EVENTS
- 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found. The ancient Egyptian rock inscribed with a decree by King Ptolemy V was found in the Egyptian port city of Rashid (Rosetta) by French Captain Pierre Bouchard.
- 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders.
- 1918 – During the Battle of the Marne in World War I, German General Erich Ludendorff launched Germany’s fifth, and last, offensive to break through the Chateau-Thierry salient. However, the Germans were stopped by American, British and Italian divisions. On July 18, General Foch, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied troops, launched a massive counter-offensive. The Germans began a retreat lasting four months until they requested an armistice in November.
- 1955 – Mainau Declaration is signed by 18 Nobel laureates. The declaration against the use of nuclear weapons was initiated by German scientists Otto Hahn and Max Born.
- 1983 – Orly Airport attack. A Turkish Airlines check-in counter was bombed at the Orly Airport in Paris, killing 8 people and injuring more than 50 people. The Armenian militant organization ASALA took responsibility for the attack.
- 1988 – ‘Die Hard’ opens in theaters, starring Bruce Willis.
- 1994 – Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 collides with Jupiter. The Jupiter orbiting comet collided with Jupiter. It was the first time in recorded history that astronomers had observed a collision between two celestial objects.
- 1996 – MSNBC is launched. The American news television channel was created by Microsoft and General Electric’s NBC unit. The first show of the channel was hosted by Jodi Applegate.
- 2005 – Disneyland opens “Space Mountain”.
- 2005 – Jack Nicklaus plays his last hole of competitive golf.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1606 – Rembrandt Van Rijn (Painter)
- 1850 – The first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was born in Lombardy, Italy
- 1858 – Emmeline Pankhurst (British political activist, suffragette)
- 1930 – Jacques Derrida (French philosopher)
- 1931 – Clive Cussler (Author)
- 1946 – Linda Rondstadt (Singer)
- 1950 – Arianna Huffington (Greek/American author, columnist, founded The Huffington Post)
- 1951 – Jesse Ventura (Pro wrestler and governor of Minnesota)
- 1953 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide (President of Haiti)
- 1961 – Forest Whitaker (Actor)
- 1973 – Brain Austin Green (Actor)
DEATHS
- 1521 – Juan Ponce de León (Spanish explorer, 1st Governor of Puerto Rico)
- 1857 – Carl Czerny (Austrian pianist, composer)
- 1904 – Anton Chekhov (Russian physician, author)
- 1948 – John J. Pershing (American general)
- 1961 – John Edward Brownlee (Canadian politician)