1440 Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by the Bishop of Nantes.
1533 Catherine of Austria (born), Queen of Poland (died 1572)
1616 The first non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy.
1736 Jean Sylvain Bailly (born), French astronomer, mathematician, and politician, 1st Mayor of Paris (died 1793)
1776 American Revolutionary War: British forces land at Kip’s Bay during the New York Campaign.
1789 James Fenimore Cooper (born), American author (died 1851)
1789 The United States Department of State is established (formerly known as the “Department of Foreign Affairs”).
1812 The French army under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.
1812 War of 1812: A second supply train sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows.
1821 Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica jointly declare independence from Spain.
1830 Porfirio Díaz (born), Mexican general and politician, 29th President of Mexico (died 1915)
1830 The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens.
1831 The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
1835 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands. The ship lands at Chatham or San Cristobal, the easternmost of the archipielago.
1835 Sarah Knox Taylor (died), American wife of Jefferson Davis (born 1814)
1841 Alessandro Rolla (died), Italian violinist and composer (born 1757)
1842 Pierre Baillot (died), French violinist and composer (born 1771)
1851 Saint Joseph’s University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1857 William Howard Taft (born), American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 27th President of the United States (died 1930)
1859 Isambard Kingdom Brunel (died), English engineer, designed the Great Western Railway (born 1806)
1860 Visvesvaraya (born), Indian engineer, scholar, and politician, Diwan of the Mysore Kingdom (died 1962)
1862 American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
1864 John Hanning Speke (died), English army officer and explorer (born 1827)
1876 Bruno Walter (born), German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1962)
1881 Ettore Bugatti (born), Italian-French businessman, founded Bugatti (died 1947)
1886 Paul Lévy (born), French mathematician (died 1971)
1888 Antonio Ascari (born), Italian race car driver (died 1925)
1890 Agatha Christie (born), English author, poet, and playwright (died 1976)
1893 Thomas Hawksley (died), English engineer (born 1807)
1903 Roy Acuff (born), American singer-songwriter and fiddler (died 1992)
1904 Sheilah Graham Westbrook (born), English-American actress, journalist, and author (died 1988)
1906 Jacques Becker (born), French actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1960)
1907 Fay Wray (born), Canadian-American actress (died 2004)
1908 Kid Sheik (born), American trumpet player (Preservation Hall Jazz Band) (died 1996)
1915 Ernest Gagnon (died), Canadian organist and composer (born 1834)
1916 World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.
1918 Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. (born), American historian and academic (died 2007)
1918 Nipsey Russell (born), American comedian and actor (died 2005)
1921 Snooky Pryor (born), American harmonica player (died 2006)
1922 Jackie Cooper (born), American actor, singer, director, and producer (died 2011)
1927 Norm Crosby (born), American comedian and actor
1928 Cannonball Adderley (born), American saxophonist and bandleader (died 1975)
1935 India’s first all-boys public school, The Doon School, is founded.
1935 Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag with the swastika.
1935 The Nuremberg Laws deprive German Jews of citizenship.
1940 World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Royal Air Force shoots down large numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft.
1941 Signe Toly Anderson (born), American singer (Jefferson Airplane and KBC Band)
1942 Lee Dorman (born), American bass player (Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond) (died 2012)
1942 World War II: U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is torpedoed at Guadalcanal.
1944 Battle of Peleliu begins as the United States Marine Corps’ 1st Marine Division and the United States Army’s 81st Infantry Division hit White and Orange beaches under heavy fire from Japanese infantry and artillery.
1946 Oliver Stone (born), American director, screenwriter, and producer
1946 Tommy Lee Jones (born), American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1947 RCA releases the 12AX7 vacuum tube.
1948 The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 671 miles per hour (1,080 km/h).
1950 Korean War: United States forces land at Inchon
1952 Kelly Keagy (born), American singer and drummer (Night Ranger)
1952 United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia.
1955 Renzo Rosso (born), Italian fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Diesel Clothing
1959 Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.
1961 Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 miles per hour.
1962 The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1963 The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Four children killed at an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
1965 Steve Brown (died), American bassist (New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (born 1890)
1966 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, writes a letter to Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.
1968 The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
1972 Geoffrey Fisher (died), English archbishop (born 1887)
1978 Muhammad Ali outpointed Leon Spinks in a rematch to become the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title 3 times at the Superdome in New Orleans.
1978 Willy Messerschmitt (died), German aircraft designer, designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109 (born 1898)
1981 The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C.
1981 The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1981 Vanuatu becomes a member of the United Nations.
1983 Israeli premier Menachem Begin resigns.
1984 Prince Harry (born)
1986 Heidi Montag (born), American model and singer
1987 United States Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sign a treaty to establish centers to reduce the risk of nuclear war.
1989 Robert Penn Warren (died), American poet, author, and critic (born 1905)
1990 France announces it will send 4,000 troops to the Persian Gulf.
1998 With the landmark merger of WorldCom and MCI Communications completed the day prior, the new MCI WorldCom opens its doors for business.
2003 Garner Ted Armstrong (died), American evangelist (born 1930)
2004 Johnny Ramone (died), American guitarist and songwriter (The Ramones) (born 1948)
2004 National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces lockout of the players union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.
2007 Colin McRae (died), Scottish race car driver (born 1968)
2008 Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.
2008 Richard Wright (died), English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Pink Floyd) (born 1943)
2012 James “Sugar Boy” Crawford (died), American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1934)
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
- Patriotism - 4 July, 2017
- The Super Sucker Bowl - 10 February, 2017
- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017