Affairs laid out the policy of containing the Soviet Union.
1963	The U.S. Post Office introduced ZIP codes to speed up mail sorting.
1972	The first standalone issue of Ms. magazine hit newsstands and quickly sold out.
1979	Sony’s Walkman, an early portable cassette player, went on sale.
1984	The PG-13 movie rating debuted.
1997	Britain returned Hong Kong to China.
2005	The last Ford Thunderbird rolled off the assembly line in Wixom, Michigan.

Born on July 1

1646: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German philosopher and mathematician who independently invented calculus, born in Leipzig (New Style; June 21, Old Style).
1961: Diana, Princess of Wales, born near Sandringham, England.
1971: Missy Elliott, rapper and music producer, born in Portsmouth, Virginia.