Good morning. It's July 2nd — let's begin where we always do: on this very date in history.
📅 On This Day — July 2
🛸 (It's also World UFO Day — keep one eye on the skies, fittingly enough.)
1962 — Sam Walton opened the first Walmart in Rogers, Arkansas, with more than 500 shoppers lined up before the doors opened.
1964 — President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing segregation in public places and discrimination in employment.
1976 — North and South Vietnam were formally reunified into a single country after decades of division and war.
2002 — Adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon, completing his sixth attempt.
2005 — The Live 8 concerts staged simultaneous shows across London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and more to press world leaders on global poverty.
Now, let's set the dial back to 1996…
⏪ REWIND: 1996
Bill Clinton is in the White House and running for a second term against Bob Dole, a first-class stamp costs 32 cents, the Macarena is inescapable, dial-up modems are screeching to life in living rooms everywhere, and the country is buzzing about a summer of Olympics and blockbusters.
📰 The Headlines All eyes are on Atlanta. The Centennial Summer Olympics — the Games' 100th anniversary — open July 19, and the torch relay is crisscrossing the country as the city races to ready itself for the world.
🎬 At the Movies Landing in theaters today: Independence Day. Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum face down a citywide alien invasion in the effects-driven juggernaut — opened a day early, on July 2, to meet sky-high demand — that's about to become the year's biggest film.
🎵 On the Charts "Tha Crossroads" by Cleveland's Bone Thugs-n-Harmony holds #1 — a tender, harmony-laced tribute to their late mentor Eazy-E that raced to the top faster than any single since the Beatles, and would go on to win a Grammy.
🏆 In Sports Fresh off the greatest season in NBA history, the Chicago Bulls are champions again — capping a record 72–10 campaign with a title two weeks ago, as a returned Michael Jordan reclaimed the throne.
— a couple of quick things before you go —
👟 Step Challenge: the Summer 2026 Step Challenge is rolling — grab the free Pacer app and walk with us: Join the challenge (already have Pacer? Club code E42727228). Every step counts.
💡 Health Snap: Today is the exact midpoint of the year — a fine moment to reset one small habit, like a short after-dinner walk to wind down the day.
🎉 Born on a July 2nd — or know someone who was?
Forward this to them right now — there's no better "this is the day you were born" gift than a little time travel.
🎂 In good company: July 2 babies include civil-rights giant and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908), NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty (1937), comedy mastermind Larry David (1947), baseball slugger José Canseco (1964), and actress Margot Robbie (1990).
(Got this from a friend? Subscribe free at yesterdaytoday.news.)
Yesterday Today — A NovaOpsLab Briefing Series 345 Route 9 South, Suite 358, Englishtown, NJ 07726 You subscribed at yesterdaytoday.news. [Unsubscribe anytime]. Yesterday Today may earn a commission from partner links.