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Major Events
- 1789 – The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille in Paris, a symbol of royal tyranny.
- 1791 – Two years after the Bastille was stormed, the Fête de la Fédération was held to celebrate the French Revolution’s unity.
- 1853 – The opening of the first major U.S. world’s fair, Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, in New York City.
- 1965 – NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft successfully flew by Mars, sending back the first close-up images of another planet.
- 2015 – NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its closest flyby of Pluto, offering humanity its first detailed images of the dwarf planet.
Famous Birthdays
- Gerald Ford (1913–2006), 38th President of the United States
- Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007), Swedish film director and writer
- Woody Guthrie (1912–1967), American folk singer and songwriter
- Matthew Fox (born 1966), American actor known for Lost
- Conor McGregor (born 1988), Irish mixed martial artist and former UFC champion
Notable Deaths
- Billy the Kid (d. 1881), Infamous American outlaw (b. 1859)
- Adlai Stevenson II (d. 1965), American politician and U.N. ambassador (b. 1900)
- Richard McDonald (d. 1998), Co-founder of McDonald’s (b. 1909)
Holidays
- Bastille Day (France) – National holiday commemorating the 1789 storming of the Bastille and the birth of the French Republic.
- Oued Ed-Dahab Day (Morocco) – Regional observance marking the return of the territory to Morocco in 1979.
Fun Facts
- Bastille Day is celebrated with military parades, fireworks, and parties across France.
- NASA’s Mariner 4 mission helped spark global interest in exploring Mars.
- Woody Guthrie’s iconic song “This Land Is Your Land” remains an enduring symbol of American folk music.
- Pluto’s status as a planet was still intact at the time of New Horizons’ launch in 2006.
- The original Bastille prison had only seven inmates when it was stormed.