1536 George Boleyn (born 1504), Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
1536 Mark Smeaton (died), English lute player and dancer (born 1512)
1536 The annulment of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s marriage.
1551 Martin Delrio (born), Belgian theologian and occultist (died 1601)
1673 Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
1749 Edward Jenner (born), English physician and microbiologist (died 1823)
1765 Alexis Clairaut (died), French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (born 1713)
1775 American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Quebec.
1792 The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
1829 John Jay (died), American politician and diplomat, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (born 1745)
1838 René Caillié (died), French explorer (born 1799)
1849 A large fire nearly burns St. Louis, Missouri to the ground.
1863 Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
1868 Horace Elgin Dodge (born), American businessman, co-founded Dodge (died 1920)
1875 Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
1879 Asa Packer (died), American businessman, founded Lehigh University (born 1805)
1886 John Deere (died), American blacksmith and businessman, founded the Deere & Company (born 1804)
1895 Saul Adler Belarusian (born), English captain and parasitologist (died 1966)
1902 Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
1911 Frederick August Otto Schwarz (died), German-American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (born 1836)
1911 Maureen O’Sullivan (born), Irish-American actress (died 1998)
1912 Archibald Cox (born), American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (died 2004)
1918 Birgit Nilsson (born), Swedish soprano (died 2005)
1931 Marshall Applewhite (born), American cult leader, founded Heaven’s Gate (died 1997)
1934 Ronald Wayne (born), American computer scientist and author, co-founded Apple Inc.
1936 Dennis Hopper (born), American actor and director (died 2010)
1938 Pervis Jackson (born), American singer (The Spinners) (died 2008)
1939 Gary Paulsen (born), American author
1939 The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States’ first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
1940 Alan Kay (born), American computer scientist
1941 Grace Zabriskie (born), American actress
1942 Taj Mahal (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Rising Sons)
1943 The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School to develop the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).
1949 Bill Bruford (born), English drummer, songwriter, and producer (Yes, King Crimson, UK, Earthworks, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, and National Health)
1954 The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
1955 Bill Paxton (born), American actor and director
1956 Bob Saget (born), American comedian, actor, and television host
1962 Craig Ferguson (born), Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host
1963 Page McConnell (born), American keyboard player and songwriter (Phish, Vida Blue, and Phil Lesh and Friends)
1964 Nandor Fodor (died), Hungarian-American psychologist and parapsychologist (born 1895)
1965 Trent Reznor (born), American singer-songwriter and producer (Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels, and Tapeworm)
1966 Hill Harper (born), American actor, producer, and author
1967 Paul D’Amour, (born) American bass player and author (Tool and Replicants)
1967 Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
1970 Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
1973 Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
1974 Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
1983 Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
1983 The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds), in response to the Appalachian Observer‘s Freedom of Information Act request.
1984 Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend,” sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
1987 Gunnar Myrdal (died), Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1898)
1990 The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
1992 Lawrence Welk (died), American accordion player and bandleader (born 1903)
1997 James Bennett Griffin (died), American archaeologist (born 1905)
2004 Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
2004 Tony Randall (died), American actor, director, and producer (born 1920)
2007 Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
2012 Donna Summer (died), American singer-songwriter (born 1948)
2012 Herbert Breslin (died), American publicist and manager (born 1924)
2013 John Goddard (died), American explorer and author (born 1924)
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