Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1540

King Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed. The same day, Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

1794

Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, leading figures of the French Revolution, were sent to the guillotine in Paris, France.

1821

Peru declared its independence from Spain.

1868

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law.

1896

The city of Miami, Fla., was incorporated.

1914

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. World War I began as declarations of war by other European nations quickly followed.

1915

The United States begins a 19-year occupation of Haiti.

1917

The Silent Parade takes place in New York City, in protest against murders, lynchings, and other violence directed towards African Americans.

1932

Federal troops forcibly dispersed the so-called ''Bonus Army'' of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington, D.C., to demand money they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945.

1935

First flight of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

1942

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin issues Order No. 227. All who retreat or leave their positions without orders are to be tried in a military court, with punishment ranging from duty in a shtrafbat battalion, imprisonment, or execution.

1945

A U.S. Army B-25 bomber crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building killing 14 and injuring 26.

1957

Heavy rain and a mudslide in Isahaya, western Kyushu, Japan, kills 992.

1959

In preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Hiram L. Fong, to the Senate and the first Japanese-American, Daniel K. Inouye, to the House of Representatives.

1965

President Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.

1973

Summer Jam at Watkins Glen: Nearly 600,000 people attend a rock festival at the Watkins Glen International Raceway.

1976

The Tangshan earthquake[12] measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 moment magnitude flattens Tangshan in the People's Republic of China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851.

1995

A jury in Union, S.C., rejected the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her instead to life in prison for drowning her two young sons.

1996

The remains of a prehistoric man are discovered near Kennewick, Washington. Such remains will be known as the Kennewick Man.

1998

Bell Atlantic and GTE announced a $52 billion deal to create the second-largest phone company.

1998

Monica Lewinsky was given blanket immunity from prosecution in exchange for grand jury testimony in the investigation of her relationship with President Clinton.

1999

Federal Regulators from the SEC have given until August 1 for Brokerage firms to prove compliance with Y2K or a court order will be obtained to close them down on December 31st.

2001

Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championship meeting.

2002

Nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, are rescued after 77 hours underground.

2004

The Democratic National Convention in Boston Nominated John Kerry Democratic Nominee For President.

2005

The IRA has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign and has announced the republican organisation will follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence. The announcement is received on all sides as an important way forward following the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1997.

2006

Former Prime Minister of Haiti Yvon Neptune was released from prison. Neptune was held for two years without being convicted of a crime, and denied connection to the killings of opposition to the ex-president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

2008

3 suicide bombings took place in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 28 people and injuring 90 people. The suicide attacks were carried out by female bombers and were aimed at disrupting a Shia Muslim pilgrimage to the Kadhimiya shrine.

2010

Airblue Flight 202 crashes into the Margalla Hills north of Islamabad, Pakistan, killing all 152 people aboard. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Pakistan history and the first involving an Airbus A321.

2011

At least 17 died and another 20 people were injured when a passenger bus crashed into a truck in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Survivors of the accident blamed the bus driver for the crash, stating that he was driving recklessly at high speeds.

2012

China's Yi Siling won the first gold of the London Olympic games in the women's 10m Air Rifle competition. Sylwia Bogacka won the silver medal while China's Yu Dan won the bronze.

2013

Pope Francis held mass for over three million people who had gathered to hear him on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2017

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from office for life by Supreme Court of Pakistan after finding him guilty of corruption charges.

1866

Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first commercially published work in 1902.

1929

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy.

1930

David "Junior" Kimbrough was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long". In 2023, he was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.

1943

Bill Bradley is an American politician and former professional basketball player.

1943

Richard Wright was an English musician who co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He played keyboards and sang, appearing on almost every Pink Floyd album and performing on all their tours.

1945

Jim Davis is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known as the creator of the comic strips Garfield and U.S. Acres.

1947

Sally Struthers is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and Babette on Gilmore Girls.

1949

Randall Wallace is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and songwriter who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the historical drama film Braveheart (1995).

1954

Steve Morse is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the guitarist for Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022.

1958

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

1962

Rachel Sweet, American singer, television writer, and actress.

1966

Jimmy Pardo, American stand-up comedian, actor, and host.

1969

Dana White is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization.

1971

Stephen Andrew Lynch is an American comedian, musician and actor who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture.

1974

Afroman, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, political candidate, and comedian. He is best known for his 2000 single "Because I Got High", and its follow-up, the 2001 single "Crazy Rap".

1990

Soulja Boy, is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence after his self-released debut single "Crank That" peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks in 2007.

1655

Cyrano de Bergerac was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.

1741

Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music.

1750

Composer Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig, Germany.

1750

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period.

1844

Joseph Bonaparte was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806-1808), and then King of Spain (1808-1813).

1934

Marie Dressler was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy.

1969

Frank Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, among others.

1982

Keith Green was an American pianist, singer, songwriter and well known pioneer in the contemporary Christian music genre.

2013

Eileen Brennan, American actress and singer (b. 1932)

2021

Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill was an American musician who was the bassist of the rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years. He also sang lead and backing vocals and played keyboards.