July is full of exciting history. Among other events, over the years this month has witnessed the world’s first test-tube baby and the first successful attempt to walk on the moon.
Keep reading to find out what other historic events have happened in July…
26 historic events that happened in July
1st July, 1916
On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the British Army suffered its worst day. Just under 20,000 men are estimated to have died.
The Battle of the Somme was planned as a joint invasion between British and French forces to achieve victory over the Germans on the Western Front.
2nd July, 1644
English Parliamentary forces defeated Prince Rupert of the Rhine at the Battle of Marston Moor. It was the Parliamentarian’s first victory over the Royalists in the English Civil War.
Marston Moor was one of the largest battles ever fought on English soil, with around 17,000 Royalists and 22,000 Parliamentarians (and Scottish Covenanters). It was mainly over the way England was governed and religious freedom.
3rd July, 1996
The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, was confirmed to be returned to Scotland from Westminster Abbey. The stone was a symbol of the Scottish nation but had been taken by King Edward I of England in 1296 and used in the coronation of 30 British monarchs across the 700 years since.
The Stone of Scone is ancient and seen as sacred by the Scots, who used it in their own inauguration of kings before it was taken.
Today, the Stone is displayed next to the crown Jewels in the Royal Palace in Edinburgh on the east side of Crown Square.
4th July, 1776
During the American Revolution, the U.S Congress accepted the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. This declared that the 13 American colonies who were at war with Great Britain were now independent and free from British rule.
Since 1941, Independence Day on the 4th of July has been a federal holiday celebrated across the United States.
5th July, 1687
The first edition of Isaac Newton’s great work, Principia, was published by the Royal Society in England.
Principia outlined Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravity. It’s regarded as one of the most important works in history.
6th July, 2016
Pokemon GO, the real-world mobile game produced by Niantic, was released in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The game was released in the UK just over a week after, on 14th July.
Pokemon GO quickly became one of the most downloaded apps in the world and broke five world records in the first month of its release. Among these was Pokemon GO’s title of being the fastest mobile app to earn $100 million in just 20 days.
By September 2016, Pokemon GO had been downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide.
8th July, 1822
Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose life and works are said to embody English Romanticism, drowned in the Bay of Spezia at the age of 29 after his boat sank during a storm.
Some of Shelley’s most famous works include Ode to the West Wind (1819), Ozymandias (1818), and Skylark (1820).
9th July, 2001
Television sitcom, The Office, starring Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman premiered in the UK on BBC Two. Gervais created the mockumentary alongside his long-time collaborator Stephen Merchant.
Initial ratings on the show were pretty poor. However, over time, The Office gained popularity and became one of the 21st century’s most successful comedies.
10th July, 138 AD
Roman Emperor Hadrian, famous for ordering the building of Hadrian’s Wall across the north of England, died. Hadrian’s Wall was built to protect Northern England against barbarian Scottish tribes and solidify the English border.
Aside from Hadrian’s Wall, in Rome itself, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon and ordered construction of the Temple of Venus and Roma.
10th July, 1040
According to legend, late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback through Coventry in order to force her husband, the Earl of Mercia, to lower taxes.
However, since the story only came about around 100 years after Lady Godiva’s death and was written by the monk Roger of Wendover – who was known for stretching the truth in his writings – it’s reliability is dubious.
12th July, 1679
British King Charles II ratified the Habeas Corpus Act of Parliament, which made sure that no person could be imprisoned unlawfully without being examined by a court.
Habeas Corpus is still in force today.
12th July, 1910
British pilot Charles Rolls died at the age of 32 after his Wright Flyer plane crashed during a flying competition in Bournemouth, Dorset. Rolls had been returning to attempt a precious landing when the tail of his plane broke off.
Charles Rolls was co-founder of the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing company, shared with car designer Henry Royce.
13th July, 1923
The 50-foot-tall Hollywood Sign was officially constructed in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. The sign originally read ‘Hollywoodland’, but the last four letters were dropped after it was renovated in 1949.
The famous Hollywood sign has appeared in many films and producers seem to enjoy destroying it – for example, in Earthquake (1974), Superman (1978), Escape from L.A (1996), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).
14th July, 1923
The British parliament passed the Intoxicating Liquor Bill, which banned the sale of alcohol to anyone aged under 18.
Before this, teenagers were free to go into pubs at the age of 14 to buy and drink beer, and at 16, they would also buy spirits.
16th July, 1995
Online shopping store Amazon went live to the general public. After noticing the commercial potential of the internet the year before, Jeff Bezos moved from New York to Washington, where he founded Amazon.
Bezos had previously achieved an undergraduate degree in computer science and electrical engineering from Princeton University in 1986, and worked in the financial services industry.
In 2017, Jeff Bezos was named the richest man in the world. On 5th July 2021, he stepped down as CEO of Amazon in order to focus on Blue Origin, his aerospace company.
18th July, 64 AD
The Great Fire of Rome began under the rule of Emperor Nero. The fire started in the huge Circus Maximus stadium and when it was finally extinguished six days later, 10 of Rome’s 14 districts had burned to the ground.
Ancient historians blamed the infamous Emperor Nero, who they believed started the fire as a way to rebuild Rome to his liking, without the Senate. One historian even claimed that Nero played the fiddle as his city was engulfed by flames. However, while Nero did use the fire to his advantage, there’s no evidence to backup the ancient historians’ claims.
Nero himself blamed the fire on the Christians and he arrested, tortured, and executed hundreds as a result.
18th July, 1920
Seven hundred and fifty thousand people who died during the First World War were commemorated with the unveiling of a new national monument named Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The Cenotaph is named after the Greek words kenos and taphos, which mean ‘empty tomb’.
20th July, 1588
The Spanish Armada, which consisted of 130 warships, set sail for England from Corunna. The Armada left a day later than planned due to an unexpected storm.
After years of religious and political differences between Protestant England and Catholic Spain, the Spanish Armada was the defining moment of Elizabeth I’s reign. Her victory against the Spanish secured Protestant rule in England and placed the queen onto the global stage.
20th July, 1837
Euston railway station opened in London as the terminal between London and Birmingham. Euston was London’s first mainline station to connect the capital with another city.
The first inter-city journey between London and Birmingham took place on 17th September 1838.
The station was completely rebuilt in the 1960s as a result of the electrification of the West Coast Mainline.
21st July, 1969
The Eagle landed on the moon and American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man in history to walk on its surface, 240,000 miles from Earth.
Stepping off The Eagle, Armstrong famously said: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
23rd July, 1940
The Local Defence Volunteers changed its name to the Home Guard. Including many World War One veterans, the Home Guard was a one-million strong force that was intended to form Britain’s last line of defence against German invasion before World War II.
The organisation was created on the backdrop of the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk and beginning of The Blitz, which signalled the increasing threat of invasion.
26th July, 1978
The world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in Oldham General Hospital just outside Manchester. Before giving birth to Louise by caesarean section, Lesley Brown had suffered years of infertility due to having blocked fallopian tubes.
This significant work has been accredited to physiologist Dr Robert Edwards and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe.
27th July, 1953
A peace agreement was signed at Panmunjom, which formally ended the Korean War. The war was a three-year conflict that’s responsible for an estimated five million lost lives.
The Korean War had begun in 1950 when the North Korean communist army invaded non-communist South Korea armed with Soviet tanks. South Korea was quickly overrun and the United States came to their aid.
28th July, 1540
Forty-nine-year-old King Henry VIII married 17-year-old Catherine Howard the same day he had his loyal servant Thomas Cromwell executed on charges of treason, heresy, and corruption.
Henry VIII came to regret the execution of Cromwell – though he would sentence his new wife to the same end less than two years later.
30th July, 1966
England won the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley Stadium in London after defeating Germany 4-2 during extra time.
The win remains England’s only major tournament and, until 2021, was their last final at a major international tournament for 55 years. In 2021, England reached the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at the new Wembley Stadium but lost to Italy after a penalty shootout.
31st July, 1667
The second Anglo-Dutch War ended with the Treaty of Breda.
By signing the treaty, the Dutch acknowledged the loss of Delaware and New Jersey, and New Amsterdam was renamed New York.
Final thoughts…
It’s funny to sit and think about what was happening on this day many, or just a few, years ago. And from the launch of Amazon to the Great Fire of Rome, July isn’t short of exciting history.
For more history-related content, you can visit the art and culture section of our website where you’ll find everything from the best National Trust places to visit to tips on how to trace your family tree. Or, if you prefer something a little more interactive, why not check out the upcoming history talks on Rest Less Events?