- 836 - '' Pactum Sicardi '', peace between the Principality Of Benevento and the Duchy Of Naples
- 993 - Saint Ulrich Of Augsburg Canonized .
- 1054 - A Supernova is observed by the Chinese , the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the Star ζ Tauri . For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula .
- 1120 - Jordan II Of Capua anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death
- - Saladin defeats Guy Of Lusignan , King Of Jerusalem .
- defeats Guy Of Dampierre .
- 1359 - Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil De Albornoz .
- 1636 - City of Providence , Rhode Island forms.
- 1712 - 11 slaves are executed in New York for starting an uprising that killed 9 Caucasians
- 1776 - American Independence Day . The United States Declaration Of Independence by the Second Continental Congress declaring itself free of British rule. Signed in Philadelphia.
- 1802 - At West Point , New York the United States Military Academy opens.
- 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
- 1810 - The French occupy Amsterdam .
- 1817 - At Rome, New York , United States , construction on the Erie Canal begins.
- 1826 - Former American presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the United States Declaration Of Independence .
- 1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State .
- 1837 - Grand Junction Railway , world's first long-distance Railway , opens between Birmingham and Liverpool .
- 1838 - The Iowa Territory is organized.
- 1840 - The Cunard Line 's 700 ton wooden Paddle Steamer RMS ''Britannia'' departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax , Nova Scotia on the first Transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
- 1845 - Near Concord, Massachusetts , Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond (see '' Walden '').
- 1855 - In Brooklyn, New York , the first edition of Walt Whitman 's book of Poem s titled '' Leaves Of Grass '' is published.
- .
- 1862 - Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into '' Alice's Adventures In Wonderland '' and its sequels.
- - Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. 150 miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate Army is repulsed at the Battle Of Helena , Arkansas.
- 1865 - '' Alice's Adventures In Wonderland '' is published.
- 1881 - In Alabama , the Tuskegee Institute opens.
- 1886 - First scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody , British Columbia .
- 1886: In the Western League , a game in Colorado between the Leadville Blues and the St. Joseph Reds was delayed 30 minutes, by a snow storm.
- 1887 - Founder of Pakistan , Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam , Karachi .
- 1892 - Western Samoa changes the International Date Line , so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
- 1894 - The short-lived Republic Of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole .
- 1910 - African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight Boxing match sparking Race Riot s across the United States .
- 1918 - Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
- 1918 - Bolshevik s kill Tsar Nicholas II Of Russia and his family ( Julian Calendar date).
- 1927 - First flight of the Lockheed Vega .
- 1934 - Joe Louis wins his first professional Boxing match.
- 1934 - Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the Atomic Bomb .
- 1939 - Lou Gehrig , recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis , tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league Baseball .
- 1941 - Mass Murder Of Polish Scientists And Writers , committed by Nazi Germans in the captured Polish city of Lwów .
- 1946 - After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States .
- 1947 - "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House Of Commons , suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries - India and Pakistan .
- 1950 - First broadcast by Radio Free Europe .
- 1954 - "The Miracle Of Bern" , Germany wins the FIFA World Cup in Switzerland against Hungary.
- 1954 - Dr. Sam Sheppard is a suspect in the murder of his wife Marilyn
- 1959 - With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. State earlier in the year, the 49-star Flag Of The United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .
- 1960 - Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaiˈi as the 50th U.S. State on August 21 , 1959, the 50-star Flag Of The United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Act).
- 1966 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom Of Information Act into United States Law . The act goes into effect the next year.
- 1968 Two teens are killed at Lake Herman Road in California . They were the first (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer .
- 1970 - Popular syndicated radio show, " American Top 40 ", hosted by Casey Kasem , debuts.
- 1976 - Israel i commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda , rescuing all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
- 1976 - The United States celebrates its Bicentennial .
- ian diplomats kidnapped by Lebanese militia in Lebanon .
- 1987 - In France , former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka the "Butcher of Lyon") is convicted of Crimes Against Humanity and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1992 - USS George Washington (CVN-73) , a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier of the United States Navy is commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia .
- 1997 - NASA 's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars .
- 2004 - The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City . (This was largely a symbolic event; actual construction would not start for several weeks)
- 2005 - The Deep Impact collider hits the Comet Tempel 1 .
- Mission - Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' launches at 18:37:55 UTC.
- 2006 - North Korea Tests Four Short-range Missiles , one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2 . The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan .
- 2007 - During the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Guatemala City , Sochi , Russia , is chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics .
- 1330 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira , Japanese shogun (d. 1367 )
- 1546 - Murat III , Ottoman Sultan (d. 1595 )
- 1694 - Louis-Claude Daquin , French composer (d. 1772 )
- 1715 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert , German poet (d. 1769 )
- 1719 - Michel-Jean Sedaine , French dramatist (d. 1797 )
- 1790 - George Everest , Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest (d. 1866 )
- 1799 - King Oscar I Of Sweden , French general (d. 1859 )
- 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne , American writer (d. 1864 )
- 1807 - Giuseppe Garibaldi , Italian patriot (d. 1882 )
- 1816 - Hiram Walker , American grocer and distiller (d. 1899 )
- 1826 - Stephen Foster , American songwriter (d. 1864 )
- 1845 - Thomas Barnardo , Irish humanitarian (d. 1905 )
- 1847 - James Anthony Bailey , American circus impresario (d. 1906 )
- 1854 - Victor Babeş , Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926 )
- 1872 - Calvin Coolidge , 30th President Of The United States (d. 1933 )
- 1881 - Ulysses S. Grant III , American soldier (d. 1968 )
- 1882 - Louis B. Mayer , American film producer (d. 1957 )
- 1883 - Rube Goldberg , American cartoonist (d. 1970 )
- 1895 - Irving Caesar , American lyricist and composer (d. 1996 )
- 1896 - Mao Dun , Chinese writer (d. 1981 )
- 1898 - Dr. Pilar Barbosa , Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997 )
- 1898 - Gertrude Lawrence , British-born actress (d. 1952 )
- 1902 - Meyer Lansky , Russian-born gangster (d. 1983 )
- 1902 - George Murphy , American entertainer (d. 1992 )
- 1903 - Flor Peeters , Belgian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1986 )
- 1904 - Angela Baddeley , English actress (d. 1976 )
- 1905 - Irving Johnson , American adventurer (d. 1991 )
- 1907 - Gordon Griffith , American director (d. 1958 )
- 1910 - Gloria Stuart , American actress
- 1911 - Mitch Miller , American entertainer
- 1912 - Viviane Romance , French actress (d. 1991 )
- 1916 - Iva Toguri D'Aquino , American thought to be Tokyo Rose in World War II (d. 2006 )
- 1917 - Manolete , Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947 )
- 1918 - Ann Landers , American advice columnist (d. 2002 )
- 1918 - Abigail Van Buren , American advice columnist ("Dear Abby")
- 1918 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006 )
- 1920 - Norm Drucker , American basketball referee
- 1920 - Leona Helmsley , American hotel operator and real estate investor (d. 2007 )
- 1921 - Gerard Debreu , French economist, Nobel Laureate (d. 2004 )
- 1921 - Tibor Varga , Hungarian violinist (d. 2003 )
- 1923 - Rudolf Friedrich , Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1924 - Eva Marie Saint , American actress
- 1926 - Alfredo Di Stéfano , Argentine footballer
- 1927 - Gina Lollobrigida , Italian actress
- 1927 - Neil Simon , American playwright
- 1929 - Bill Tuttle , American baseball player (d. 1998 )
- 1929 - Al Davis , American football team owner ( Oakland Raiders )
- 1929 - Chuck Tanner , baseball player
- 1930 - George Steinbrenner , American businessman & baseball team owner ( New York Yankees )
- 1930 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan , Armenian actor
- 1930 - Yuri Tyukalov , Soviet Olympic rower
- 1931 - Stephen Boyd , Northern Irish actor (d. 1977 )
- 1931 - Sébastien Japrisot , French author, film director and sreenwriter (d. 2003 )
- 1934 - Colin Welland , British actor
- 1935 - Paul Scoon , Governor General of Grenada
- 1937 - Sonja Haraldsen , Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V Of Norway )
- 1938 - Bill Withers , American singer and songwriter
- 1942 - Floyd Little , American football player
- 1942 - Stefan Meller , Polish foreign minister
- 1942 - Hal Lanier , baseball player
- 1943 - Konrad "Conny" Bauer , German musician
- 1943 - Geraldo Rivera , American reporter
- 1943 - Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson , American musician ( Canned Heat ) (d. 1970 )
- 1943 - Emerson Boozer , American football player
- 1944 - Ray Meagher , Australian actor
- 1946 - Ron Kovic , American peace activist
- 1946 - Ed O'Ross , American actor
- 1946 - Michael Milken , American financier
- 1946 - Tish Howard , American model
- 1947 - Morganna Roberts , American personality (kissing bandit)
- 1948 - Tommy Körberg , Swedish singer and actor
- 1948 - Ed Armbrister , baseball player
- 1948 - Jeremy Spencer , British musician
- 1948 - René Arnoux , French race car driver
- 1950 - David Jensen , British radio DJ
- 1951 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend , American politician
- 1952 - Álvaro Uribe Vélez , Colombian politician
- 1954 - Jim Beattie , American baseball player
- 1955 - John Waite , British singer ( The Babys )
- 1958 - Kirk Pengilly , Australian musician ( INXS )
- 1959 - Victoria Abril , Spanish actress
- 1960 - Sid Eudy , American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Roland Ratzenberger , Austrian racing driver (d. 1994 )
- 1961 - Richard Garriott , English video game designer
- 1962 - Neil Morrisey , English actor
- 1962 - Pam Shriver , American former tennis player
- 1963 - Henri Leconte , French former tennis player
- 1963 - José Oquendo , Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1963 - Matt Malley , American musician ( Counting Crows )
- 1964 - Mark Slaughter , American singer ( Slaughter )
- 1964 - Cle Kooiman , American Soccer Player
- 1966 - Lee Reherman , American actor
- 1967 - Vinny Castilla , Mexican baseball player
- 1967 - Andy Walker , Canadian television personality
- 1967 - Rick Wilkins , American baseball player
- 1971 - Koko , signing gorilla
- 1971 - Andrew Murray , English entrepreneur
- 1971 - Andy Creeggan , Former Barenaked Lady
- 1971 - Brendan Donnelly , American baseball player
- 1973 - Michael Johnson , English-born Jamaican footballer
- 1973 - Jan Magnussen , Danish racing driver
- 1973 - Tony Popović , Australian soccer player
- 1974 - La'Roi Glover , American football player
- 1974 - Vince Spadea , American tennis player
- 1975 - Tania Davis , Australian violist ( Bond )
- 1976 - Daijiro Kato , Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003 )
- 1977 - Katia Zygouli , Greek super model, winner of Elite Model Look contest 1996
- 1978 - Becki Newton , American actress
- 1978 - Emile Mpenza , Belgian footballer
- 1979 - J. R. VanHoose , American basketball player
- 1983 - Isabeli Fontana , Brazilian model
- 1983 - Ben Jorgensen , American musician
- 1984 - Gina Glocksen , '' American Idol '' finalist
- 1984 - Akanishi Jin , Japanese Idol (member of KAT-TUN )
- 2003 - Alessia Di Matteo , first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (d. 2005 )
- 907 - Luitpold, Margrave Of Bavaria
- 965 - Pope Benedict V
- 973 - Ulrich Of Augsburg , German bishop (b. 890 )
- 1187 - Raynald Of Chatillon , Prince of Antioch
- 1541 - Pedro De Alvarado , Spanish explorer (b. 1495 )
- 1546 - Hayreddin Barbarossa , Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (b. 1478 )
- 1603 - Philippe De Monte , Flemish composer (b. 1521 )
- 1623 - William Byrd , English composer
- 1648 - Antoine Daniel , French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601 )
- 1742 - Guido Grandi , Italian mathematician (b. 1671 )
- 1754 - Philippe Néricault Destouches , French dramatist (b. 1680 )
- 1761 - Samuel Richardson , English writer (b. 1689 )
- 1780 - Prince Charles Alexander Of Lorraine , Austrian military leader (b. 1712 )
- 1787 - Charles De Rohan, Prince De Soubise , Marshal of France (b. 1715 )
- 1821 - Richard Cosway , English artist (b. 1742 )
- 1826 - John Adams , 2nd President Of The United States (b. 1735 )
- 1826 - Thomas Jefferson 3rd President Of The United States (b. 1743 )
- 1831 - James Monroe , 5th President Of The United States (b. 1758 )
- 1848 - François-René De Chateaubriand , French writer (b. 1768 )
- 1850 - William Kirby , English entomologist (b. 1759 )
- 1854 - Karl Friedrich Eichhorn , German jurist (b. 1781 )
- 1857 - William L. Marcy , American statesman (b. 1786 )
- 1881 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman , Finnish statesman (b. 1806 )
- 1882 - Joseph Brackett , American composer (b. 1797 )
- 1891 - Hannibal Hamlin , U.S. Vice President (b. 1809 )
- 1901 - Johannes Schmidt , German linguist (b. 1843 )
- 1902 - Swami Vivekananda , Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863 )
- 1905 - Élisée Reclus , French anarchist (b. 1830 )
- 1910 - Melville Weston Fuller , 8th Chief Justice Of The United States (b. 1833 )
- 1910 - Giovanni Schiaparelli , Italian astronomer (b. 1835 )
- 1916 - Alan Seeger , American war poet (b. 1888 )
- 1922 - Lothar Von Richthofen , German pilot (b. 1894 )
- 1926 - Pier Giorgio Frassati , Italian mountaineer (b. 1901 )
- 1931 - Buddie Petit , American jazz musician (b. 1895 )
- 1931 - Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke Of Aosta , Italian aristocrat (b. 1869 )
- 1934 - Maria Sklodowska-Curie , Nobel Prize In Chemistry and Physics (b. 1867 )
- 1938 - Otto Bauer , Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881 )
- 1938 - Suzanne Lenglen , French tennis player (b. 1899 )
- 1941 - Antoni Łomnicki , Polish mathematician (b. 1881 )
- 1946 - Gerda Steinhoff , Nazi concentration camp overseer (b. 1922 )
- 1948 - Monteiro Lobato , Brazilian writer (b. 1882 )
- 1963 - Bernard Freyberg , Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889 )
- 1970 - Barnett Newman , American artist (b. 1905 )
- 1970 - Harold Stirling Vanderbilt , member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1884 )
- 1971 - August Derleth , American writer and editor (b. 1909 )
- 1975 - Georgette Heyer , English author (b. 1902 )
- 1976 - Antoni Slonimski , Polish poet (b. 1895 )
- 1977 - Gersh Budker , Russian physicist (b. 1918 )
- 1980 - Maurice Grevisse , Belgian grammarian (b. 1895 )
- 1982 - Terry Higgins , early British AIDS death (b. 1945 )
- 1984 - Jimmie Spheeris , American Singer-songwriter (b. 1949 )
- 1986 - Oscar Zariski , Russian mathematician (b. 1899 )
- 1986 - Flor Peeters , Belgian composer, organist, and teacher (b. 1903 )
- 1988 - Adrian Adonis , American artist (b. 1954 )
- 1991 - Victor Chang , Australian physician (b. 1936 )
- 1992 - Ástor Piazzolla , Argentinian composer (b. 1921 )
- 1993 - Bona Arsenault , French Canadian politician and historian (b. 1903 )
- 1994 - Joey Marella , American professional wrestling referee (b. 1964 )
- 1995 - Eva Gabor , Hungarian actress (b. 1919 )
- 1995 - Bob Ross , American artist and television host (b. 1942 )
- 1997 - Charles Kuralt , American television presenter (b. 1934 )
- 1997 - John Zachary Young , English zoologist (b. 1907 )
- 1999 - Leo Garel , American artist and cartoonist (b. 1917 )
- 2000 - Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski , Polish writer (b. 1919 )
- 2002 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr. , American general (b. 1912 )
- 2002 - Mansoor Hekmat , Iranian politician (b. 1951 )
- 2003 - Barry White , American singer (b. 1944 )
- 2003 - André Claveau , French singer (b. 1915 )
- 2004 - Jean-Marie Auberson , Swiss conductor (b. 1920 )
- 2004 - Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man) , an eccentric street entertainer in Nottingham , England (b. 1932 )
- 2005 - Hank Stram , American football coach (b. 1923 )
- 2007 - Barış Akarsu , Turkish rock musician (b. 1979 )
- 2007 - Bill Pinkney , American singer and performer (b. 1925 )
- Saint Flavian
- Translation, Ordination of Saint Martin , Bishop Of Tours , confessor Bruges, sometimes in red
- Saint Odo , Bishop Of Canterbury
- Saint Procopius , abbot (at Prague), confessor Prague, Gnesen, Meissen
- Saint Ulric , Bishop Of Augsburg , confessor (died 973)
- Saint Bertha , widow, abbess of Blangy in Artois
- Saint Elizabeth Lusitania of Portugal (died 136)
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