Historybook
On this day
Every edition looks back before it looks forward: the events that share today's date, from moonshots to misadventures.
July 25
- 1909Louis Blériot makes the first airplane flight across the English Channel
- 1946The US detonates its first underwater nuclear test at Bikini Atoll
- 1965Bob Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival, dividing folk fans
- 1976NASA's Viking 1 photographs the famous 'Face on Mars' formation
- 1978Louise Brown, the world's first baby conceived by IVF, is born in England
July 24
- 1847Brigham Young and Mormon pioneers arrive in Utah's Salt Lake Valley
- 1911Explorer Hiram Bingham reaches the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru
- 1969Apollo 11 splashes down in the Pacific, completing the first moon landing mission
- 1974The Supreme Court unanimously orders President Nixon to surrender the Watergate tapes
July 23
- 1903Ford Motor Company sells its first car, a Model A, in Detroit
- 1962Telstar relays the first live transatlantic television broadcast between the US and Europe
- 1967The 12th Street Riot begins in Detroit, one of the deadliest in US history
- 1996The 'Magnificent Seven' win the first US women's team gymnastics Olympic gold in Atlanta
July 22
- 1933Wiley Post completes the first solo airplane flight around the world
- 1934Bank robber John Dillinger is shot by FBI agents outside Chicago's Biograph Theater
- 2011Anders Breivik kills 77 people in bombing and shooting attacks across Norway
- 2013Prince George, first child of Prince William and Catherine, is born in London
July 21
- 1861The First Battle of Bull Run, the Civil War's first major battle, is fought
- 1899Ernest Hemingway is born in Oak Park, Illinois
- 1925John Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in the 'Monkey Trial'
- 1969Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the moon (2:56 UTC)
- 2011Space Shuttle Atlantis lands, ending NASA's 30-year shuttle program
July 20
- 1944Claus von Stauffenberg's briefcase bomb fails to kill Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair
- 1969Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon
- 1976NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first US spacecraft to land successfully on Mars
- 2015The United States and Cuba restore full diplomatic relations after 54 years
July 19
- 64The Great Fire of Rome broke out, burning for days and destroying much of the city during the reign of Emperor Nero.
- 1799French soldiers in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone, the inscribed slab that ultimately unlocked the mystery of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
- 1848The Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention in the United States, opened in upstate New York.
- 1969Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit, setting the stage for the first crewed Moon landing the following day.
- 1989United Airlines Flight 232 crash-landed in Sioux City, Iowa, after a catastrophic engine failure; the crew's heroics helped 184 of the 296 people aboard survive.
July 18
- 64The Great Fire of Rome breaks out, burning much of the city
- 1918Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid leader and future South African president, is born
- 1969Ted Kennedy's car plunges off a Chappaquiddick bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne
- 1976Nadia Comaneci earns the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history
July 17
- 1918Tsar Nicholas II and his family are executed by Bolshevik forces in Yekaterinburg
- 1945The Potsdam Conference of Allied leaders begins in postwar Germany
- 1955Disneyland opens its gates in Anaheim, California
- 1975American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock in orbit, a Cold War first
July 16
- 1945The first atomic bomb is detonated in the Trinity test in New Mexico
- 1951J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' is published
- 1969Apollo 11 launches from Kennedy Space Center, bound for the Moon
- 1999John F. Kennedy Jr. dies when his plane crashes off Martha's Vineyard
July 15
- 1799French soldiers discover the Rosetta Stone in Egypt, unlocking ancient hieroglyphics
- 1834The Spanish Inquisition is officially abolished after more than 350 years
- 1918The Second Battle of the Marne begins, Germany's last major WWI offensive
- 1997Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered outside his Miami Beach mansion
- 2006Twitter launches publicly, reshaping how the world shares breaking news
July 14
- 1789Parisian revolutionaries storm the Bastille, igniting the French Revolution
- 1881Outlaw Billy the Kid is shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico
- 1965NASA's Mariner 4 flies past Mars, returning the first close-up images of another planet
- 2015New Horizons completes its historic flyby of Pluto, three billion miles from Earth
July 13
- 1863Draft riots erupt in New York City during the Civil War
- 1930The first FIFA World Cup begins in Uruguay
- 1977A massive blackout plunges New York City into darkness for 25 hours
- 1985Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia raise millions for famine relief
July 12
- 100 BCJulius Caesar, Roman general and statesman, is born (by traditional dating) in Rome.
- 1543King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.
- 1862President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the measure creating the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration.
- 1962The Rolling Stones play their first-ever gig at the Marquee Club in London.
- 1984Walter Mondale names Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, making her the first woman on a major U.S. party's presidential ticket.
July 11
- 1804Aaron Burr fatally wounds Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey
- 1859Big Ben chimes for the first time in London's clock tower
- 1960Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is first published
- 1979Skylab, America's first space station, falls back to Earth over Australia
- 1995Bosnian Serb forces capture Srebrenica, beginning Europe's worst massacre since World War II
July 10
- 1856Inventor Nikola Tesla is born in the village of Smiljan, in modern-day Croatia
- 1913Death Valley hits 134°F, still the highest air temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth
- 1925The Scopes 'Monkey Trial' over teaching evolution opens in Dayton, Tennessee
- 1940The Battle of Britain begins as German aircraft attack shipping in the English Channel
- 1962Telstar 1 launches, becoming the first satellite to relay live transatlantic television
July 9
- 1816Argentina declares independence from Spain at the Congress of Tucumán
- 1850President Zachary Taylor dies in office, just 16 months into his term
- 1877The first Wimbledon tennis championship begins in London
- 1955Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein release their manifesto warning of nuclear war
- 2011South Sudan becomes the world's newest independent nation
July 8
- 1776The Declaration of Independence receives its first public reading in Philadelphia
- 1889The Wall Street Journal publishes its first edition
- 1947Roswell Army Air Field announces recovery of a 'flying disc,' sparking decades of UFO lore
- 2011Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the final mission of NASA's shuttle program
July 7
- 1898President William McKinley signs the resolution annexing Hawaii to the United States
- 1930Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dies at age 71
- 1946Mother Frances Cabrini becomes the first American citizen to be canonized a saint
- 1981President Reagan nominates Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman on the Supreme Court
- 2005Coordinated bombings on London's transit system kill 52 people during morning rush hour
July 6
- 1535Sir Thomas More is executed for treason under King Henry VIII
- 1885Louis Pasteur successfully administers the first rabies vaccine to young Joseph Meister
- 1942Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in Amsterdam's secret annex
- 1957John Lennon meets Paul McCartney at a Liverpool church fete, sparking the Beatles
July 5
- 1811Venezuela declared its independence from Spain, becoming the first South American colony to formally break away.
- 1946The bikini made its debut at a Paris swimming pool, modeled by dancer Micheline Bernardini.
- 1954Elvis Presley recorded 'That's All Right' at Sun Studio in Memphis, a session often cited as the birth of rock 'n' roll.
- 1975Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the Wimbledon singles title, defeating Jimmy Connors.
- 1996Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, was born in Scotland.
July 4
- 1776The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia
- 1826John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both die on the 50th anniversary of independence
- 1863Confederate forces surrender Vicksburg to Ulysses S. Grant after a long siege
- 1997NASA's Pathfinder lands on Mars, delivering the Sojourner rover
- 2012CERN scientists announce the discovery of the Higgs boson particle
July 3
- 1863The Battle of Gettysburg ends after Pickett's Charge fails, turning the Civil War
- 1938British locomotive Mallard sets the world steam speed record at 126 mph
- 1962France formally recognizes Algeria's independence after 132 years of colonial rule
- 1971Doors frontman Jim Morrison is found dead in a Paris apartment at 27
- 1985'Back to the Future' premieres in US theaters, launching the time-travel franchise
July 2
- 1776The Continental Congress votes to declare independence from Great Britain
- 1881President James Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington railroad station
- 1937Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific Ocean
- 1964President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act into law
- 2002Steve Fossett completes the first solo balloon flight around the world
July 1
- 1867Canada becomes a self-governing dominion within the British Empire
- 1898Theodore Roosevelt leads the Rough Riders' charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba
- 1963The US Postal Service introduces ZIP codes to speed up mail delivery
- 1997The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China
- 2003Wimbledon's Centre Court roof project is approved after a rain-plagued tournament
June 30
- 1908A massive explosion over Tunguska, Siberia flattens 800 square miles of forest
- 1936Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind is published for the first time
- 1971Three Soviet cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 11 are found dead upon re-entry to Earth
- 1997The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China
June 29
- 1613The Globe Theatre in London burns to the ground during a performance
- 1776Virginia adopts its first state constitution, days before American independence
- 1956President Eisenhower signs the Federal Aid Highway Act, creating the Interstate System
- 1995Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Russia's Mir station for the first time
- 2007Apple releases the original iPhone, transforming the mobile phone industry
June 28
- 1914Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, triggering the chain of events that led to World War I.
- 1919The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, formally ending World War I exactly five years after Franz Ferdinand's assassination.
- 1969The Stonewall Uprising began in New York City after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a pivotal moment that galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- 1997Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during their WBA heavyweight title rematch in Las Vegas — one of the most infamous moments in boxing history — and was subsequently disqualified.
- 1981The Irish Republican Army bombed the Glenshane Pass in Northern Ireland, part of the sustained violence of The Troubles that defined the era.
June 27
- 1844Mormon founder Joseph Smith is killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois
- 1950President Truman orders US forces into Korea after North Korea invades the South
- 1954The world's first nuclear power plant opens in Obninsk, Soviet Union
- 1976Air France Flight 139 is hijacked and diverted to Entebbe, Uganda
- 1995Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Russia's Mir station for the first time
June 26
- 1945The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco
- 1963President Kennedy delivers his 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech in West Berlin
- 1997J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is published in the UK
- 2003The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down anti-sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas
- 2015The Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges
June 25
- 1876Lt. Col. George Custer and the 7th Cavalry are defeated at Little Bighorn
- 1950North Korean forces invade South Korea, beginning the Korean War
- 1967The Beatles perform 'All You Need Is Love' in the first global satellite TV broadcast
- 1996The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemembers
- 2009Pop icon Michael Jackson dies at age 50 at his Los Angeles home
June 24
- 1314Scottish forces under Robert the Bruce defeat England at the Battle of Bannockburn
- 1948Soviet Union begins the Berlin Blockade, cutting off Allied supply routes to West Berlin
- 1947Pilot Kenneth Arnold reports the first widely publicized UFO sighting over Washington State
- 1994The US men's national soccer team defeats Colombia 2-1 at the FIFA World Cup
- 2016Britain votes to leave the European Union as Brexit referendum results are announced
June 23
- 1868Christopher Latham Sholes patents the first practical typewriter
- 1940Adolf Hitler tours a defeated Paris in a rare early-morning sightseeing visit
- 1969Warren Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
- 1972President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss using the CIA to obstruct the Watergate probe
- 1985Air India Flight 182 explodes off Ireland, killing all 329 aboard in Canada's worst terrorist attack
June 22
- 1941Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union
- 1944FDR signs the GI Bill, transforming American higher education and homeownership
- 1969Ohio's Cuyahoga River catches fire, helping spark the modern environmental movement
- 1978Pluto's moon Charon is discovered by astronomer James Christy
- 1986Diego Maradona scores the 'Hand of God' goal against England at the World Cup
June 21
- 1788New Hampshire became the ninth and deciding state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, officially putting the new framework of government into effect.
- 1834Cyrus McCormick patented the mechanical reaper, a machine that would transform American agriculture and help feed a rapidly expanding nation.
- 1948Columbia Records introduced the 33⅓ RPM long-playing vinyl record in New York City, revolutionizing how the world listened to music.
- 1964Civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were murdered by Ku Klux Klan members in Mississippi — a tragedy that galvanized the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
- 2004SpaceShipOne became the first privately built aircraft to reach space, completing a flight that helped launch the era of commercial spaceflight.
June 20
- 1756British soldiers are imprisoned in Calcutta's infamous 'Black Hole,' killing dozens overnight
- 1863West Virginia becomes the 35th US state, splitting from Virginia during the Civil War
- 1975Jaws opens in US theaters, inventing the summer blockbuster
- 1990The Hubble Space Telescope transmits its first photographs back to Earth
- 2003Strom Thurmond, the longest-serving US senator in history, dies at age 100
June 19
- 1865Enslaved people in Texas learn of their freedom, the moment now celebrated as Juneteenth
- 1953Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union
- 1978Garfield the comic strip debuts in 41 US newspapers, launching an unlikely cultural icon
- 1991Soviet troops complete their withdrawal from Hungary after more than four decades
- 2012WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange seeks asylum inside Ecuador's London embassy
June 18
- 1815Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, ending his rule
- 1873Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election
- 1928Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
- 1983Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space aboard Space Shuttle Challenger
- 1994O.J. Simpson leads police on a televised low-speed Bronco chase across Los Angeles
June 17
- 1775Colonial forces repel British troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston
- 1885The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor aboard a French ship
- 1972Five men are arrested breaking into the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex
- 1994O.J. Simpson leads police on a televised slow-speed chase on a Los Angeles freeway
- 2015A gunman kills nine people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina
June 16
- 1858Abraham Lincoln delivers his famous 'House Divided' speech in Springfield, Illinois
- 1903Henry Ford incorporates the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan
- 1963Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to travel in space aboard Vostok 6
- 1976The Soweto uprising begins in South Africa as students protest apartheid education policies
- 1996The Chicago Bulls win their fourth NBA championship, completing a 72-win regular season
June 15
- 1215King John of England seals the Magna Carta at Runnymede
- 1844Charles Goodyear patents the vulcanization process for rubber
- 1904The steamboat General Slocum catches fire in New York's East River, killing over 1,000
- 1978Naomi Uemura becomes the first person to reach the North Pole solo
- 1994Israel and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations for the first time
June 14
- 1777The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States, establishing what would become Flag Day.
- 1846American settlers in Sonoma, California, launched the Bear Flag Revolt, declaring independence from Mexico and establishing the short-lived California Republic.
- 1940Nazi German forces entered and occupied Paris, one of the darkest days of World War II, as French troops retreated and the city fell without a fight.
- 1954President Eisenhower signed a bill adding the words 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance, changing the text that had been in use since 1892.
- 1982Argentina surrendered to British forces, ending the Falklands War after 74 days of fighting over the South Atlantic archipelago.
June 13
- 1966Supreme Court rules in Miranda v. Arizona, requiring police to inform suspects of their rights
- 1971The New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg
- 1983Pioneer 10 becomes the first spacecraft to travel beyond all the planets of the solar system
- 2000North and South Korea sign a historic joint declaration at their first-ever summit
June 12
- 1939The National Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York
- 1942Anne Frank receives a diary for her 13th birthday in Amsterdam
- 1964Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa
- 1987President Reagan urges 'Tear down this wall' at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
June 11
- 1776Continental Congress appoints the Committee of Five to draft the Declaration of Independence
- 1955Le Mans disaster kills more than 80 spectators, motorsport's deadliest crash
- 1962Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers escape Alcatraz, never to be found
- 1963Governor George Wallace blocks Black students at the University of Alabama's schoolhouse door
- 2010South Africa hosts the first FIFA World Cup played on African soil
June 10
- 1752Benjamin Franklin flies a kite in a thunderstorm, demonstrating that lightning is electricity
- 1935Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio, by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith
- 1940Italy declares war on France and Britain, entering World War II
- 1977Apple ships the Apple II, one of the first mass-market personal computers
- 2003NASA launches the Spirit rover on its journey to Mars
June 9
- 1934Donald Duck makes his debut in Disney's The Wise Little Hen
- 1973Secretariat wins the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths to capture the Triple Crown
- 1983Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party wins a landslide victory in UK general election
- 2008The Phoenix Mars Lander confirms the presence of water ice on Mars
June 8
- 632Prophet Muhammad dies in Medina, marking the end of Islamic revelation
- 1783Laki volcano begins erupting in Iceland, causing global climate effects
- 1949George Orwell's novel '1984' is published in London
- 1968James Earl Ray is arrested for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
- 2004Venus transits across the Sun for the first time since 1882
June 7
- 1494Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas, dividing the New World
- 1776Richard Henry Lee proposes independence resolution to Continental Congress
- 1929Vatican City becomes a sovereign state under the Lateran Treaty
- 1967Israel captures the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the Six-Day War
June 6
- 1944D-Day Allied forces launch massive invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy
- 1968Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles
- 1984Tetris is first published by Soviet programmer Alexey Pajitnov
- 2005The Supreme Court rules medical marijuana users can be prosecuted under federal law
June 5
- 1947Secretary of State George Marshall announces the Marshall Plan for European recovery
- 1968Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles
- 1981The CDC publishes the first report on what would later be known as AIDS
- 1989The Tiananmen Square protests reach their climax in Beijing