American Independence and other July 4 happenings

Thursday July 4, 1754 Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to the French
Thursday July 4, 1776 - Declaration of Independence signed ( I'll bet you did not know it was a Thursday).
Tuesday July 4, 1826 - Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die.
Friday July 4, 1902 - Theodore Roosevelt ends "Great Insurrection" in the Philippines
Tuesday July 4, 1911 - Mitch Miller born , "Sing Along With Mitch". He died on Saturday July 31, 2010
Thursday July 4, 1918 - Advice columnists Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers born.
Monday July 4, 1927 - Playwright Neil Simon born.
Wednesday July 4, 1956 - Independence Park in Philadelphia opens.
Monday July 4, 1966 -LBJ signs into law "Freedom of Information Act".
Friday July 4, 1969 - Give Peace A Chance released in the UK by John and Yoko.
Friday July 4, 1997  - Photos of Mars first seen online from the  robot on the Mars Pathfinder.
Friday July 4, 2003 - Disco star Barry White dies.
Wednesday July 4, 2007 - The American Flag with 50 stars becomes the longest standing version of the American flag.
Saturday July 4, 2009 - The Statue of Liberty reopened to the public after eight years due to the 9/11 attacks.

     As you look at these events you may remember some more than others. If you are a history buff you will remember the Fort Necessity, presidents deaths and Great Insurrection without using any memory techniques. If you are a music fan you will remember Mitch Miller's birth and Barry White's death. Anything that you have a natural curiosity and interest in comes easily. The trick can be to relate the information to something you are already interested in.

When is the real midpoint of the year?

Saturday July 1, 1961 - Princess Diana's birth
Friday July 1, 1983 - Buckminster Fuller's death
Monday July 1, 1991 - Michael Landon's death
Tuesday July 1, 1997 Robert Mitchum's death
Saturday July 1, 2000 Walter Mathau's death
Thursday July 1, 2004 - Marlon Brando's death.

     As someone who has the calendar memorized or calculated for hundreds of years, I figured out when the real middle of the year is. It's never midnight on June 30 going into July 1. The midpoint of the year depends on whether it's a leap year or a common year. In a leap year, such as this one, the midpoint of the year is midnight July 1 going into July 2. If you do the math, 2012 began on a Sunday and will end on a Monday. Given that there are an even number of weeks in the year, 52 you can calculate that since the year 2012 began at midnight on a Saturday going into Sunday, and will end on a Monday going into a Tuesday, then the midpoint would be a Sunday going into a Monday. Hence, tonight Sunday July 1 going into July 2.
     Converesly, a common year begins and ends on the same day of the week. For example, 2011 began and ended on Saturdays. January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. The midpoint of 2011 would thus be at noon on a Saturday July 2. The same holds true for any common (non leap) year. 2013 will begin and end on Tuesdays, so the midpoint will be noon on Tuesday July 2.
     If you consider that all of the months have either 30 or 31 days but February has 28 or 29. It follows that since February is a short month, the middle of the year will cut into July. This year Octboer 1 will be a Monday, so the three quarter mark of the year will be at noon on October 1.