356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
365 – The 365 Crete earthquake affects the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were killed.
905 – King Berengar I of Italy and a hired Hungarian army defeats the Frankish forces at Verona. King Louis III is captured and blinded for breaking his oath (see 902).
1242 – Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan.
1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
1568 – Eighty Years’ War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
1645 – Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus.
1656 – The Raid on Málaga takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
1774 – Russo-Turkish War (1768–74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
1798 – French campaign in Egypt and Syria: Napoleon’s forces defeat an Ottoman-Mamluk army near Cairo in the Battle of the Pyramids.
1831 – Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James–Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West.
1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium.
1907 – The passenger steamer SS Columbia sinks after colliding with the steam schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California, killing 88 people.
1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
1925 – Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land. At Pendine Sands in Wales, he drives Sunbeam 350HP built by Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h).
1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam, starting a battle that will end on August 10.
1944 – World War II: Claus von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are tortured and executed in Berlin, Germany, for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
1952 – The 7.3 Mw Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.
1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
1959 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative.
1959 – Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, becoming the world’s first female head of government
1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission: Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
1969 – Apollo program: At 02:56 UTC, astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.
1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130.
1973 – In Lillehammer, Norway, Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
1977 – The start of the four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War.
1979 – Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1983 – The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
1990 – Taiwan’s military police forces mainland Chinese illegal immigrants into sealed holds of a fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5540 for repatriation to Fujian, causing 25 people to die from suffocation.
1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People’s Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
2005 – July 2005 London bombings occur.
2008 – Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first president of Nepal.
2011 – NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
Births on July 21
541 – Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui Dynasty (d. 604)
1030 – Kyansittha, King of Burma (d. 1112)
1414 – Pope Sixtus IV (d. 1484)
1462 – Queen Jeonghyeon, Korean royal consort (d. 1530)
1476 – Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (d. 1534)
1476 – Anna Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1497)
1515 – Philip Neri, Italian Roman Catholic saint (d. 1595)
1535 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete, Royal Governor of Chile (d. 1609)
1616 – Anna de’ Medici, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1676)
1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
1648 – John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (d. 1689)
1654 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino catechist and sacristan; later canonized (d. 1672)
1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1721)
1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician, botanist, and zoologist (d. 1792)
1783 – Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, French general (d. 1853)
1808 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1864)
1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist and physicist (d. 1878)
1811 – Robert Mackenzie, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Queensland (d. 1873)
1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist, founded Reuters (d. 1899)
1858 – Maria Christina of Austria (d. 1929)
1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
1858 – Alfred Henry O’Keeffe, New Zealand painter and educator (d. 1941)
1863 – C. Aubrey Smith, English-American cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
1866 – Carlos Schwabe, Swiss Symbolist painter and printmaker (d. 1926)
1870 – Emil Orlík, Czech painter, etcher, and lithographer (d. 1932)
1875 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1947)
1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak astronomer, general, and politician (d. 1919)
1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (d. 1967)
1885 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
1891 – Julius Saaristo, Finnish javelin thrower and soldier (d. 1969)
1893 – Hans Fallada, German author (d. 1947)
1896 – Sophie Bledsoe Aberle, Native American anthropologist, physician and nutritionist (d. 1996)
1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
1900 – Isadora Bennett, American theatre manager and modern dance publicity agent (d. 1980)
1903 – Russell Lee, American photographer and journalist (d. 1986)
1903 – Roy Neuberger, American businessman and financier, co-founded Neuberger Berman (d. 2010)
1908 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (d. 1996)
1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and theorist (d. 1980)
1911 – Umashankar Joshi, Indian author, poet, and scholar (d. 1988)
1914 – Aleksander Kreek, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1977)
1917 – Alan B. Gold, Canadian lawyer and jurist (d. 2005)
1920 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
1920 – Isaac Stern, Polish violinist and conductor (d. 2001)
1920 – Jean Daniel, Algerian-French-Jewish journalist and author (d. 2020)
1921 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (d. 2000)
1921 – John Horsley, English actor (d. 2014)
1921 – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, Zulu sangoma (d. 2020)
1922 – Kay Starr, American singer (d. 2016)
1922 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (d. 2009)
1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1923 – Queenie Watts, English actress and singer (d. 1980)
1924 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 7th Governor of Balochistan
1924 – Don Knotts, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (d. 2009)
1925 – Johnny Peirson, Canadian hockey player
1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian actor, director, and producer
1926 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (d. 2013)
1926 – Karel Reisz, Czech-English director and producer (d. 2002)
1928 – Sky Low Low, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2002)
1930 – Helen Merrill, American singer
1931 – Sonny Clark, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
1931 – Plas Johnson, American saxophonist
1931 – Leon Schidlowsky, Chilean-Israeli painter and composer
1932 – Kaye Stevens, American singer and actress (d. 2011)
1933 – John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 1982)
1934 – Chandu Borde, Indian cricketer and manager
1934 – Jonathan Miller, English actor, director, and author (d. 2019)
1935 – Norbert Blüm, German businessman and politician
1935 – Moe Drabowsky, Polish-American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
1937 – Eduard Streltsov, Soviet footballer (d. 1990)
1938 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1995)
1938 – Anton Kuerti, Austrian-Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General (d. 2016)
1939 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and educator
1939 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (d. 2015)
1939 – John Negroponte, English-American diplomat, 23rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
1943 – Fritz Glatz, Austrian race car driver (d. 2002)
1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor (d. 2014)
1943 – Henry McCullough, Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
1944 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Ghana (d. 2012)
1944 – Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian author and academic (d. 2017)
1944 – Paul Wellstone, American academic and politician (d. 2002)
1945 – Wendy Cope, English poet, critic, and educator
1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricketer
1945 – Barry Richards, South African cricketer
1946 – Ken Starr, American lawyer and judge, 39th Solicitor General of the United States
1946 – Timothy Harris, American author, screenwriter and producer
1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricketer and politician
1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor and director
1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
1949 – Christina Hart, American playwright and actress
1949 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2003)
1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer and coach
1950 – Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer, English politician, Minister of State for Transport
1951 – Richard Gozney, English politician and diplomat, 30th Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, 139th Governor of Bermuda
1951 – Robin Williams, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
1952 – John Barrasso, American physician and politician
1952 – Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Malaysian economist
1953 – Eric Bazilian, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer (The Hooters)
1953 – Jeff Fatt, Australian keyboard player and actor
1953 – Bernie Fraser, New Zealand rugby player
1953 – Brian Talbot, English footballer and manager
1955 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2003)
1955 – Dannel Malloy, American lawyer and politician, 88th Governor of Connecticut
1955 – Henry Priestman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
1955 – Taco, Indonesian-born Dutch singer and entertainer
1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter
1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
1957 – Stefan Löfven, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Sweden
1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian, actor, and producer
1958 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
1959 – Gene Miles, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
1959 – Reha Muhtar, Turkish journalist
1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
1960 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
1960 – Veselin Matić, Serbian basketball player and coach
1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
1961 – Morris Iemma, Australian politician, 40th Premier of New South Wales
1961 – Jim Martin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1962 – Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, English businessman
1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer and manager
