EVENTS
- 1775 – The department that would later become the United States Post Office is established.
- 1788 – New York becomes the 11th state of the United States.
- 1847 – The country of Liberia is founded. This west African state was founded primarily by freed slaves from the United States. The Liberian constitution was based on the US’s constitution and the capital, Monrovia, is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States.
- 1908 – The FBI is formed.
FBI headquarters - 1944 – The U.S. Army began desegregating its training camp facilities. Black platoons were then assigned to white companies in a first step toward battlefield integration. However, the official order integrating the armed forces didn’t come until July 26, 1948, signed by President Harry Truman.
- 1945 – Potsdam Declaration is signed. Also known as the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, the declaration signed by the US, UK and China, detailed the terms of surrender for Japan after World War II.
- 1945 – The U.S. Cruiser Indianapolis arrived at Tinian Island in the Marianas with an unassembled Atomic bomb, met by scientists ready to complete the assembly.
- 1947 – The National Security Act is signed creating the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council.
- 1953 – The beginning of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary “26th of July Movement.” In 1959, Castro led the rebellion that drove out dictator Fulgencio Batista. Although he once declared that Cuba would never again be ruled by a dictator, Castro’s government became a Communist dictatorship.
- 1963 – Syncom 2, the world’s first geosynchronous communications satellite is launched. Part of NASA’s Syncom program, it was responsible for transmitting the first TV signal from a geosynchronous satellite, a manmade satellite whose orbital period around the Earth matches the Earth’s rotation.
- 1965 – Independence of Maldives. The Indian Ocean Island nation gained independence after 78 years of British rule.
- 1990 – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is signed into law. The law banned discrimination based on disability.
- 1991 – The video game “Sonic the Hedgehog” is released.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1856 – George Bernard Shaw (Playwright)
- 1875 – Carl Jung (Psychiatrist)
- 1894 – Aldous Huxley (English author)
- 1928 – Stanley Kubrick (American director)
Stanley Kubrick - 1943 – Mick Jagger (Singer for the Rolling Stones)
- 1956 – Dorothy Hamill (Ice skater)
- 1959 – Kevin Spacey (Actor)
- 1964 – Sandra Bullock (Actress)
- 1965 – Jeremy Piven (Actor)
- 1973 – Kate Beckinsale (Actress)
- 1977 – Rebecca St. James (Singer)
DEATHS
- 796 – Offa of Mercia
- 1863 – Sam Houston (American soldier, politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas)
Sam Houston - 1925 – William Jennings Bryan (American politician, 41st United States Secretary of State)
- 1952 – Eva Perón (Argentinian actress, 25th First Lady of Argentina)
- 1995 – George W. Romney (American businessman, politician)
