What Happened in July?

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 takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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 Congress of The Confederation, the one-house legislature operating under the Articles of Confederation, enacts the Northwest Ordinance, officially titled "An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio," 
The Ordinance chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. Three principal provisions were ordained in the document: 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

The U.S. Marine Corps, initially established on November 10, 1775, as the Continental Marines and disbanded after the Revolutionary War is formally re-established under President John Adams. Marines saw action in the quasi-war with France, landed in Santo Domingo, and took part in many operations against the Barbary pirates along the shores of Tripoli. The birth date of the United States Marine Corps is celebrated as November 10, 1975 More

After capturing Alexandria and crossing the desert, Napoleon Bonaparte and his French troops defeat the infantry and cavalry of the Mamluks, the soldiers of the Ottoman Turks, in a decisive victory at the Battle of the Pyramids, (also known as the Battle of Embabeh). The victory opened the doors to the conquest of Cairo. More

The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta, providing a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The large inscribed stone fragment was uncovered by the French officer Pierre François Xavier Bouchard on a tributary of the Nile near the Mediterranean coast east of Alexandria where Napoleon’s forces were constructing fortifications. More

The Louisiana Purchase is announced in the United States.

Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy, died the following day. More

Shawnee Chief Tecumseh calls on all Native peoples to unite and resist the growing loss land to the white settlers. proposing that if united, the various tribes had enough strength to stop the white settlers. More

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, declares Independence from Spain. Colombia is located  primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest.

Venezuela declares its independence from Spain.