1837 189 years ago Selected Events July 4 4 sources

The Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction, opened between Birmingham and Newton Junction.

On July 4, in the year 1837, The Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction, opened between Birmingham and Newton Junction. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of July 4, one of 510 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846. The line built by the company, which opened in 1837, linked the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham via Warrington, Crewe, Stafford and Wolverhampton. This was the first trunk railway to be completed in England, and arguably the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction. It terminated at Curzon Street Station in Birmingham, which it shared with the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR), whose adjacent platforms gave an interchange with full connectivity between Liverpool, Manchester and London.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 4, 1837 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 1 February 2026.

On This Date in History 510

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2025 Jul 4 A devastating flood strikes the Texas Hill Country, killing at least 108 people.
Historical Events 2025 Jul 4 The Oasis Live '25 tour began in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, ending a 16 year hiatus.
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 4 Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 4 Richard Greenberg, American playwright and television writer (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 4 Bobby Jenks, American baseball player (born 1981)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 4 Peter Russell-Clarke, Australian chef, author and illustrator (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 4 Mark Snow, American composer for film and television (born 1946)
Historical Events 2024 Jul 4 The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, wins a landslide majority in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, ending…
Selected Events 2024 Jul 4 Keir Starmer leads the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the United Kingdom general election, ending fourteen…
Selected Events 2024 Jul 4 Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the United Kingdom general election, ending fourteen years…
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 4 Cláudio Hummes, Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 4 Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese manga artist (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2021 Jul 4 Harmoko, Indonesian politician, former parliament speaker and government minister (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2021 Jul 4 Matīss Kivlenieks, Latvian ice hockey goaltender (born 1996)
Notable Deaths 2018 Jul 4 Henri Dirickx, Belgian footballer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2018 Jul 4 Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2017 Jul 4 John Blackwell, American R&B, funk, and jazz drummer (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2017 Jul 4 Daniil Granin, Soviet and Russian author (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2017 Jul 4 Gene Conley, American MLB player and NBA player (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2016 Jul 4 Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (born 1940)
Historical Events 2015 Jul 4 Chile claims its first title in international football by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América Final.
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 4 Nedelcho Beronov, Bulgarian judge and politician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 4 William Conrad Gibbons, American historian, author, and academic (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 4 Giorgio Faletti, Italian author, screenwriter, and actor (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 4 C. J. Henderson, American author and critic (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 4 Earl Robinson, American baseball player (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 4 Richard Mellon Scaife, American businessman (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 4 Onllwyn Brace, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 4 Jack Crompton, English footballer and manager (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 4 James Fulton, American dermatologist and academic (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 4 Charles A. Hines, American general (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 4 Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (born 1960)
Historical Events 2012 Jul 4 The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 4 Hiren Bhattacharyya, Indian poet and author (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 4 Jimmy Bivins, American boxer (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 4 Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 4 Eric Sykes, English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 4 Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (born 1927)
Historical Events 2009 Jul 4 The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following…
Historical Events 2009 Jul 4 The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Brenda Joyce, American actress (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Allen Klein, American businessman and talent agent, founded ABKCO Records (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Drake Levin, American guitarist (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Steve McNair, American football player (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author and actor (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 4 Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese poet and politician (born 1938)
Historical Events 2008 Jul 4 A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people.
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 4 Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 4 Jesse Helms, American politician (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 4 Evelyn Keyes, American actress (born 1916)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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