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Major Events
- 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was destroyed by arson in Ephesus.
- 1868 – The first use of tax stamps on cigarettes occurred in the U.S. under the Revenue Act.
- 1881 – Sitting Bull, a Lakota leader, surrendered to U.S. federal troops.
- 1944 – A failed assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler took place, known as the July 20 Plot.
- 1969 – Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.
- 1976 – Viking 1 successfully landed on Mars and sent back images of the Martian surface.
Famous Birthdays
- Alexander the Great (356 BC–323 BC), Macedonian king and military leader
- Gregor Mendel (1822–1884), Austrian scientist and founder of genetics
- Natalie Wood (1938–1981), American actress known for West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause
- Carlos Santana (born 1947), Mexican-American guitarist and bandleader
- Sandra Oh (born 1971), Canadian actress known for Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve
- Gisele Bündchen (born 1980), Brazilian supermodel and philanthropist
Notable Deaths
- Pancho Villa (d. 1923), Mexican revolutionary general (b. 1878)
- Bruce Lee (d. 1973), Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor (b. 1940)
- James Doohan (d. 2005), Canadian actor best known as Scotty in Star Trek (b. 1920)
- Luciano Ercoli (d. 2015), Italian film director and producer (b. 1929)
Holidays
- Colombian Independence Day (Colombia) – Celebrates Colombia’s declaration of independence from Spain in 1810.
- Space Exploration Day (USA) – Honors the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Fun Facts
- The phrase “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” was spoken by Neil Armstrong on this day in 1969.
- Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments laid the foundation for modern genetics.
- Carlos Santana blended Latin sounds with rock, pioneering a new genre of music.
- Viking 1 was the first U.S. spacecraft to land successfully on Mars.
- Sandra Oh was the first Asian woman to host the Golden Globes and win multiple major acting awards in North America.