Events

• 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
• 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler.
• 1403 - Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
• 1545 - The first landing of French troops onto the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurs.
• 1568 - Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
• 1718 - The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
• 1774 - Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774: Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji ending the war.
• 1831 - Inauguration of Léopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
• 1861 - American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run - at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins. The Confederate won.
• 1865 - In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown.
• 1873 - At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American West.
• 1877 - After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
• 1918 - U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts.
• 1919 - The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
• 1925 - Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
• 1944 - World War II: Battle of Guam - American troops land on Guam starting the battle. It would end on August 10.
• 1949 - The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
• 1954 - First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
• 1960 - Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected prime minister of Sri Lanka and becomes the first woman prime minister in the world.
• 1961 - Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission - Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
• 1964 - Singapore Race Riot - every year since then, Racial Harmony Day is celebrated on this day.
• 1969 - Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission.
• 1970 - After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
• 1972 - Bloody Friday bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army around Belfast, Northern Ireland - 22 bomb explosions, 9 people killed and 130 people seriously injured.
• 1973 - In the Lillehammer affair in Norway, Israeli Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in 1972's Munich Olympics Massacre.
• 1976 - Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
• 1977 - The start of a four day long Libyan-Egyptian War takes place.
• 1983 - The world's lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2°C (−129°F).
• 1994 - Tony Blair is declared the winner of the leadership election of the British Labour Party, paving the way for him to become Prime Minister in 1997.
• 1995 - Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People's Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
• 1997 - The fully restored USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides") celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
• 2002 - Telecom giant WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the largest such filing in United States history.
• 2004 - The United Kingdom government publishes Delivering Security in a Changing World, a paper detailing wide-ranging reform of the country's armed forces.
• 2005 - Four terrorist bombings, occurring exactly two weeks after the similar July 7 bombings, target London's public transportation system. All four bombs fail to detonate and all four suspected suicide bombers are captured and later convicted and imprisoned for long terms.
• 2008 - Bosnian-Serb war criminal Radovan Karad?i? is arrested in Serbia and is indicted by the UN's ICTY tribunal.

Births

• 810 - Imam Bukhari, Islamic scholar (d. 870)
• 1515 - Philip Neri, Italian churchman (d. 1595)
• 1620 - Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
• 1664 - Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (d. 1721)
• 1693 - Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
• 1710 - Paul Möhring, German physician (d. 1792)
• 1808 - Simion B?rnu?iu, Romanian philosopher and politician (d. 1864)
• 1810 - Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist (d. 1878)
• 1816 - Paul Reuter, German-born British journalist and media owner (Reuters) (d. 1899)
• 1858 - Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
• 1858 - Maria Christina of Austria, queen of Spain (d. 1929)
• 1858 - Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist (d. 1941)
• 1863 - Aubrey Smith, English cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
• 1870 - Emil Orlik, Czech painter (d. 1932)
• 1880 - Milan Rastislav ?tefánik, Slovak politician, French general and astronomer (d. 1919)
• 1882 - David Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (d. 1967)
• 1893 - Hans Fallada, German writer (d. 1947)
• 1899 - Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
• 1899 - Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1961)
• 1903 - Roy Neuberger, American financier
• 1908 - Harold "Jug" McSpaden, American professional golfer (d. 1996)
• 1911 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author (d. 1980)
• 1920 - Constance Dowling, American actress (d. 1969)
• 1920 - Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001)
• 1923 - Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian chemist, Nobel laureate
• 1922 - Kay Starr, American singer
• 1924 - Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1925 - Anne Meacham, American actress
• 1926 - Paul Burke, American actor
• 1926 - Norman Jewison, Canadian film director
• 1926 - Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general
• 1926 - Karel Reisz, British film director (d. 2002)
• 1926 - Queenie Watts, English actress (d. 1980)
• 1928 - Marcel Gauthier, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
• 1929 - Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
• 1930 - Anand Bakshi, Indian lyricist (d. 2002)
• 1932 - Ernie Warlick, American football player
• 1933 - John Gardner, American author (d. 1982)
• 1934 - Chandu Borde, Former Indian cricketer
• 1935 - Norbert Blüm, German politician
• 1935 - Moe Drabowsky, baseball player (d. 2006)
• 1938 - Les Aspin, American politician (d. 1995)
• 1938 - Anton Kuerti, Canadian pianist, composer and conductor
• 1938 - Janet Reno, 79th United States Attorney General
• 1939 - John Negroponte, 1st United States Director of National Intelligence
• 1943 - Edward Herrmann, American actor
• 1944 - Tony Scott, British film director
• 1944 - Paul Wellstone, American politician (d. 2002)
• 1945 - John Lowe, English darts player
• 1945 - Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (d. 2008)
• 1945 - Barry Richards, Former South African cricketer
• 1945 - Geoff Dymock, Former Australian cricketer
• 1946 - Kenneth Starr, American lawyer
• 1946 - Barry Whitwam, British musician (Herman's Hermits)
• 1947 - Chetan Chauhan, Former Indian cricketer
• 1948 - Ed Hinton, American sportswriter
• 1948 - Yusuf Islam, stage name was "Cat Stevens", English singer/songwriter
• 1948 - Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
• 1949 - Al Hrabosky, baseball player
• 1950 - Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer
• 1951 - Robin Williams, American comedian/actor
• 1952 - John Barrasso, American politician, junior senator from Wyoming
• 1953 - Brian Talbot, British footballer
• 1953 - Jeff Fatt, Chinese Australian actor
• 1955 - Howie Epstein, American musician (d. 2003)
• 1955 - Taco Ockerse, Indonesian singer
• 1956 - Michael Connelly, American author
• 1957 - Jon Lovitz, American comedian
• 1957 - George Landress, American songwriter and music producer
• 1959 - Paul "Fatty" Vautin, Australian rugby league player
• 1960 - Lance Guest, American actor
• 1960 - Fritz Walter, German footballer
• 1961 - Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi folk singer
• 1961 - Jim Martin, American musician (Faith No More)
• 1963 - Kevin Poole, English footballer
• 1963 - Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
• 1964 - Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper
• 1965 - Gudni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
• 1965 - Mike Bordick, American baseball player
• 1965 - Jovy Marcelo, Filipino racing driver (d. 1992)
• 1966 - Arija Bareikis, American actress
• 1968 - Johnnie Barnes, American football player
• 1968 - Brandi Chastain, American soccer player
• 1968 - Lyle Odelein, Canadian hockey player
• 1969 - Emerson Hart, American musician (Tonic)
• 1969 - Klaus Graf, German racing driver
• 1970 - Shawn Stasiak, American professional wrestler
• 1971 - Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
• 1971 - Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer
• 1971 - Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and radio host
• 1972 - Shinjiro Otani, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1973 - Ali Landry, American model and actress
• 1974 - Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player
• 1975 - Mike Sellers, National Football League fullback
• 1975 - Ravindra Pushpakumara, Former Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1977 - Paul Casey, English golfer
• 1977 - Jaime Murray, British actress
• 1978 - Josh Hartnett, American actor
• 1978 - Justin Bartha, American actor
• 1978 - Damian Marley, Jamaican musician
• 1978 - Gary Teale, Scottish football player
• 1979 - David Carr, American football player
• 1979 - Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
• 1980 - Tailor James, Canadian model
• 1980 - CC Sabathia, American baseball player
• 1981 - Titus Bramble, English footballer
• 1981 - Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
• 1981 - Joaquín Sánchez, Spanish footballer
• 1981 - Chrishell Stause, American actress
• 1981 - Blake Lewis, American musician
• 1983 - Eivør Pálsdóttir, Faroese singer
• 1983 - Kellen Winslow II, American football player
• 1984 - Paul Davis, American basketball player
• 1984 - Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
• 1985 - Von Wafer, American basketball player
• 1987 - AnnaLynne McCord, American actress
• 1988 - Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer
• 1989 - Jamie Waylett, British actor
• 1989 - Rory Culkin, American actor
• 1989 - Chris Gunter, Welsh footballer
• 1992 - Rachael Flatt, American figure skater

Deaths

• 1403 - Henry Percy, English nobleman and soldier (b. ca.1364)
• 1425 - Manuel II Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1350)
• 1688 - James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (b. 1610)
• 1793 - Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, French explorer (b. 1739)
• 1796 - Robert Burns, Scottish poet (b. 1759)
• 1798 - François Sebastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
• 1880 - Hiram Walden, American politician (b. 1800)
• 1889 - Nelson Dewey, American politician, 1st Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1813)
• 1899 - Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and military officer (b. 1833)
• 1932 - Bill Gleason, late 19th century baseball player
• 1938 - Owen Wister, American author (b. 1860)
• 1941 - Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian writer and poet (b. 1872)
• 1943 - Charlie Paddock, American athlete (b. 1900)
• 1944 - Claus von Stauffenberg, German, leader of failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, by execution (b. 1907)
• 1944 - Ludwig Beck, German Chief of Staff (b. 1880)
• 1946 - Gualberto Villarroel, President of Bolivia (b. 1908)
• 1948 - Arshile Gorky, Armenian-born American artist (b. 1904)
• 1967 - Jimmie Foxx, baseball player (b. 1907)
• 1967 - Albert Lutuli, South African politician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• 1967 - Basil Rathbone, English actor (b. 1892)
• 1968 - Ruth St. Denis, dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
• 1970 - Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
• 1970 - Bob Kalsu, American football player (b. 1945)
• 1972 - Ralph Craig, American athlete (b. 1889)
• 1982 - Dave Garroway, American television host (b. 1913)
• 1986 - Ernest Maas, American screenwriter (b. 1892)
• 1991 - Paul Warwick, English racing driver (b. 1969)
• 1998 - Alan Shepard, astronaut (b. 1923)
• 1998 - Robert Young, American actor (b. 1907)
• 2001 - Steve Barton, American actor (b. 1954)
• 2001 - Sivaji Ganesan, South Indian Tamil actor (b. 1927)
• 2003 - John Davies, New Zealand Olympic Committee president (b. 1938)
• 2003 - Walter M. "Matt" Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
• 2004 - Jerry Goldsmith, American composer (b. 1929)
• 2004 - Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)
• 2005 - Long John Baldry, British blues musician (b. 1941)
• 2005 - Lord Alfred Hayes, British Wrestling Announcer for WWE (b. 1928)
• 2006 - Mako, Japanese-born American actor (b. 1933)
• 2006 - Ta Mok, "The Khmer Rouge Butcher", war criminal in Democratic Kampuchea (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances

• Belgium: National holiday (1831 - inauguration of Léopold I, first king of the Belgians)
• Guam: Liberation Day (1944)
• Russia: summer Kazanskaya
• Singapore: Racial Harmony Day

Roman Catholic

• Saint Arbogastus, bishop of Strasburg, confessor [Basel, Constance, Strassburg]
• Saint Daniel
• Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest, Doctor of the Church
• Saint Praxedes (Praxidis)
• Saint Victor of Marseilles, and companions, martyrs [Trier, southern France; Paris]

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

af:21 Julie ar:21 ????? an:21 de chulio frp:21 j·ulyèt ast:21 de xunetu be:21 ?????? be-x-old:21 ?????? bs:21. juli br:21 Gouere bg:21 ??? ca:21 de juliol cv:???, 21 ceb:Hulyo 21 cs:21. ?ervenec co:21 di lugliu cy:21 Gorffennaf da:21. juli de:21. Juli et:21. juuli el:21 ??????? es:21 de julio eo:21-a de julio eu:Uztailaren 21 fa:?? ????? fo:21. juli fr:21 juillet fy:21 july fur:21 di Lui ga:21 Iúil gan:7?21? gv:21 Jerrey Souree gd:21 an t-Iuchar gl:21 de xullo ko:7? 21? hr:21. srpnja io:21 di julio ilo:Julio 21 bpy:????? ?? id:21 Juli ia:21 de julio ie:21 juli is:21. júlí it:21 luglio he:21 ????? jv:21 Juli pam:Juliu 21 ka:21 ?????? csb:21 lëpinca kk:???????? 21 sw:21 Julai ht:21 jiyè ku:21'ê tîrmehê la:21 Iulii lv:21. j?lijs lb:21. Juli lt:Liepos 21 li:21 juli lmo:21 07 hu:Július 21. mk:21 ???? ml:???? 21 mr:???? ?? ms:21 Julai nah:Tlachic?nti 21 nl:21 juli nds-nl:21 juli new:????? ?? ja:7?21? nap:21 'e luglio no:21. juli nn:21. juli nrm:21 Juilet nov:21 de julie oc:21 de julhet uz:21-iyul pag:July 21 nds:21. Juli pl:21 lipca pt:21 de Julho ksh:21. Juuli ro:21 iulie ru:21 ???? se:Suoidnemánu 21. sco:21 Julie sq:21 Korrik scn:21 di giugnettu simple:July 21 sk:21. júl sl:21. julij sr:21. ??? sh:21.7. su:21 Juli fi:21. heinäkuuta sv:21 juli tl:Hulyo 21 ta:???? 21 tt:21. Yül te:???? 21 th:21 ??????? vi:21 tháng 7 tg:21 ??? tr:21 Temmuz uk:21 ????? vec:21 de lujo vo:Yulul 21 wa:21 di djulete vls:21 juli war:Hulyo 21 zh-yue:7?21? bat-smg:L?ipas 21 zh:7?21?