Today is Friday, July 4, the 185th day of 2003. There are 180 days left in the year. This is

Today is Friday, July 4, the 185th day of 2003. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day. On this date in 1776, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence.
In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opens at West Point, N.Y. In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence is adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both die. In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, dies in New York City. In 1845, Henry David Thoreau begins his two-year experiment in simpler living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Mass. In 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, is born in Plymouth, Vt. In 1939, Lou Gehrig, says farewell to his fans at New York's Yankee Stadium. In 1942, Irving Berlin's musical review "This Is the Army" opens at the Broadway Theater in New York.
July 4, 1978: The Ohio Controlling Board approves a request from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for up to $1 million in federal funds to fill six deep mine shafts in the Youngstown area and to test drill on four sites where shafts are known to exist.
Arthur Fielder conducts the Boston Pops Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for the annual Fourth of July outdoor concert along the Charles River for the 50th time. The free concerts in Boston were the first of their kind in the United States.
A high-stakes poker game pitting Mahoning Valley neighbor against neighbor is being played out in Washington as at least five economic development proposals for resurrecting parts of Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube Co. are being pursued.
July 4, 1963: Joseph Potochny, a frugal immigrant with a thirst for knowledge and a love for his adopted country, leaves his life savings to philanthropic services in Youngstown. $17,800 of the $29,041 estate will fund scholarships at Youngstown University for needy students of Ukrainian backgrounds.
Mahoning County's retired courthouse bell, which is more than 100 years old and is installed in the belfry of the old grade school at Canfield, will add its voice to the "Let Freedom Ring" program. Bells of all sizes throughout the land will be rung at 2 p.m. Independence Day.
Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube Co. is building an addition to its data processing building at the Campbell Works and is erecting a new data processing center building at the Indiana Harbor Works.
July 4, 1953: A hill in Korea has been named "Kelly's Hill" in honor of a former Youngstown resident, Marine Pfc. John D. Kelly of Homestead, Pa., who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Recent heavy rains in Mahoning County have helped farmers with their crops, says J.C. Hedge, Mahoning County agricultural agent. A fair crop of apples is expected to begin coming in about three weeks.
The 18th annual Midyear Show opens at Butler Art Institute with 300 paintings that will remain on display through Labor Day.
July 4, 1928: Rain reduces play on opening day of Warren's municipal golf course on Warren-Sharon Road, about five miles east of the city, but more than 200 golfers take to the course under sunny skies on the second day of operation.
A verdict of $3,335 is returned in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to the parents of Billie Bayer of Girard, who was killed at the age of 17 when a gun held by a companion discharged. Suit seeking $10,000 was filed against the 17-year-old boy and his parents.