July 20 is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years A leap year is a year containing one or more extra days (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, an extra month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. For example, in the Gregorian calendar, February in a leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28 so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 3) in the Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas. There are 164 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 911 – Rollo Rollo , baptised Robert, was the founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy besieged Chartres The Siege of Chartres was the part of Norman incursions. In 858 the Normans captured and burned Chartres. After that, in the time of relative peace, the town defenses were rebuilt and strengthened. It turned a fortified, trapezoid-like city, going close to the river.
• 1304 Year 1304 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. At the time, both Scotland and England were separate and independent entities - a fact which renders the idea of a war for Scotland's independence inaccurate: Fall of Stirling Castle There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, a strategically important fortification in Stirling, Scotland. Stirling is located at the crossing of the River Forth, making it a key location for access to the north of Scotland. The castle changed hands several times between English and Scottish control during the Wars of Scottish – King Edward I of England Edward I , known as Edward Longshanks for his height of 6 ft. 2 in. (188 cm), and sometimes referred to as the "English Justinian" and the "Hammer of the Scots" (Latin: Scottorum malleus), was a Plantagenet King of England. Edward achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the takes the last rebel stronghold of the war.
• 1402 Year 1402 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire – Timur A descendant of Mongol conquerors, Timur, whose tribe had become Turkic in identity and language and was steeped in the Persian literary and high culture, aspired to recreate an empire that his Mongol Empire ancestors once had. Timur's short-lived empire also melded the Turko-Persian tradition in Transoxiania, and in most of the territories which, ruler of Timurid Empire The Timurids, self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of originally Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Central Asia, Iran, modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as large parts of India, Mesopotamia and Caucasus. It was founded by the legendary conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) in the 14th, defeated forces of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey (see the other names of the Ottoman State), was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 (as an imperial monarchy) or July 24, 1923 (de jure, as a state.) It was succeeded by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on sultan Bayezid I Bayezid I (Ottoman: بايزيد الأول, Turkish: Beyazıt, nicknamed Yıldırım , "the Thunderbolt"; 1354/1357/1360, Edirne or Bursa – March 8/9, 1403, Akşehir, Turkey) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, then Rûm, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun who was of ethnic Greek descent.
• 1656 Year 1656 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar) – Swedish Sweden (pronounced /ˈswiːdən/ ), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the Öresund Bridge in the south forces under the command of King Charles X Gustav defeats the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a union of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. It was characterized by many particularities that made it unique among contemporary states. The Commonwealth's political system, often called the Noble' at the Battle of Warsaw The Battle of Warsaw was a battle which took place near Warsaw on July 18, 1656 – July 20, 1656, between the armies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on the one hand and of Sweden and Brandenburg on the other. It was a major battle in the war between Poland and Sweden in the period 1655-1660, also known as The Deluge (part of the Northern.
• 1712 Year 1712 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). Year 1712 of the Swedish calendar was a double leap year starting on Monday, see February 30 below – The Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo.1 St.2 c.5) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of more than twelve people to be unlawfully assembled, and thus have to disperse or face punitive action. The Act, whose long title was "An act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more takes effect in Great Britain Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest in Europe. With a population of approximately 58.9 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Ireland is to its west, and it is surrounded by over 1000 smaller islands and islets.
• 1738 Year 1738 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar) – North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the: French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area, it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word "Michigan" was originally used to refer to the lake.
• 1810 Year 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar) – Citizens of Bogotá Bogotá (Spanish: Bogotá )– officially named Bogotá, D.C. (D.C. for "Distrito Capital", which means "Capital District"), formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá – is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants (2005). Bogotá and its metropolitan area, which, New Granada The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on May 27, 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Before the 19th century independence struggles, the Viceroyalty of New Granada existed as a political and administrative entity which also extended declare independence from Spain Spain /ˈspeɪn/ (Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), or the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France,.
• 1864 Year 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar) – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army on the defenses of Atlanta. The main armies in the conflict were the Union Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Maj. Gen. George Henry Thomas, – Near Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States, Confederate The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States. The CSA's control over its claimed territory varied during the course of the American Civil War, depending on the success forces led by General A general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general John Bell Hood John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness. Arguably one of the best brigade and division commanders in the Confederate States Army, Hood became increasingly ineffective as he was promoted to lead larger, independent commands unsuccessfully attack Union During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that tried to form the Confederacy. Although the Union states included the Western states of California, Oregon, and Nevada, troops The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army. It consisted of the small United States Army , augmented by massive numbers of units supplied by the Northern states, composed of volunteers as well as draftees. The under General A general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general William T. Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he.
• 1866 Year 1866 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar) – Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (in Germany known as Deutscher Krieg ; or Seven Weeks War, the Unification War or the German Civil War) was a war fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the other, that resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states: Battle of Lissa The Battle of Lissa or Battle of Vis took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the island of Vis in present-day Croatia. It was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a superior Italian force. It was the first major sea battle between ironclads and one of the last to involve deliberate ramming – The Austrian Navy , led by Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral. It is usually abbreviated to "Adm." or "ADM". Where relevant, Admiral is a 4 star rank Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy The Regia Marina Italiana dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy (Regno d'Italia) in 1861 after Italian unification (il Risorgimento). In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (Repubblica Italiana), the Royal Navy changed its name as it was now the Navy of the Italian Republic (Marina Militare Italiana) near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea.
• 1871 Year 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar) – British Columbia British Columbia ( ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ) (BC) (French: la Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada joins the confederation of Canada Canada is a country occupying most of upper North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area and shares the world's longest common border with the United States to the south and northwest.
• 1877 Year 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar) – Rioting A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence, vandalism or other crime. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are typically chaotic and exhibit herd behavior in Baltimore, Maryland by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers is put down by the state militia, resulting in nine deaths.
• 1881 – Indian Wars:Sioux Chief Sitting Bull leads the last of his fugitive people in surrender to United States troops at Fort Buford, North Dakota
• 1885 – The Football Association legalises professionalism in football under pressure from the British Football Association.
• 1894 – The troops sent by Grover Cleveland to Chicago to end the Pullman Strike are recalled.
• 1898 – Spanish-American War: A boiler exploded on the USS Iowa (BB-4) off the coast of Santiago de Cuba.
• 1903 – Ford Motor Company shipped its first car.
• 1907 – A train wreck on the Pere Marquette Railroad near Salem, Michigan kills thirty and injures seventy more.
• 1916 – World War I: In Armenia, Russian troops capture Gumiskhanek.
• 1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
• 1918 – World War I: German troops cross the Marne.
• 1921 – Air mail service begins between New York City and San Francisco.
• 1921 – Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson became the first woman to preside over the US House of Representatives.
• 1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.
• 1924 – Teheran, Persia comes under martial law after the American vice consul, Robert Imbrie, is killed by a religious mob enraged by rumors he had poisoned a fountain and killed several people.
• 1926 – A convention of the Methodist Church votes to allow women to become priests.
• 1928 – The government of Hungary issues a decree ordering Gypsies to end their nomadic ways, settle permanently in one place, and subject themselves to the same laws and taxes as other Hungarians.
• 1929 – Soviet troops attempt to cross the Amur River into Manchuria near Blagoveschensk as tensions mount between the Soviet Union and the Republic of China.
• 1932 – In Washington, D.C., police fire tear gas on World War I veterans part of the Bonus Expeditionary Force who attempt to march to the White House.
• 1932 – Crowds in the capitals of Bolivia and Paraguay demand their governments declare war on the other after fighting on their border.
• 1933 – Vice-Chancellor of Germany Franz von Papen and Vatican Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli sign a concordat on behalf of their respective nations.
• 1933 – In London, 500,000 march against anti-Semitism.
• 1933 – Germany: Two-hundred Jewish merchants are arrested in Nuremberg and paraded through the streets.
• 1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S., as police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, wounding fifty; Seattle police led by the mayor police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen, and the governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
• 1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.
• 1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.
• 1938 – The Justice Department files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of anti-trust law. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
• 1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
• 1940 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Hatch Act of 1939, limiting political activity by Federal government employees.
• 1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrenti Beria its chief.
• 1942 – World War II: The first unit of the Women's Army Corps begins training in Des Moines, Iowa.
• 1943 – World War II: American and Canadian troops conquer Enna on Sicily.
• 1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt (known as the July 20 plot) led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
• 1944 – World War II: American troops land on Guam near Port Apra.
• 1944 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wins the Democratic nomination for the fourth and final time at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
• 1944 – Fifty are hurt in rioting in front of the presidential palace in Mexico City.
• 1945 – The US Congress approves the Bretton Woods Agreement.
• 1946 – World War II: The US Congress's Pearl Harbor Committee says Franklin D. Roosevelt is completely blameless for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and calls for a unified command structure in the armed forces.
• 1947 – Police in Burma arrest former Prime Minister U Saw and 19 others on charges of assassinating Prime Minister U Aung San and seven members of his cabinet.
• 1947 – The Viceroy of India says the people of the Northwest Frontier Province overwhelmingly voted the previous day to join Pakistan rather than India.
• 1948 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman issues a peacetime military draft in the United States amid increasing tensions with the Soviet Union.
• 1948 – In New York City, twelve leaders of the Communist Party USA are indicted under the Smith Act including William Z. Foster and Gus Hall.
• 1949 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.
• 1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
• 1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
• 1953 – The United Nations Economic and Social Council votes to make UNICEF a permanent agency.
• 1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany.
• 1954 – At Geneva, Switzerland, an armistice is signed that ends fighting in Vietnam and divides the country along the 17th parallel.
• 1959 – The Organization for European Economic Cooperation admits Spain.
• 1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world's first elected female head of government.
• 1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.
• 1960 – Belgium defends its intervention in the Congo to the United Nations Security Council while the government of the Congo appeals to the Soviet Union to send troops to push back the Belgians. The governments of the United States and France and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization warn the Soviets to stay out of the dispute.
• 1960 – The head of the Physics Department at the Israel Institute of Technology, Kurt Sitte, is arrested for espionage.
• 1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Dinh Tuong Province, Cai Be, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of which are children).
• 1965 – Turkish prime minister Suat Hayri Urguplu returns from a visit to Moscow and announces the Soviet Union will provide aid to his country.
• 1968 – Special Olympics founded.
• 1969 – Apollo Program: Apollo 11 successfully lands the first man on the Moon.
• 1969 – Cease fire announced between Honduras and El Salvador, 6 days after the beginning of the "Football War"
• 1971 – The Soviet Union says it will support the People's Republic of China's admission to the United Nations
• 1973 – The US Senate passes the War Powers Act.
• 1973 – Vietnam War: In testimony by Assistant Secretary of Defense Jerry Friedheim to the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, the US Defense Department admits it lied to US Congress about bombing Cambodia .
• 1973 – Palestianian terrorists hijack a Japan Airlines jet en route from Amsterdam to Japan and force it down in Dubai.
• 1973 – First coast-to-coast black-owned and operated radio network: The National Black Network (NBN) begins operations.
• 1974 – Turkish occupation of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a "coup d' etat", organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios. NATO's Council praises the United States and the United Kingdom for attempts to settle the dispute. Syria and Egypt put their militaries on alert.
• 1975 – India expels three reporters from The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and Newsweek because they refused to sign a pledge to abide by government censorship.
• 1976 – The Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
• 1976 – Vietnam War: The U.S. military completes its troop withdrawal from Thailand.
• 1976 – Hank Aaron hits his 755th home run, the final home run of his career.
• 1977 – Johnstown is hit by a flash flood that kills eighty and causes $350 million in damage.
• 1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind control experiments.
• 1980 – The United Nations Security Council votes 14-0 that member states should not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
• 1982 – Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regents Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.
• 1983 – The Israeli cabinet votes to withdraw troops from Beirut but to remain in southern Lebanon.
• 1984 – Officials of the Miss America pageant ask Vanessa Lynn Williams to quit after Penthouse published nude photos of her.
• 1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
• 1986 – In South Africa, police fire tear gas into a church service for families of those held under the government's emergency decrees.
• 1987 – UN Security Council Resolution 598, condemning the Iran–Iraq War and demanding cease-fire, is unanimously adopted.
• 1989 – Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe's show opens at Washington, D.C.'s Project for the Arts after the Smithsonian Institution's Corcoran Gallery cancels it.
• 1989 – Burma's ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
• 1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
• 1992 – The first post-Soviet monetary reform in Latvia ended, as the Soviet rouble lost its status as legal tender.
• 1994 – Israel's Shimon Peres visits Jordan, the highest ranking Israeli official to do so
• 1994 – Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's Fragment Q1 hits Jupiter.
• 1995 – The Regents of the University of California vote to end all affirmative action in the UC system by 1997.
• 1996 – In Spain, an ETA bomb at an airport kills 35
• 1998 – Two hundred aid workers from CARE International, Doctors Without Borders and other aid groups leave Afghanistan on orders of the Taliban.
• 1999 – Falun Gong is banned in the People's Republic of China, and a large scale persecution of the practice is launched.
• 2000 – The leaders of Salt Lake City's bid to win the 2002 Winter Olympics are indicted by a federal grand jury for bribery, fraud, and racketeering.
• 2000 – In Zimbabwe, Parliament opens its new session and seats opposition members for the first time in a decade.
• 2000 – Terrorist Carlos the Jackal sues France in the European Court of Human Rights for allegedly torturing him.
• 2001 – The London Stock Exchange goes public.
• 2001 – Italy: The 27th Annual G8 summit opens in Genoa. An Italian protester in Genoa, Carlo Giuliani, is shot by police.
• 2002 – South America: A fire in a discotheque in Lima, Peru kills over twenty-five.
• 2003 – France: Sixteen people are injured after two bombs explode outside a tax office in Nice.
• 2005 – Canada becomes the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the bill C-38 receives its Royal Assent.
• 2006 – Ethiopian invasion of Somalia Ethiopian troops enter Somalian territory.

Births

• 356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian-Greek king and military leader (d. 323 BC)
• 810 – Imam Bukhari, Muslim scholar and compiler of Hadith (d. 870)
• 1304 – Francesco Petrarch, Italian poet (d. 1374)
• 1537 – Arnaud d'Ossat, French diplomat and writer (d. 1604)
• 1620 – Nikolaes Heinsius, Dutch scholar (d. 1681)
• 1659 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (d. 1743)
• 1754 – Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher (d. 1836)
• 1757 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (d. 1811)
• 1774 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal (d. 1852)
• 1797 – Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, Polish explorer and geologist (d. 1873)
• 1822 – Gregor Mendel, German scientist, father of modern genetics (d. 1884)
• 1838 – Augustin Daly, American playwright (d. 1899)
• 1838 – George Otto Trevelyan, British statesman and biographer (d. 1928)
• 1847 – Max Liebermann, German artist (d. 1935)
• 1849 – Robert Anderson Van Wyck, Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)
• 1858 – Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (d. 1925)
• 1864 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (d. 1931)
• 1868 – Miron Cristea, 1st Patriarch of All Romania (d. 1939)
• 1873 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviator (d. 1932)
• 1876 – Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician (d. 1944)
• 1889 – John Reith, British broadcast executive (d. 1971)
• 1890 – King George II of Greece (d. 1947)
• 1893 – George Llewelyn-Davies, English Peter Pan character model (d. 1915)
• 1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
• 1897 – Tadeus Reichstein, Polish-born chemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1996)
• 1900 – Maurice Leyland, English cricketer (d. 1967)
• 1901 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player (d. 1971)
• 1902 – Jimmy Kennedy, Irish composer (d. 1984)
• 1909 – Jean Focas, Greco-French astronomer (d. 1969)
• 1909 – Eric Rowan, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1952 (d. 1993)
• 1910 – Vilém Tauský, Czech conductor and composer (d. 2004)
• 1911 – Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)
• 1912 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and novelist (d. 1970)
• 1918 – Cindy Walker, American singer (d. 2006)
• 1919 – Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountain climber (d. 2008)
• 1920 – Elliot Richardson, American politician (d. 1999)
• 1922 – Alan Stephenson Boyd, American politician
• 1923 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Thomas Berger, American novelist
• 1924 – Mort Garson, Canadian composer
• 1925 – Jacques Delors, French President of the European Commission
• 1925 – Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and writer (d. 1961)
• 1926 – Lola Albright, American actress
• 1926 – Patricia Cutts, English actress (d. 1974)
• 1927 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer
• 1929 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman and sports executive
• 1929 – Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor (d. 1999)
• 1930 – Chuck Daly, American basketball coach (d. 2009)
• 1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-born singer and actress
• 1931 – Tony Marsh, English racing driver
• 1932 – Nam June Paik, Korean-born artist (d. 2006)
• 1932 – Otto Schily, German politician
• 1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer and songwriter (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American author
• 1933 – Rex Williams, English snooker player
• 1934 – Uwe Johnson, German writer
• 1934 – Doug Padgett, English cricketer
• 1934 – Aliki Vougiouklaki, Greek actress (d. 1996)
• 1935 – Ted Rogers, English comedian (d. 2001)
• 1936 – Barbara Mikulski, American politician
• 1937 – Ken Ogata, Japanese actor (d. 2008)
• 1938 – Roger Hunt, English footballer
• 1938 – Dame Diana Rigg, English actress
• 1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)
• 1939 – Judy Chicago, American artist
• 1940 – Tony Oliva, Cuban baseball player
• 1941 – Kurt Raab, German actor (d. 1988)
• 1942 – Ron Bowden, Australian politician
• 1942 – Pete Hamilton, American race car driver
• 1942 – T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer
• 1943 – Chris Amon, New Zealand racing driver
• 1943 – Wendy Richard, English actress (d.2009)
• 1944 – Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor
• 1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer and songwriter
• 1945 – Larry Craig, American politician
• 1945 – John Lodge, English musician (The Moody Blues)
• 1945 – Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer (d. 2005)
• 1945 – Bo Rein, American football coach (d. 1980)
• 1946 – Randal Kleiser, American film director
• 1947 – Gerd Binnig, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-born American guitarist
• 1948 – Muse Watson, American actor
• 1950 – Tantoo Cardinal, Canadian actress
• 1950 – Naseeruddin Shah, Indian actor
• 1951 – Jeff Rawle, English actor
• 1952 – Keiko Matsuzaka, Japanese actress
• 1953 – Dave Evans, Australian singer (AC/DC)
• 1953 – Thomas Friedman, American journalist
• 1953 – Marcia Hines, American-born Australian singer
• 1953 – Dan Shaughnessy, American sports writer
• 1954 – Moira Harris, American actress
• 1955 – Jem Finer, English musician and composer (The Pogues)
• 1956 – Paul Cook, English musician (The Sex Pistols)
• 1956 – Jim Prentice, Canadian politician
• 1957 – Nancy Cruzan, American figure in right-to-die case (d. 1990)
• 1957 – Donna Dixon, American actress
• 1958 – Mick MacNeil, Scottish musician (Simple Minds)
• 1958 – Billy Mays, American pitchman (d. 2009)
• 1960 – Claudio Langes, Italian racing driver
• 1962 – Carlos Alazraqui, American actor and comedian
• 1962 – Giovanna Amati, Italian racing driver
• 1962 – Lee Harris, English drummer (Talk Talk, .O.rang)
• 1963 – Frank Whaley, American actor
• 1964 – Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
• 1964 – Terri Irwin, American naturalist; widow of Steve Irwin
• 1964 – Kool G Rap, American musician
• 1964 – Bernd Schneider, German racing driver
• 1964 – Dean Winters, American actor
• 1966 – Stone Gossard, American musician (Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Brad)
• 1967 – Reed Diamond, American actor
• 1967 – Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American musician (The Dandy Warhols)
• 1968 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player
• 1968 – Michael Park, American actor
• 1968 – Julian Rhind-Tutt, English actor
• 1969 – Josh Holloway, American actor
• 1969 – Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist
• 1969 – Tobi Vail, American musician (Bikini Kill, The Go Team, The Frumpies)
• 1969 – Vitamin C, American singer
• 1971 – Ed Giddins, English cricketer
• 1971 – Charles Johnson, American baseball player
• 1971 – Sandra Oh, Korean Canadian actress
• 1971 – DJ Screw, American hip hop deejay (d. 2000)
• 1972 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1972 – Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
• 1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1973 – Nixon McLean, West Indian cricketer
• 1973 – Omar Epps, American actor
• 1973 – Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway
• 1973 – Claudio Reyna, American soccer player
• 1973 – Mads Rieper, Danish footballer
• 1974 – Bengie Molina, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1974 – Simon Rex, American actor
• 1975 – Ray Allen, American basketball player
• 1975 – Judy Greer, American actress
• 1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
• 1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish politician
• 1975 – Atiq-uz-Zaman, Pakistani cricketer
• 1975 – El Zorro, Mexican professional wrestler
• 1976 – Erica Hill, American news anchor
• 1976 – Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer
• 1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian musician (Wolfmother)
• 1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian racing driver
• 1977 – Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer
• 1977 – Alessandro dos Santos, naturalized Japanese footballer
• 1978 – Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Charlie Korsmo, American actor
• 1978 – Tamsyn Lewis, Australian athlete
• 1978 – Will Solomon, American basketball player
• 1978 – Elliott Yamin, American Idol contestant
• 1979 – Claudine Barretto, Filipino actress
• 1979 – Miklos Feher, Hungarian football player (d. 2004)
• 1979 – David Ortega, Spanish freestyle and backstroke swimmer
• 1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model
• 1980 – Mike Kennerty, American guitarist (The All-American Rejects)
• 1981 – Damien Delaney, Irish footballer
• 1981 – Thorsten Engelmann, German rower
• 1982 – Percy Daggs III, American actor
• 1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
• 1984 – Troy Smith, American football player
• 1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor
• 1985 – David Mundy, Australian Rules footballer
• 1988 – Julianne Hough, American ballroom dancer
• 1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
• 1989 – Witwisit Hirunwongkul, Thai actor
• 1991 – William Tomlin, British actor
• 1999 – Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco

Deaths

• 985 – Pope Boniface VII
• 1031 – King Robert II of France (b. 972)
• 1156 – Emperor Toba of Japan (b. 1103)
• 1160 – Peter Lombard, French theologian
• 1320 – King Oshin of Armenia (b. 1282)
• 1351 – Margaretha Ebner, German visionary (b. 1291)
• 1387 – Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu (poisoned) (b. 1356)
• 1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (b. 1374)
• 1453 – Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French chronicler
• 1454 – King John II of Castile (b. 1405)
• 1524 – Claude of France, wife of Louis XII of France (b. 1499)
• 1616 – Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, Irish soldier
• 1704 – Peregrine White, first English child born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1620)
• 1752 – Johann Christoph Pepusch, German composer (b. 1667)
• 1816 – Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet (b. 1743)
• 1866 – Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician (b. 1826)
• 1897 – Jean Ingelow, English poet (b. 1820)
• 1901 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
• 1903 – Pope Leo XIII (b. 1810)
• 1908 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author, president of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1835)
• 1922 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician (b. 1856)
• 1923 – Francisco "Pancho" Villa, Mexican Rebel (b. 1878)
• 1926 – Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinskiy, head of the Soviet secret police (b. 1877)
• 1927 – King Ferdinand of Romania (b. 1865)
• 1928 – Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet (b. 1896)
• 1932 – René Bazin, French novelist (b. 1853)
• 1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1874)
• 1941 – Lew Fields, American vaudeville performer (b. 1867)
• 1944 – Mildred Harris, American actress (b. 1901)
• 1945 – Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)
• 1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan (b. 1882)
• 1951 – Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern, Crown Prince of Germany (b. 1882)
• 1953 – Dumarsaid Estime, President of Haiti (b. 1900)
• 1953 – Jan Struther, British author (b. 1901)
• 1956 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian politician (b. 1868)
• 1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral (b. 1875)
• 1969 – Roy Hamilton, American singer (b. 1929)
• 1970 – Iain Macleod, Conservative Party Politician and Chancellor of Exchequer at time of his death (b. 1913)
• 1973 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)
• 1973 – Robert Smithson, American land artist (b. 1938)
• 1977 – Gary Kellgren, American music producer (b. 1939)
• 1982 – Okot p'Bitek, Ugandan poet (b. 1931)
• 1983 – Frank Reynolds, American television news anchor (b. 1923)
• 1987 – Richard Egan, American actor (b. 1921)
• 1990 – Herbert Jenkins, Atlanta's longest serving police chief (b. 1907)
• 1993 – Vincent Foster Jr., White House deputy counsel (b. 1945)
• 1998 – June Byers, American professional wrestler (b. 1922)
• 1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
• 2000 – Gregory Hill (also known as Malaclypse the Younger,) American writer (b. 1941)
• 2001 – Carlo Giuliani, Italian anarchist (b. 1978)
• 2003 – Nicolas Freeling, English writer (b. 1927)
• 2004 – Adi Lady Lala Mara, Fiji chieftainess, wife of Kamisese Mara (b. 1931)
• 2005 – James Doohan, Canadian-born actor (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian politician (b. 1926)
• 2005 – Kayo Hatta, American film director (b. 1958)
• 2006 – Ted Grant, British Trotskyist (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Gérard Oury, French filmmaker (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker), American televangelist (b. 1942)
• 2008 – Artie Traum, American guitarist (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances

• Colombia – Independence Day
• Argentina – Día del Amigo (Friendship Day)
• St. Elias, Prophet
• St. Aurelius, bishop of Carthage
• Saint Thorlac, bishop, confessor (Translation), Norway
• St. Margaret the Virgin

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Categories: Days of the year | July

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• July 14
• July 20

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