On July 4, 1187, Saladin — the Sultan of Egypt and Syria — crushed the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin, near the Sea of Galilee. It was one of the most decisive defeats in the Crusades. The Christian forces, led by Guy of Lusignan (King of Jerusalem), marched into the hot, dry hills chasing a fight — but they got way more than they bargained for.

Saladin’s troops had cut off access to water, set brushfires to smoke them out, and circled them in the heat. The Crusaders, dehydrated and exhausted, were surrounded and picked apart. By the end, most of the Christian army was either killed or captured — including Guy himself and the famous knight Raynald of Châtillon, who Saladin personally executed.

But the biggest prize was yet to come. With the Crusader army wiped out, Saladin had a clear path to Jerusalem, which he would retake later that year. This victory shocked Europe and directly triggered the launch of the Third Crusade, led by Richard the Lionheart.

So on July 4, 1187, while the Western world would one day celebrate independence, the Holy Land witnessed the collapse of Crusader power — all thanks to Saladin’s tactics, patience, and sense of timing.

On July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams — two of America’s founding fathers and former presidents — died within hours of each other. It was one of the strangest coincidences in U.S. history and felt almost too poetic to be real.

Jefferson and Adams were once close allies, then fierce political rivals, and finally old friends who wrote letters to each other in their final years. Adams was 90, Jefferson was 83, and both were in failing health that summer. Jefferson died first, just before noon at Monticello. Later that day in Massachusetts, Adams reportedly whispered, “Thomas Jefferson survives,” not knowing his old friend had already passed.

The double death stunned the young country. These were two of the last living authors of the Declaration of Independence, and their passing on the document’s 50th anniversary felt like the closing of a chapter in American history. Their legacies — for better or worse — shaped everything from freedom of speech to the powers of the presidency.

So on July 4, 1826, the nation didn’t just celebrate its birthday — it mourned the loss of two of its original architects, both going out on the very day that defined their legacy.

German Uprising🩸
In 1811, nearly 1,000 enslaved people in Louisiana launched the largest slave revolt in U.S. history, known as the German Coast Uprising. Armed with farming tools and a few stolen weapons, they marched toward New Orleans chanting for freedom. The rebellion was swiftly and brutally crushed — dozens were executed, and their heads displayed on pikes along the Mississippi River as a warning. Despite its scale and courage, the revolt is rarely taught, buried under centuries of silence. ⚔️🗣️🩸

Lost Nuclear Warhead☢️
In 1976, the Soviet submarine K-219 suffered a deadly malfunction and sank in the Atlantic Ocean, leaking radiation and carrying 16 nuclear warheads. While the Soviets scrambled to contain the disaster, the U.S. Navy secretly found the wreck first, launching one of the most classified recovery operations of the Cold War. The incident was kept quiet for decades — a sunken nuke graveyard lost in deep water and deeper politics. ☢️🌊🕵️‍♂️

Medieval Gargoyles💧
In medieval cathedrals, those creepy gargoyles jutting from the rooftops weren’t just decorative monsters — they were functional rain spouts. Builders used their open mouths and long necks to divert rainwater away from the stone walls, helping preserve the structures. The result? Gothic water management, with a healthy splash of nightmare fuel. 🐉⛪

Solar Storm⛈️
In 1859, a massive solar storm known as the Carrington Event slammed into Earth, sending geomagnetic pulses that caused telegraph wires to spark, catch fire, and even operate without power. Operators were shocked — literally. If a similar storm hit today, it could cripple satellites, power grids, and global communication, throwing modern civilization into instant blackout. And the sun didn’t even apologize. 🌞⚡📉

If you enjoy this edition of Today In History be sure to send it to a friend and force them to sign up because that’s what good friends do. Until next time, stay curious, question everything, and keep uncovering the mysteries of the past.