1. In 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed the resolution of independence during the Second Continental Congress held in Philadelphia, but it was not until July 4 that the Continental Congress officially declared American independence.

2. In 1893, the New York Stock Exchange crashed, leading to the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897 and resulted in a severe depression.

3. In 1939, the Yankees celebrated their first Old Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium. The event, which would become an annual tradition, featured baseball legends gathered on the field to be honored by fans.

4. In 1968, the Apollo 7 spacecraft was unveiled at the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in Bethpage, NY. This was the first crewed mission in the Apollo program to successfully orbit the Earth.

5. In 2019, New York became the 13th state to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults. The bill included provisions for the expungement of certain past marijuana-related convictions and regulations for the creation of a legal market for cannabis.