Browse Historical Events by Month:
Natural disasters, battles, and rulers being crowned. Discover the significant events and milestones from July throughout 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Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material.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.
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In Hong Kong, the flag of the British Crown Colony was officially lowered at midnight June 30 and the People's Republic of China and the Hong Kong SAR Flag are raised representing China's sovereignty and the official transfer of power after 156 years of British colonial rule. More
Amazon.com is founded by Jeff Bezos, operating from his garage in Bellevue, Washington. Initially an online marketplace for books it has expanded into a multitude of product categories, leading to being referred to as "the everything Store". Amazon is now one of the world's most valuable brands with several subsidiaries including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kuiper Systems (satellite Internet), Ring, MGM Holdings and Whole Foods Markets.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is established by the Rome Statute Treaty to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. It entered into force on July 1, 2002, after 60 countries ratified the treaty, officially establishing the Court as a functional body headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
The United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court (ICC) because it is not a member and has not ratified the Rome Statute. The U.S. has a policy of not cooperating with the court, arguing that it lacks jurisdiction over American personnel and has politically motivated actions.
John F. Kennedy Jr. dies in a plane crash. He was piloting a Piper Saratoga when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. His wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, were also on board and perished in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft during a descent over water, citing spatial disorientation, as a contributing factor during haze and dark conditions. JFK Jr. was certified to fly under visual flight rules (VFR) and was not instrument rated.
Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet on an international charter flight from Paris to New York, crashes shortly after takeoff,. All 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. It was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history. More
By Toshihiko Sato - Original publication: Unknown (believed to have been licensed to the Associated Press) Immediate source: http://photographyblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/today-in-photo-history-2000-air-france-concorde-crashes-in-paris.html/, Fair use,
The International Criminal Court (ICC) enters into force after 60 countries ratified the treaty, officially establishing the Court as a functional body headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. It empowered to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
It was originally established by the Rome Statute Treaty. which created a permanent international judicial body to investigate and prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. The United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court (ICC) because it is not a member and has not ratified the Rome Statute. The U.S. withdrew its signature in 2002 and has a policy of not cooperating with the court, arguing that it lacks jurisdiction over American personnel and has politically motivated actions
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.
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NASA's orbiter Atlantis is launched on its 33rd and final mission, also the last space shuttle mission. Atlantis maiden flight was made from October 3 to 7, 1985. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km), which is more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. More
South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, gains independence from Sudan ending a decades-long civil war. South Sudan is a landlocked country in East Africa; bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the West by the Central African Republic. South Sudan's 2024 population is 13 million people and Juba is its capital and largest city.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis completes STS-135, its 33rd and final mission landing on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. More
Atlantis Final Tow Back
Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, is overthrown in a military coup.
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The city of Detroit files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy marking the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. The city faced a staggering debt of $18-20 billion, with revenue shortfalls and high pension obligations as a result of the city's long-term financial decline, high unemployment, rising crime rates, declining population and a shrinking tax base. The city officially emerged from bankruptcy in December 2014. More
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is shot down over Ukraine by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, fired by Moscow-backed separatists. In January of 2023, the European Court of Human Rights confirmed Russia's involvement in the downing of flight MH17. More
Darren Koch (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons
Iran and six world powers reach a historic nuclear deal to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. The Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was seen as a significant diplomatic achievement, demonstrating the possibility of resolving complex international disputes through negotiation.
In 2018, the United States, under President Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually reduced its compliance with the deal's restrictions and resumed some of its nuclear activities. More
Theresa May, the Conservative Party leader, becomes the second woman prime minister of the United Kingdom. She replaced David Cameron, who resigned after the country voted to leave the European Union (EU).
A terrorist drives a truck into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais, killing 86 people, including ten children, and injuring around 500 others. The attack took place as more than 30,000 people were attending the National Day fireworks display, including babies, children, adolescents, and their families. More
The 3I-ATLAS comet is discovered on July 1, 2025 by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile. This survey is a NASA-funded project that uses a network of robotic telescopes to scan the night sky. Other telescopes helped confirm its interstellar origin.
NASA concluded that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, not an alien probe. Evidence for this includes its hyperbolic trajectory, which means it will not orbit the Sun and is just passing through.3I/ATLAS is thought to be at least 7 billion years old, making it likely twice as old as Earth, and the oldest comet we've ever seen. The comet poses no threat to Earth because it will remain at a safe distance. The Hubble Space Telescope estimated the comet's width to be up to 3.5 miles (5.6 km). The object is traveling toward the sun extremely fast, at around 152,000 mph (245,000 km /h), on an extremely flat and straight trajectory with enough momentum to shoot straight through our cosmic neighborhood without slowing down.
By ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...
