What Happened in July?

The Battle of the Boyne takes place in Ireland, resulting in a victory for Protestant King William III over Catholic King James II and securing Protestant rule in Ireland.

The Bank of Scotland is established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament on July 17, 1695, making it Scotland's first and oldest bank. It was created to support Scottish businesses with capital and credit when the country faced economic challenges. 

The Great Northern War, Battle of Poltava fought on July 8, 1709, (June 27, Old calendar) resulted in a major defeat of the Swedish army under Charles XII, by Russian forces led by Peter the Great. Expand +

Spain and Britain signed one of the treaties of Utrecht, this one giving Gibraltar and Minorca to Britain on July 13, 1713. The Treaty of Utrecht refers to a series of peace treaties signed in Utrecht, Netherlands, between 1713 and 1715, that concluded the War of the Spanish Succession.  Expand +

The Urca de Lima and 9 other treasure ships on their way back to Spain from Havana were all lost in a hurricane off the Atlantic coast. More than 700 seamen, including the Spanish commander, drowned. More than $15 million worth of treasure sank to the bottom of the ocean. Spain managed to recover about $4 million of the treasure. The rest remained on the ocean floor for more than 250 years. More

The Spanish ship San Jose y las Animas sinks off the coast of Florida, becoming a subject of treasure hunting.The wreck was located by treasure hunters in 1968, lying in about twenty-eight feet of water. The ship was carrying a substantial amount of treasure, estimated to be worth millions of pesos.  Expand +

The Battle of Dettingen takes place during the War of the Austrian Succession, marking the last time a reigning British monarch, King George II, personally leads his troops in battle.

Columbia University in New York City holds its first classes at Kings College on July 17, 1754 given by Samuel Johnson, for eight students in the English charity school adjoining Trinity Church.

Peter III emperor of Russia, is deposed five months after ascending to the throne by a coup d'état led by his wife Catherine who declared herself Empress of Russia, marking the beginning of her 34-year reign where she became known as Catherine the Great. She was later formally crowned in September 1762 in Moscow. The coup took place while Peter was away from the capital and was supported by the Russian military and a faction of nobles. Peter was forced to abdicate and was later assassinated. Catherine, born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, married Peter III (then Karl Ulrich) in 1745. Catherine the Great became the longest-reigning female ruler in Russian history. During her reign, Russia become one of the great powers of Europe, with significant territorial expansion and modernization advancements. More

Fr. Junípero Serra founds the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. The first of the California Missions. Fr. Junipero Sierra founded eight more of the 21 California missions: Carmel, San Antonio, San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco (Mission Dolores). San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara, and San Buenaventura, Serra’s missions helped strengthen Spain’s control of Alta California.

 George Washington formally takes command of the fledgling Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 3, 1775 and begins taking the crucial steps to unify the colonial militias into a national force during the American Revolution. 

The U.S. postal system is established by the Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin is appointed first Postmaster General at the beginning of the American Revolution. Congress formally established the office of the United States postmaster general by act of government on September 22, 1789. More

The United States declares independence from Great Britain.

The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army. His Masonic membership opened many doors in Philadelphia. Lafayette's advocates included Benjamin Franklin who had recently arrived back from his assignment as American envoy to France. Congress was urged to accommodate the young Frenchman who had offered to serve without pay. 

The Ordinance of 1787, a landmark act by the single camera Congress of the Confederation is passed on July 13, 1787. It established the Northwest Territory (The lands north and west of the Ohio River) and created a blueprint for westward expansion. Expand +

The State of New York ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the 11th State of the Union.

The Bastille, a French royal fortress and prison and a symbol of the absolute power and tyranny of the French monarchy, is stormed by Paris revolutionaries. It marked the beginning of a tumultuous period in the French Revolution, ultimately leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the French Republic. It is now commemorated in France as Bastille Day, a national holiday. More

President George Washington signs the Residence Act bill which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The bill declared that the exact location was to be selected by President Washington. The initial shape of the federal district was a square from land donated by Maryland and Virginia, measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side and totaling 100 square miles (259 km2). More

The United States takes possession of Detroit from the British during the American Revolutionary War, in accordance with the terms of the Jay Treaty, officially the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, was an agreement signed in 1794 between the United States and Great Britain. More

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