1165 Philip II of France (born) (died 1223)
1597 Roger Twysden (born), English historian and politician (died 1672)
1627 Jacques Mauduit (died), French composer (born 1557)
1660 Hubert Gautier (born), French engineer (died 1737)
1665 Giacomo F. Maraldi (born), French-Italian astronomer and mathematician (died 1729)
1680 Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt.
1689 The Battle of Dunkeld in Scotland.
1725 Jean-Baptiste Greuze (born), French painter (died 1805)
1754 William Murdoch (born), Scottish engineer and inventor, created gas lighting (died 1839)
1762 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (died), English author (born 1689)
1770 James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
1789 Augustin-Louis Cauchy (born), French mathematician (died 1857)
1798 Jules Michelet (born), French historian (died 1874)
1816 Charles Frédéric Gerhardt (born), French chemist (died 1856)
1821 Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances.
1831 Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion.
1838 Adelbert von Chamisso (died), German botanist and poet (born 1781)
1852 Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory.
1863 Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by Confederate guerrillas Quantrill’s Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre.
1872 Aubrey Beardsley (born), English author and illustrator (died 1898)
1879 The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, reportedly appears at Knock Shrine in Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.
1883 An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic.
1888 The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs.
1897 Oldsmobile, a brand of American automobiles was founded.
1904 Count Basie (born), American pianist, composer, and bandleader (Count Basie Orchestra) (died 1984)
1905 Alexander von Oettingen (died), Baltic German theologian and statistician (born 1827)
1911 The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.
1918 World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.
1932 Melvin Van Peebles (born), American actor, director, and screenwriter
1933 Janet Baker (born), English soprano
1933 Michael Dacher (born), German mountaineer (died 1994)
1936 Wilt Chamberlain (born), American basketball player and coach (died 1999)
1937 Robert Stone (born), American author
1938 Kenny Rogers (born), American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (The New Christy Minstrels and The First Edition)
1939 Harold Reid (born), American singer-songwriter (The Statler Brothers)
1939 James Burton (born), American guitarist (TCB Band)
1940 Ernest Thayer (died), American poet (born 1863)
1940 Leon Trotsky (died), Russian politician and theorist (born 1879)
1942 World War II: The flag of Nazi Germany is installed atop the Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus mountain range.
1942 World War II: the Guadalcanal Campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.
1943 Jonathan Schel (born), American journalist and author (died 2014)
1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
1945 Physicist Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. is fatally irradiated in a criticality accident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
1947 Carl Giammarese (born), American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Buckinghams)
1947 Ettore Bugatti (died), Italian-French engineer and businessman, founded Bugatti (born 1881)
1951 Glenn Hughes (born), English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Finders Keepers, Trapeze, Deep Purple, and Black Country Communion)
1951 Harry Smith (born), American journalist
1952 Joe Strummer (born), English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The Clash, The Mescaleros, and The Pogues) (died 2002)
1956 Jon Tester (born), American politician
1957 Harald Sverdrup (died), Norwegian meteorologist and oceanographer (born 1888)
1957 Steve Smith (born), American drummer (Journey, Montrose, Steps Ahead, The RD Crusaders, and Vital Information)
1957 The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile.
1959 United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii’s admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day
1960 David B. Steinman (died), American engineer, designed the Mackinac Bridge (born 1886)
1961 Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes.
1963 Xá Lợi Pagoda raids: the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces loyal to Ngo Dinh Nhu, brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, vandalizes Buddhist pagodas across the country, arresting thousands and leaving an estimated hundreds dead.
1968 James Anderson, Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
1973 Sergey Brin (born), Russian-American computer scientist and businessman, co-founded Google
1974 Buford Pusser (died), American police officer (born 1937)
1976 Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjom, South Korea.
1978 Charles Eames (died), American architect, co-designed the Eames House (born 1907)
1979 Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defects to the United States.
1982 Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
1983 Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. (born 1932) is assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport).
1986 Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range.
1986 Usain Bolt (born), Jamaican sprinter
1991 Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.
1991 Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after the occupation of Soviet Union.
1992 Ruby Ridge Standoff in Idaho
1993 NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.
1997 Yuri Nikulin (died), Russian clown and actor (born 1921)
2005 Marcus Schmuck (died), Austrian mountaineer (born 1925)
2005 Robert Moog (died), American businessman, founded Moog Music (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