View Historical Events by Day:
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on August 7th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, dies on August 7, 1106, in Liège, Lower Lorraine (modern-day Belgium) at the age of 55 from a sudden illness.
At the time of his death, he was preparing a counter-offensive to regain his throne from his son who had led a successful coup and forced him to abdicate in late 1105.
The Treaty of Bagnolo is signed on August 7, 1484, ending the War of Ferrara (1482-1484) between Duke Ercole I d'Este of Ferrara and the Republic of Venice (which was allied with Pope Sixtus IV).
The war was caused by salt tariffs and Venetian expansionism and the treaty forced Ferrara to cede territories north of the Po River, including the Palesine and Rovigo to Venice, securing peace for the Italian peninsula and giving Venice a major territorial gain, extending its mainland holdings.
King Francis I of France issues the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, making French the official language of legal documents.
The Badge of Military Merit is announced by General George Washington to the Continental Army to honor soldiers wounded in battle. Designed by Washington in the form of a purple heart,
It was intended as a military order for soldiers who exhibited, "not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way". This is thought to be the first time in modern history that military honor awards had been presented to common soldiers.It is believed that only three people received the Badge of Military Merit during the American Revolutionary War, The first Badge of Military Merit (“a heart of purple cloth with a narrow lace or binding”) was awarded to 26 year old Sergeant Elijah Churchill of Enfield, Connecticut, a member of the Fourth Troop of the Second Continental Dragoons. In 1932, the United States War Department authorized the new Purple Heart Medal, officially considered the "successor decoration" to the Badge of Military Merit. More
American forces land on the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida. on the morning of August 7,1942. After some fierce fighting, the US Marines cleared Tulagi and Florida by August 9. The main forces on Guadalcanal met little resistance on their way inland to secure the airfield at Lunga Point, Almost immediately, however, Japanese naval aircraft attacked transport and escort ships, and Japanese reinforcements arrived in the area. More
Guadalcanal Image: The National WWII Museum, 2002.069.144.
%20NEEDS%20Attribution.jpg?auto=format,compress&fit=clip&max-w=1600)
Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl and five companions sail the Kon-Tiki, raft from Peru to the islands east of Tahiti. Heyerdahl was interested in demonstrating the possibility that ancient people from the Americas could have colonized Polynesia; to do so, he constructed the raft from locally available balsa logs at Callao, Peru, and in three and a half months traversed some 4,300 miles (6,900 km) of ocean. The Kon-Tiki has been preserved in a museum in Oslo, Norway. More
Image Source: Nasjonalbiblioteket from Norway, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Independence Day. It commemorates the Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. The Ivory Coast is located on the southern coast of West Africa.
Its capital city is Yamoussoukro while its largest city and economic center is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea to the south. As of 2024, It has a population of 31.5 million inhabitants. More
The U.S. Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."
The resolution followed the Gulf of Tonkin incident where the USS Maddox engaged North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Two days later a second attacked was reported but it is now believed not to be factual. The Resolution lead to increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. More
French high-wire artist Philippe Petit walks between the Twin Towers at 1,350 feet above ground with no net. More
The U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are bombed with truck bombs. The terrorist attacks killed 224 people, among them, 12 Americans, and wounded more than 4,500.
The U.S. accuses Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, of masterminding the bombings. On August 20, U.S. President Bill Clinton ordered cruise missiles launched against bin Laden’s terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and to a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, believed to be manufacturing and distributing chemical weapons. MoreI
.jpg){kind=link}
