Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Today is the 190th day of 2026. There are 175 days left in this year.
Notable Events
1540
England's King Henry VIII had his 6-month-old marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.
1776
George Washington orders the Declaration of Independence to be read out to members of the Continental Army in Manhattan, while thousands of British troops on Staten Island prepare for the Battle of Long Island.
1795
Financier James Swan pays off the $2,024,899 US national debt that had been accrued during the American Revolution.
1816
Argentina declared independence from Spain.
1821
Four hundred and seventy prominent Cypriots including Archbishop Kyprianos are executed in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence.
1868
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.
1893
Daniel Hale Williams, American heart surgeon, performs the first successful open-heart surgery in United States without anesthesia.
1896
William Jennings Bryan caused a sensation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with his "cross of gold" speech denouncing supporters of the gold standard. Bryan went on to win the party's nomination.
1900
The Governor of Shanxi province in North China orders the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children.
1918
In Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history
1922
Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds breaking the world swimming record and the 'minute barrier'.
1926
Chiang Kai-shek accepts the post of commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, marking the beginning of the Northern Expedition to unite China under the rule of the Nationalist government.
1937
Copies of classic silent films were destroyed in a fire at a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey. This led to greater efforts to increase safe methods of film preservation.
1943
The Allied invasion of Sicily begins, leading to the downfall of Mussolini and forcing Hitler to break off the Battle of Kursk.
1944
American forces take Saipan, bringing the Japanese archipelago within range of B-29 raids, and causing the downfall of the Tojo government.
1944
Finland wins the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in northern Europe. The Red Army withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into a defensive position, thus ending the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive.
1947
The engagement of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten was announced.
1951
President Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany.
1955
The song "Rock Around the Clock" by the band Bill Haley & His Comets became the first rock-and-roll song to reach the top of the Billboard music charts.
1955
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction of the risk of nuclear warfare.
1961
Greece becomes the first member state to join the European Economic Community by signing the Athens Agreement, which was suspended in 1967 during the Greek junta.
1979
A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.
1981
the iconic arcade video game "Donkey Kong" was released for the first time by Nintendo, with the game also including the first appearance by the character Mario.
1982
Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 145 people on board and 8 others on the ground.
1986
The Attorney General's Commission on Pornography released the final draft of its 2,000-page report, which linked hard-core porn to sex crimes.
1986
The New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalizing homosexuality in New Zealand.
1992
Democrat Bill Clinton tapped Tennessee Sen. Al Gore to be his running mate.
1995
The Grateful Dead played their last concert, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia died the following month.
1995
The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees.
1997
Boxer Mike Tyson was banned from the ring and fined $3 million for biting opponent Evander Holyfield's ear.
1997
A Fokker 100 from the Brazilian airline TAM launches engineer Fernando Caldeira de Moura Campos into 2,400 meters of free fall after an explosion that depressurized the aircraft.
1999
Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran.
2002
The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The organization's first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.
2004
The Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence is released by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, casting doubt on the rationale for the Iraq War.
2006
One hundred and twenty-five people are killed when S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 passenger jet, veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia.
2011
South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan.
2015
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill ordering the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the State Capitol grounds.
Notable Births
1932
Donald Rumsfeld, American captain, politician, and war criminal, 13th United States Secretary of Defense.
1942
Richard Roundtree, American actor.
1945
Root Boy Slim, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
1945
Dean Koontz, American author and screenwriter.
1946
Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980.
1947
O. J. Simpson, American football player and actor.
1947
Mitch Mitchell, English drummer who played with Jimi Hendrix Experience.
1950
Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian engineer and politician, 4th President of Ukraine.
1952
John Tesh, American pianist, composer, and radio and television host.
1955
Lindsey Graham, American lawyer and politician.
1956
Tom Hanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.
1959
Kevin Nash, American professional wrestler and actor.
1964
Courtney Love, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress.
1971
Marc Andreessen, American software developer, entrepreneur and investor. Co-founded Netscape.
1975
Jack White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
1976
Fred Savage, American actor, director, and producer.
Notable Deaths
1797
Edmund Burke, Irish-English philosopher, academic, and politician.
1850
Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, died after serving only 16 months.
1850
Zachary Taylor, American general and politician, 12th President of the United States.
1852
Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior.
1932
King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company.
1935
Daniel Edward Howard, 16th president of Liberia.
1961
Whittaker Chambers, American spy and witness in Hiss case.
1974
Former U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren died in Washington D.C.
1974
Earl Warren, American jurist and politician, 14th Chief Justice of the United States.
1976
Tom Yawkey, American sportsman and owner of the Boston Red Sox (1933-76)
1985
Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish-American activist, founded Narcotics Anonymous
1992
CBS news commentator Eric Sevareid died in Washington at age 79.
2019
Rip Torn, American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. (b. 1931)