What Happened in July?

The "Draft Riots - Sparked by the first federal draft in U.S. history, New York City erupts in violence in the largest civil uprising in US history.  Expand +

The U.S. Secret Service officially begins operations within the Department of the Treasury, less than three months after President Abraham Lincoln authorized the agency's creation. Chief William P. Wood was sworn in as the first Secret Service chief (now known as “director”). The initial focus of the Secret Service was to combat the widespread counterfeiting of U.S. currency. It wasn't until
1902 when the Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protection of the President. At that time, only two men were assigned full-time to the White House Detail. More

The New Orleans Massacre: a mob of ex-Confederates led an armed attack on a group of Louisiana Republicans and their African American supporters as they convened in the Mechanics Institute Building in New Orleans, site of a reconvened Louisiana Constitutional Convention, resulting in 38 people dead and 146 wounded. More

Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the National Day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, when the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into a single dominion within the British Empire called Canada.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a cornerstone of civil rights, is ratified. It was passed by Congress two years earlier on June 13, 1866. South Carolina became the 28th State to ratify it on July 9, 1868 at which time the constitutionally necessary approval by three-quarters of the states (28 of 37) was reached. Secretary of State William Henry Seward certified on July 28 that the 14th Amendment had become part of the U.S. Constitution. Expand +

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed by the Senate in 1966, is officially adopted, having been ratified by the requisite number of states. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states. More

President James A. Garfield was shot and mortally wounded by an assassin with a .44 handgun, as he entered a railway station in Washington, D.C. Garfield's doctors were unable to remove the bullet, which was lodged in the President's pancreas. He died of blood poisoning and complications from the shooting in a hospital room on September 19th. 1881. More

Sitting Bull and his his remaining followers return to the United States from Canada after facing starvation and lack of resources and surrendered to U.S. Army officials on July 19–20, 1881 at Fort Buford, North Dakota. Expand +

Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, pharmacist, and pioneer in microbiology, successfully tests his rabies vaccine on a 9 year-old boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog fourteen times. This first vaccination was a success and the boy never developed rabies , becoming the first ever human being to be vaccinated. Louis Pasteur kept quiet about his success as the experiment had been conducted in relative secrecy. However in September 1885, Louis Pasteur administered his second treatment and was successful again, and publicly shared the story, leading to the opening  of a special rabies vaccination clinic. In 1887 the Institut Pasteur opened its doors. More

The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published by Charles H. Dow, of Dow Jones & Company, (founded in 1882). The newspaper's accuracy in reporting and the breadth and detail of its coverage, quickly  gave it respect and success becoming an important source of business journalism. View historical Milestones

Six prominent and politically powerful Wyoming cattlemen lynched and hanged Jim Averell and Ella Watson, the woman they called Cattle Kate. They had both been wrongly accused of cattle rustling. The lynching rocked the nation as the shocking story traveled quickly across the country. The men who killed Watson and Averell never went to trial. The grand jury was made of 16 people, seven of whom were cattlemen and could not find two key witnesses. Expand +

Idaho is admitted into the Union becoming the 43rd State.

Wyoming is admitted into the Union becoming the 44th State. More

President Grover Cleveland undergoes a secret operation on a friend’s yacht to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth. The entire left side of his jaw was removed along with a small portion of his soft palate. Two weeks later, he was fitted with a rubber prosthesis which he wore until his death in 1908. The secrecy was mostly maintained for 24 years until one of the doctors wrote an article describing what had transpired. 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 +

Guam was ceded to the United States by Spain.

During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico, which was then a Spanish colony. In 1917, Puerto Rico became an unincorporated Territory of the U.S. and Puerto Ricans became American citizens. Partial self-government was granted in 1947 allowing citizens to elect their own governor. In 1951, Puerto Ricans wrote their own constitution and elected a non-voting commissioner to represent them in Washington. More

Italian King Umberto I, is assassinated in Monza by Italian-American anarchist Gaetano Bresci. During his time as king since 1878 Italy expanded his control of Eritrea and Somalia. However, he was unable to defeat the Abyssinians.  Expand +

American mechanical engineer Willis Carrier, completes the design drawings for the first modern air conditioner while working for the Buffalo Forge Company. Carrier's system involved passing air through coils filled with cold water to cool the air and remove excess moisture, a significant advancement over previous methods. It was the first system to control both temperature and humidity, making it a groundbreaking innovation. Realizing the potential that humidity control and air conditioning could have, Carrier and six engineers eventually left to form Carrier Engineering Corporation. More

Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, orders the first Original Model A Ford car. The car is delivered a week later on July 23, 1903. A total of 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904 and sold at an average price of $850. More