What Happened Today in History on July 7

Edward II becomes King of England after the death of his father, Edward I.

Marsilius of Padua completes his political treatise "Defensor Pacis" (Defender of Peace). The book contained radical anti-papal views. Advocating for popular sovereignty, asserting that the source of all political power and law is the people, and argued for the separation of church and state, severely limiting the power of the papacy and clergy in secular matters. Expand +

The U.S. House of Representatives notifies the Senate of the Impeachment of North Carolina's Senator William Blount for high crimes and misdemeanors. The Senate trial which did not begin until December,1798 ended on January 14, 1799, as the Senate dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, leaving many issues unsettled, most importantly the question, "was a senator a civil officer of the United States and therefore liable to impeachment?" Although the Senate failed to voice its opinion on that matter, its dismissal of the Blount case set a precedent that still holds today—a U.S. senator cannot be impeached. More

Kit Carson begins his campaign against the Navajo that resulted in their removal from the Four Corners area to southeastern New Mexico. More

The Hawaiian Islands are annexed by the United States through the Newlands Joint Resolution signed by President William McKinley. The annexation of Hawaii by the United States followed a series of events beginning with growing American economic and political influence Expand +

Construction work for the Hoover Dam begins after the appropriations were approved; it was built during the Great Depression, between 1930 and 1937. The dam was dedicated in 1935, it started  providing electricity to Los Angeles on October 9 1936 and had all the hydroelectric generators online in 1937. Expand +

The second Sino-Chinese war conflict begins with a clash at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Japan quickly captured major Chinese cities, including Nanjing, where the infamous Nanjing Massacre occurred. Despite Japan's initial successes, Chinese resistance persisted, supported by a united front of Nationalists and Communists. Many others consider the second Sino-Chinese war conflict to have started when Japan invaded Manchuria in September 1931. The conflict ended when Japan's surrender to the WWII Allies in 1945.

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini (Maria Francesca Cabrini) also known as Mother Cabrini, is canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XII becoming the first U.S. citizen to be canonized as a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Mother Cabrini was a prominent religious sister in the Roman Catholic Church and the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC), a religious institute that today provides education, health care, and other services to the poor in 15 nations. Expand +

The Solomon Islands become an independent nation on July 7, 1978, after gaining self-governance from the United Kingdom two years earlier in 1976. The country is a parliamentary democracy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, to the northeast of Australia with a population of 800,000 people.

Terrorist suicide attacks take place in London as three bombs detonate close to underground stations and one bomb goes off on a bus, resulting in the death of 52 people and more than 700 injured. More

The United Nations declares a famine in parts of southern Somalia, the first time the term had been used in almost 20 years.