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Major Events
- 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her one-year-old son, James VI.
- 1847 – Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley, Utah.
- 1911 – American historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.”
- 1959 – During the Cold War, the Kitchen Debate between U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took place in Moscow.
- 1969 – Apollo 11 safely returned to Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean after the first manned Moon landing.
- 2005 – Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour de France title (later stripped in 2012 due to doping allegations).
Famous Birthdays
- Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), Venezuelan military leader and key figure in Latin America’s independence movement
- Amelia Earhart (1897–disappeared 1937), pioneering American aviator and first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
- Jennifer Lopez (born 1969), American singer, actress, and businesswoman
- Anna Paquin (born 1982), Canadian-New Zealand actress and Academy Award winner
- Kristin Chenoweth (born 1968), American actress and singer, known for musical theatre
- Linda Carter (born 1951), American actress, best known for playing Wonder Woman
Notable Deaths
- Martin Van Buren (d. 1862), 8th President of the United States (b. 1782)
- Peter Sellers (d. 1980), British comedic actor best known for The Pink Panther films (b. 1925)
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (d. 1991), Nobel Prize-winning Polish-American author (b. 1903)
- Estelle Getty (d. 2008), American actress known for The Golden Girls (b. 1923)
Holidays
- Pioneer Day (Utah, United States) – Commemorates the arrival of Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847
- Simón Bolívar Day (Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru) – Celebrates the birth of the South American liberator
- National Tequila Day (United States) – An unofficial holiday celebrating the iconic Mexican spirit
Fun Facts
- Amelia Earhart, born on this day, inspired generations with her aviation achievements and mystery.
- The Apollo 11 command module landed in the Pacific Ocean just 3 days after Neil Armstrong’s famous moonwalk.
- Simón Bolívar’s name lives on in multiple countries and Bolivia is named directly after him.
- The Kitchen Debate in 1959 marked a rare direct exchange between Cold War leaders on consumer life.
- Peter Sellers, who died on this day in 1980, improvised many of his iconic lines in Dr. Strangelove.