July in History
An event for every day
31 days of July, one event for each: what happened, the year, and at least 2 sources to read more. Some days hold a second event, used in alternate years; across all 62 events we have for July, the subjects run: culture 20, exploration 11, sports 10, technology 9, science 6, society 4, nature 2.
Every day is also a round of our daily history game, so the year and the story stay hidden for today and the next 30 days. You'll see the first clue instead, and the answer the day after it plays.
July, day by day
Showing all 31 days.
| Day | Year | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 | 1867 | 1867 Society Three British colonies unite as the Dominion of Canada, with four founding provinces. Canadian Confederation took effect in 1867 under the British North America Act. The anniversary, once called Dominion Day, has been Canada Day since 1982. Meanwhile in art: Realism, Impressionism Sources: Wikipedia — CanadaWikidata — Q16 |
| July 2 | 1962 | 1962 Society Sam Walton opens the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas. The first Walmart opened in 1962. The company became the world's largest company by revenue and one of the largest private employers. |
| July 3 | 1985 | 1985 Culture Back to the Future opens in US cinemas, sending Marty McFly back 30 years in a DeLorean time machine. Back to the Future was the highest-grossing film of 1985. It was followed by two sequels, a cartoon series and a stage musical. |
| July 4 | 1954 | 1954 Sports West Germany beat the favourites Hungary 3–2 in the World Cup final, the "Miracle of Bern." West Germany's win in 1954 is known as the "Miracle of Bern." It was the country's first World Cup title and a big moment of pride after the war. Sources: Wikipedia — 1954 FIFA World Cup finalWikidata — Q665946 |
| July 5 | 1989 | 1989 Culture The pilot of Seinfeld airs on NBC, starting the "show about nothing." Seinfeld's pilot aired in 1989 and the show ran for nine seasons. It became one of the most popular and influential sitcoms in TV history. |
| July 6 | 1994 | 1994 Culture Forrest Gump opens in US cinemas, starring Tom Hanks as a kind man who witnesses decades of history. Forrest Gump was released in 1994 and won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. |
| July 7 | 1974 | 1974 Sports West Germany beat the Netherlands 2–1 in the World Cup final in Munich. The 1974 World Cup final gave West Germany its second title. The Dutch "Total Football" of that team is still admired. Sources: Wikipedia — 1974 FIFA World Cup finalWikidata — Q945970 |
| July 8 | 1889 | 1889 Society The Wall Street Journal publishes its first issue in New York. The Wall Street Journal was first published in 1889 by Dow Jones & Company. It is one of the largest newspapers in the United States. Meanwhile in art: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism Sources: Wikipedia — The Wall Street JournalWikidata — Q164746 |
| July 9 | 1982 | 1982 Culture Disney's Tron, a pioneer of computer-generated imagery in film, opens in American cinemas. Tron was only a moderate success at the box office, but its look influenced a generation of filmmakers and game designers. It became a cult classic and was followed decades later by Tron: Legacy. Sources: Wikipedia — TronWikidata — Q626483 |
| July 10 | 1964 | 1964 Culture The Beatles release A Hard Day's Night, their first album of all original songs. A Hard Day's Night came out in 1964 alongside the film of the same name. It included "Can't Buy Me Love" and was written entirely by Lennon and McCartney. Sources: Wikipedia — A Hard Day's Night (album)Wikidata — Q182518 |
| July 11 | 1997 | 1997 Culture Contact, a film about a scientist who receives a message from aliens, opens in US cinemas. Contact was released in 1997, months after Carl Sagan's death. It was praised for taking science seriously. Sources: Wikipedia — Contact (1997 American film)Wikidata — Q270215 |
| July 12 | 1998 | 1998 Sports Host nation France beat Brazil 3–0 in the World Cup final to win their first title. France's 1998 World Cup win sparked huge celebrations on the Champs-Élysées. France won the World Cup again in 2018. Sources: Wikipedia — 1998 FIFA World Cup finalWikidata — Q585295 |
| July 13 | 1985 | 1985 Culture Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Live Aid was held in 1985, organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. It was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people. |
| July 14 | 2019 | 2019 Sports England beat New Zealand at Lord's to win the Cricket World Cup after a tied match and a tied super over. The 2019 final was England's first men's Cricket World Cup title. The boundary count rule was scrapped after the match. Sources: Wikipedia — 2019 Cricket World Cup finalWikidata — Q60740837 |
| July 15 | 1983 | 1983 Technology Nintendo launches the Family Computer, or Famicom, in Japan, the console later sold abroad as the NES. The console helped revive home video games after the North American crash of the early 1980s. More than 60 million were sold, and series such as Mario, Zelda and Metroid began on it. Sources: Wikipedia — Nintendo Entertainment SystemWikidata — Q172742 |
| July 16 | 2010 | 2010 Culture Christopher Nolan's Inception opens in US cinemas, a heist film set inside dreams. Inception was released in 2010 and won four Academy Awards. Its ending, with the top still spinning, is still debated. |
| July 17 | 1994 | 1994 Sports Brazil beat Italy on penalties in the World Cup final in Pasadena, the first final decided by a shootout. Brazil's 1994 win made them the first team with four World Cup titles. The final was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Sources: Wikipedia — 1994 FIFA World Cup finalWikidata — Q389104 |
| July 18 | 2008 | 2008 Culture Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight opens in US cinemas, with Heath Ledger as the Joker. The Dark Knight was released in 2008 and earned more than $1 billion. Its snub for Best Picture led the Academy to expand the category. |
| July 19 | 2007 | 2007 Culture Mad Men premieres on AMC, a period drama about the admen of a New York advertising agency. Mad Men ran for seven seasons from 2007 and won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row. |
| July 20 | 2001 | 2001 Culture Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Spirited Away opens in Japanese cinemas. Spirited Away was the highest-grossing film in Japanese history for almost two decades. It also shared the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. |
| July 21 | 1987 | 1987 Culture Guns N' Roses release their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. Appetite for Destruction was released in 1987 and is the best-selling debut album in the US. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Sources: Wikipedia — Appetite for DestructionWikidata — Q270690 |
| July 22 | 2019 | 2019 Exploration India launches Chandrayaan-2, carrying an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 launched in 2019. Its lander crashed, but the orbiter kept working, and India landed Chandrayaan-3 near the south pole in 2023. |
| July 23 | 1999 | 1999 Science Space Shuttle Columbia launches the Chandra X-ray Observatory, commanded by Eileen Collins. Chandra launched in 1999 and still observes black holes and exploding stars. Eileen Collins was the first woman to command a shuttle mission. Sources: Wikipedia — Chandra X-ray ObservatoryWikidata — Q49002 |
| July 24 | 1985 | 1985 Technology The internet country code domain .uk is registered, one of the first national domains. .uk predates the World Wide Web by several years. It became one of the most-registered country code domains, and since 2014 names can also be registered directly under .uk. Sources: Wikipedia — .ukWikidata — Q37913 |
| July 25 | 1980 | 1980 Culture AC/DC release Back in Black, a tribute to their late singer Bon Scott. Back in Black came out in 1980 with Brian Johnson on vocals. It is one of the best-selling albums in history. |
| July 26 | 1971 | 1971 Exploration Apollo 15 launches, the first Moon mission to carry a lunar rover. Apollo 15 launched in 1971 and landed near Hadley Rille. It was the first of three "J missions" with longer stays and the Lunar Roving Vehicle. |
| July 27 | 1983 | 1983 Culture Madonna releases her debut album, which includes "Holiday" and "Lucky Star." Madonna's debut album came out in 1983. Within a few years she had become the biggest-selling female artist in the world. |
| July 28 | 1964 | 1964 Exploration NASA launches Ranger 7, which sends back the first close-up photos of the Moon before crashing into it. Ranger 7 launched in 1964 and sent back more than 4,300 photos. The area it hit was later named Mare Cognitum, the "Known Sea." |
| July 29 | 1958 | 1958 Exploration President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. NASA was created in 1958 and began work that October. Within 11 years it had landed astronauts on the Moon. Sources: Wikipedia — NASAWikidata — Q23548 |
| July 30 | 2020 | 2020 Exploration NASA launches the Perseverance rover to Mars, with the small helicopter Ingenuity tucked underneath. Mars 2020 launched in 2020 and landed in February 2021. Perseverance is collecting rock samples for a possible future return to Earth. |
| July 31 | 2016 | 2016 Culture The script of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child goes on sale, on Harry Potter's birthday. The play had opened at London's Palace Theatre the night before and went on to win a record nine Olivier Awards. The script sold millions of copies in its first days, though some fans were surprised to get a play rather than a novel. Sources: Wikipedia — Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildWikidata — Q20711488 |
Born this month
Up to five well-known people born on each day of July, with their birth year. Names link to Wikipedia.
July 1–7
- July 1
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1961) · member of the British royal family and Princess of Wales (1961–1997)
- Agnez Mo (1986) · Indonesian singer and actress
- George Sand (1804) · French novelist and memoirist (1804–1876)
- Boris Perchatkin (1946) · Christian Russian-American human rights activist
- Pamela Anderson (1967) · Canadian actress and model (born 1967)
- July 2
- Hermann Hesse (1877) · Nobel Prize winning German-Swiss poet, novelist and painter (1877–1962)
- Wisława Szymborska (1923) · Polish poet, Nobel Prize winner (1923–2012)
- Patrice Lumumba (1925) · Congolese politician and independence leader (1925–1961)
- Imelda Marcos (1929) · Philippine former First Lady (born 1929)
- William Henry Bragg (1862) · British scientist (1862–1942)
- July 3
- Franz Kafka (1883) · Bohemian writer from Prague (1883–1924)
- Julian Assange (1971) · Australian editor, publisher, and activist (born 1971)
- Tom Cruise (1962) · American actor and film producer (born 1962)
- Sebastian Vettel (1987) · German racing driver
- Li Keqiang (1955) · Premier of the People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2023
- July 4
- Calvin Coolidge (1872) · president of the United States from 1923 to 1929
- Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807) · Italian general, patriot and republican (1807–1882)
- Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804) · American author (1804–1864)
- Gina Lollobrigida (1927) · Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician (1927–2023)
- Alfredo Di Stéfano (1926) · Argentine-Spanish association football player (1926–2014)
- July 5
- Georges Pompidou (1911) · President of France from 1969 to 1974
- Jean Cocteau (1889) · French writer and film director (1889–1963)
- Clara Zetkin (1857) · Communist activist, and advocate for women's rights (1857–1933)
- Cecil John Rhodes (1853) · British businessman, mining magnate and politician in South Africa (1853-1902)
- P. T. Barnum (1810) · American showman and politician (1810–1891)
- July 6
- George W. Bush (1946) · 43rd President of the United States (2001–2009)
- Frida Kahlo (1907) · Mexican painter (1907–1954)
- Tenzin Gyatso (1935) · 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetans
- Sylvester Stallone (1946) · American actor and filmmaker (born 1946)
- Nūrsūltan Nazarbaev (1940) · President of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019
- July 7
- Gustav Mahler (1860) · Austrian late-Romantic composer (1860–1911)
- Ringo Starr (1940) · British musician, drummer for the Beatles (born 1940)
- Marc Chagall (1887) · Belarusian-French artist (1887–1985)
- Robert A. Heinlein (1907) · American author and aeronautical engineer (1907–1988)
- Yanka Kupala (1882) · Belarusian writer (1882–1942)
July 8–14
- July 8
- John D. Rockefeller (1839) · American industrialist and philanthropist (1839–1937)
- Igor Tamm (1895) · Soviet physicist (1895–1971)
- Son Heung-min (1992) · South Korean association football player (born 1992)
- Nelson Rockefeller (1908) · Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977
- Virgil van Dijk (1991) · Dutch association football player (born 1991)
- July 9
- Tom Hanks (1956) · American actor and film producer (born 1956)
- Viktor Yanukovych (1950) · President of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014
- Donald Rumsfeld (1932) · American politician and diplomat (1932–2021)
- Courtney Love (1964) · American rock musician (born 1964)
- Amélie Nothomb (1966) · Belgian Francophone writer (born 1966)
- July 10
- Nikola Tesla (1856) · Serbian-American engineer and inventor (1856-1943)
- Marcel Proust (1871) · French novelist, critic and essayist (1871–1922)
- Mahathir Mohamad (1925) · Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and 2018 to 2020
- Alice Munro (1931) · Canadian writer (1931–2024)
- Camille Pissarro (1830) · Danish-French painter (1830-1903)
- July 11
- John Quincy Adams (1767) · President of the United States from 1825 to 1829
- Alexander Prokhorov (1916) · Soviet and Russian physicist (1916-2002)
- Giorgio Armani (1934) · Italian fashion designer (1934–2025)
- Yul Brynner (1920) · Russian-born American actor (1920–1985)
- Caroline Wozniacki (1990) · Danish tennis player
- July 12
- Pablo Neruda (1904) · Chilean poet and politician (1904-1973)
- Malala Yousafzai (1997) · Pakistani children's education activist
- Henry David Thoreau (1817) · American essayist, poet, and philosopher (1817–1862)
- James Rodríguez (1991) · Colombian association football player
- Buckminster Fuller (1895) · American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist (1895–1983)
- July 13
- Harrison Ford (1942) · American actor (born 1942)
- Wole Soyinka (1934) · Nigerian writer (born 1934)
- Patrick Stewart (1940) · British actor (born 1940)
- Ma Ying-jeou (1950) · 12th and 13th President of Republic of China(Taiwan)
- Simone Veil (1927) · French politician (1927–2017)
- July 14
- Gerald Ford (1913) · president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 (1913–2006)
- Ingmar Bergman (1918) · Swedish director and screenwriter (1918–2007)
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904) · Polish-American writer (1904–1991)
- Gustav Klimt (1862) · Austrian symbolist painter (1862–1918)
- Conor McGregor (1988) · Irish boxer and mixed martial arts fighter
July 15–21
- July 15
- Jacques Derrida (1930) · French philosopher (1930–2004)
- Walter Benjamin (1892) · German cultural critic, philosopher and social critic (1892–1940)
- Hassanal Bolkiah I of Brunei (1946) · Sultan of Brunei since 1967
- Vilfredo Pareto (1848) · Italian economist and sociologist (1848-1923)
- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858) · English suffragist
- July 16
- Roald Amundsen (1872) · Norwegian explorer; first person to reach the South Pole (1872–1928)
- Larry Sanger (1968) · American former professor, co-founder of Wikipedia, founder of Citizendium and other projects (born 1968)
- Gareth Bale (1989) · Welsh association football player
- Katrina Kaif (1983) · British actress (1981-present)
- Barbara Stanwyck (1907) · American actress (1907–1990)
- July 17
- Angela Merkel (1954) · chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 (born 1954)
- Donald Sutherland (1935) · Canadian actor (1935–2024)
- James Cagney (1899) · American actor and dancer (1899–1986)
- Queen Camilla (1947) · Queen consort of the United Kingdom since 2022
- Georges Lemaître (1894) · Belgian astrophysicist and Catholic priest (1894–1966)
- July 18
- Nelson Mandela (1918) · President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (1918–2013)
- Hendrik Lorentz (1853) · Dutch physicist (1853–1928)
- Priyanka Chopra (1982) · Indian actress (born 1982)
- Vin Diesel (1967) · American actor (born 1967)
- William Makepeace Thackeray (1811) · British novelist (1811–1863)
- July 19
- Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893) · Russian and Soviet poet (1893–1930)
- Edgar Degas (1834) · French Impressionist artist (1834–1917)
- Brian May (1947) · British musician (born 1947)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (1976) · English actor (born 1976)
- Herbert Marcuse (1898) · German philosopher, sociologist, and political theorist (1898–1979)
- July 20
- Edmund Hillary (1919) · New Zealand mountaineer and philanthropist (1919–2008)
- Gregor Mendel (1822) · Moravian scientist and Augustinian friar (1822–1884)
- Gisele Bündchen (1980) · Brazilian fashion model
- Carlos Alazraqui (1962) · American actor
- Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864) · Swedish poet (1864–1931)
- July 21
- Ernest Hemingway (1899) · American author and journalist (1899–1961)
- Robin Williams (1951) · American actor and comedian (1951–2014)
- Erling Haaland (2000) · Norwegian footballer (born 2000)
- Marshall McLuhan (1911) · Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar (1911–1980)
- Stefan Löfven (1957) · Swedish politician, Prime Minister of Sweden between 2014–2021
July 22–28
- July 22
- Selena Gomez (1992) · American singer and actress (born 1992)
- Gustav Ludwig Hertz (1887) · German physicist (1887–1975)
- Willem Dafoe (1955) · American actor (1955-)
- Friedrich Bessel (1784) · German astronomer and mathematician
- Selman Abraham Waksman (1888) · American scientist, biochemist, microbiologist who discovered Streptomycin and many antibiotics
- July 23
- Sergio Mattarella (1941) · president of Italy (2015–present)
- Haile Selassie I (1892) · Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974
- Daniel Radcliffe (1989) · English actor and film producer (born 1989)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967) · American actor (1967–2014)
- Raymond Chandler (1888) · American novelist and screenwriter (1888–1959)
- July 24
- Simón Bolívar (1783) · Venezuelan statesman and military officer (1783–1830)
- Alexandre Dumas (1802) · French writer and dramatist (1802–1870)
- Jennifer Lopez (1969) · American singer and actress (born 1969)
- Amelia Earhart (1897) · American aviation pioneer and author (1897–1939)
- Shavkat Mirziyoyev (1957) · President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- July 25
- Rosalind Franklin (1920) · British chemist, biophysicist, and X-ray crystallographer (1920–1958)
- Elias Canetti (1905) · Bulgarian-born Swiss and British Jewish modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer (1905–1994)
- Arthur Balfour (1848) · British Prime Minister, Conservative politician, and statesman (1848-1930)
- Matt LeBlanc (1967) · American actor
- Frances Arnold (1956) · Nobel prize winning US scientist and engineer (born 1956)
- July 26
- George Bernard Shaw (1856) · Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist (1856–1950)
- Stanley Kubrick (1928) · American filmmaker and photographer (1928–1999)
- Carl Jung (1875) · Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (1875–1961)
- Aldous Huxley (1894) · English writer and philosopher (1894–1963)
- Sandra Bullock (1964) · American actress and film producer
- July 27
- Giosuè Carducci (1835) · Italian poet and literary critic (1835-1907)
- Alexandre Dumas fils (1824) · French writer and dramatist (1824–1895)
- Jean Baudrillard (1929) · French sociologist, philosopher and cultural theorist (1929–2007)
- Hans Fischer (1881) · German chemist (1881–1945)
- Marek Hamšík (1987) · Slovak footballer (born 1987)
- July 28
- Hugo Chávez (1954) · Venezuelan politician, 56th president of Venezuela (1954–2013)
- Karl Popper (1902) · Austrian-British philosopher of science and social and política e falsificationism and for criticism of Plato, Hegel and Marx as…
- Ludwig Feuerbach (1804) · German philosopher and anthropologist (1804–1872)
- Vajiralongkorn (1952) · King of Thailand since 2016
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929) · First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963
July 29–31
- July 29
- Dag Hammarskjöld (1905) · Swedish diplomat, economist, and author (1905–1961)
- Fernando Alonso (1981) · Spanish racing driver
- Alexis de Tocqueville (1805) · French political thinker and historian, minister of Foreign Affairs (1805-1859)
- Fumio Kishida (1957) · Prime Minister of Japan from 2021 to 2024
- Eyvind Johnson (1900) · Swedish writer (1900–1976)
- July 30
- Henry Ford (1863) · American business magnate (1863–1947)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947) · Austrian and American actor, bodybuilder, and politician (born 1947)
- Emily Brontë (1818) · English novelist and poet (1818–1848)
- Christopher Nolan (1970) · English and American filmmaker (born 1970)
- Patrick Modiano (1945) · French writer
- July 31
- J. K. Rowling (1965) · English author (born 1965)
- Milton Friedman (1912) · American economist and statistician (1912–2006)
- Louis de Funès (1914) · French actor and comedian (1914–1983)
- Primo Levi (1919) · Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor, and writer (1919–1987)
- Premchand (1880) · Indian writer of Hindi and Urdu fiction (1880–1936); pioneer of social realism in Hindustani literature
Birth dates and descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
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