1535 – Emperor Charles V conquers Tunis
1876 – British battleship HMS Thunderer boiler explodes during full-power sea trial near Portsmouth, England; 45 sailors killed and 40 injured
1927 – First commercial airplane flight in Hawaii
1949 – Czech tennis stars Jaroslav Drobný and Vladimir Černík defect while playing in a tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland; Drobny accepts Egyptian citizenship
1955 – Two killed and many dazed by lightning strikes at Ascot racecourse in England
1987 – Rookie of the Year Award is renamed to honor Jackie Robinson
2008 – “The Dark Knight” directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, premieres in New York
2019 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf at Firestone CC: Retief Goosen of South Africa birdies the final two holes to secure his first Champions Tour win by two strokes over Jay Haas and Tim Petrovic
Author: gil7
Today in History for 14th July 2026
Historical Events
1914 – NL’s Boston Braves start their climb from last place to a World Series sweep
1948 – Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party, is shot near to the Italian Parliament in an assassination attempt
1963 – 50th Tour de France: French cyclist Jacques Anquetil wins his 3rd consecutive general classification event; first rider to win Tour 4 times
1969 – A 67-year-old Catholic civilian dies after being attacked by RUC officers in Dungiven; many consider this the first death of “The Troubles”
1986 – US Open Women’s Golf, NCR CC: Jane Geddes wins by two strokes in an 18-hole Monday playoff with South African-born Sally Little
Famous Birthdays
924 – Murakami, 62nd Emperor of Japan (946-67) who fathered 19 Imperial sons and daughters, born in Heian Kyō, Japan (d. 967)
1893 – Spencer Williams, American director, writer and actor (The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show), born in Vidalia, Louisiana (d. 1969)
1952 – George E. Lewis, American trombonist avant-garde jazz, electronic and contemporary classical composer, born in Chicago, Illinois
1970 – Mark Brandenburg, American baseball pitcher (Texas Rangers), born in Houston, Texas
1977 – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, born in Solna, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1614 – Camillus de Lellis, Italian Roman Catholic saint (founder of the Ministers of the Sick), dies at 64
1789 – Bernard-René de Launay, French governor of the Bastille prison, murdered during the storming of the Bastille (b.1740)
1923 – Louis Ganne, French conductor and operetta composer (Les saltimbanques (The Acrobats)), dies at 61
2008 – Henki Kolstad, Norwegian actor (b. 1915)
2023 – Nick Benedict, American actor (Days of Our Lives, 1993-2001 – “Curtis”; The Pistol: Birth of a Legend; All My Children – “Phillip”), dies from complications of spinal surgery on his 77th birthday
Famous Deaths for 13th July 2026
939 – Leo VII, Italian Pope (936-39), dies
1621 – Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and cardinal-archbishop of Toledo, dies at 61
1628 – Robert Shirley, English adventurer (b. 1581)
1640 – Henry Casimir I, Dutch count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadholder of Freisland, dies a day after being injured at the Battle of Hulst at 28
1844 – Johann Baptist Gansbacher, Austrian composer, dies at 66
1903 – August Reissmann, Prussian composer, dies at 77
1973 – Willy Fritsch, German actor (Spies, Women in the Moon), dies from a heart attack at 72
1981 – Kirby Stone, American jazz combo leader (Kirby Stone Four – “Baubles Bangles and Beads”), dies at 63
2007 – Zdeněk Lukáš, Czech composer, dies at 78
2013 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (Glee; Monte Carlo), dies of heroin and alcohol overdose at 31
Historical Events for 13th July 2026
1837 – Queen Victoria is the first monarch to live in present-day Buckingham Palace
1923 – The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads “Hollywoodland,” but the last four letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.
1930 – First football World Cup competition begins in Uruguay
1967 – Race riots break out in Newark, New Jersey killing 27
1971 – 42nd MLB All-Star Game, Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI: AL beats NL, 6-4; MVP: Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles, OF
1972 – NFL franchises LA Rams (Irsay) and Baltimore Colts (Rosenbloom) swap owners
1978 – Alexander Ginzburg is sentenced by a Soviet court to eight years in a labor camp
2018 – HBO announces that it has obtained the rights to “The Nevers,” a project by Joss Whedon
Today in History for 13th July 2026
Historical Events
1657 – Oliver Cromwell constrains English army leader John Lambert
1934 – Babe Ruth hits 700th career home run against Detroit
1985 – Doctors at Bethesda Naval hospital remove two small benign polyps from US President Ronald Reagan’s colon
2003 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, TPC of Michigan: Craig Stadler wins his first of two Champions Tour major titles by three strokes over Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, and Tom Watson
2021 – Violent protests and looting following the jailing of Jacob Zuma leave 337 dead in South Africa, with more than 200 shopping malls set on fire
Famous Birthdays
1770 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and statesman, born in Moscow (d. 1837)
1946 – Andrew Pryce Jackman, British progressive rock keyboardist, arranger, and composer (The Syn), born in England (d. 2003)
1949 – Helena Fibingerová, Czech athlete (World C’ship gold shot put 1983; Olympic bronze 1976; 3 x WR), born in Víceměřice, Czechoslovakia
1953 – Violeta Dinescu, Romanian pianist, composer (Tabar), and music professor, born in Bucharest, Romania
1994 – Ridge Canipe, American actor (Walk the Line; A Single Man; Music Within), born in Laguna Beach, California
Famous Deaths
1842 – Jesse Bennett, American physician who performed 1st successful US Caesarean (1794), dies at 72
1860 – John Ackersdijk, Dutch state house builder, dies at 69
1863 – John S. Bowen, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 32
1955 – Beulah Ecton Woodard, African-American sculptor, dies at 59
1960 – Joy Davidman, American poet, writer and wife of C. S. Lewis, dies at 45
Famous Deaths for 12th July 2026
1892 – Cyrus West Field, American financier noted for success of 1st transatlantic cable, dies at 72
1917 – François Fournier, Swiss-French postage stamp forger, dies at 71
1961 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (b. 1879)
1983 – Chris Wood, British rock saxophone and flute player (Traffic; Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Jimi Hendrix), dies of pneumonia at 39
1988 – Joshua Logan, Broadway producer (South Pacific), dies at 79 of palsy
1994 – James Bysse Joll, British historian, dies at 76
2009 – Donald MacCormick, British broadcaster, dies at 70
2010 – Harvey Pekar, American comic book writer (American Splendor), dies at 70
2022 – Jan Wijn, Dutch classical pianist and pedagogue, dies at 88
2024 – Khalid “Billy” Ibadulla, Pakistani cricket batsman (4 Tests; 1 x 100, HS 166; Warwickshire, Otago) and broadcaster (TVNZ), dies at 88
Historical Events for 12th July 2026
1192 – Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler
1801 – Second Battle of Algeciras: British fleet beats French and Spanish (six days after losing the 1st Battle of Algeciras)
1901 – Striking Canadian salmon fishermen on the Pacific coast, resentful of the non-union Japanese who continue to fish, maroon and imprison 47
1930 – US Open Men’s Golf, Interlachen CC: Defending champion Bobby Jones wins record-tying 4th US Open title by 2 strokes from Macdonald Smith; third consecutive major title
1958 – Gene De Paul and Johnny Mercer’s musical “Li’l Abner,” adapted from Al Capp’s hillbilly comic strip, closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 693 performances and two Tony Award wins
1960 – XEWT TV Channel 12 in Tijuana-San Diego, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1990 – Boris Yeltsin resigns from the Soviet Communist Party during its congress, strengthening his role as a leading reform figure in Russian politics
2013 – Malala Yousafzai addresses the United Nations and calls for worldwide access to education
Today in History for 12th July 2026
Historical Events
1192 – Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Taishōgun, the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan and de facto ruler
1862 – Federal troops occupy Helena, Arkansas
1940 – Frederick McKinley Jones receives a patent for an air conditioning unit for trucks, helping to change long-haul carriage of food and blood
1979 – “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park: fans go wild destroying disco records and cause the White Sox to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader to the Detroit Tigers
2018 – World’s longest fingernails are cut off; Indian man Shridhar Chillal’s left-hand nails measured a combined total of 909.6 cm (358.1 inches) after growing for 66 years
Famous Birthdays
1928 – Barbara Cowsill, American singer and rock band mother (The Cowsills – “Hair”; “We Can Fly”), born in Cranston, Rhode Island (d. 1985)
1933 – Brian Cant, British stage and screen actor and children’s television presenter (Play School, 1964-85), born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England (d. 2017)
1935 – Hans Tilkowski, German soccer goalkeeper (39 caps, West Germany; Westfalia Herne, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt), born in Husen, Germany (d. 2020)
1956 – Mel Harris [Mary Ellen], American actress (Hope-30 Something), born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1978 – (Christopher) “Topher” Grace, American stage and screen actor (That ’70s Show -“Eric”; In Good Company; Home Economics), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1073 – Johannes Gualbertus, Italian monk/saint, dies
1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, 6th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1428-41), assassinated during an evening play by the Akamatsu family at 47
1946 – Ray Stannard Baker, American journalist (Puliter Prize 1940), dies at 76
1975 – Carl Snavely, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Bucknell, North Carolina, Cornell 180–96–16), dies at 80
2020 – Rod Bernard, American “swamp pop” singer (“Allons Danser Colinda”), dies at 79
Famous Deaths for 11th July 2026
937 – King Rudolph II of Burgundy
1874 – Xavier de Mérode, Belgium minister to the Pope in Rome, dies at 54
1889 – Gyula Reviczky, Hungarian author and poet, dies at 34
1921 – Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist and inventor, dies at 75
1966 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet, short story writer and critic (Shenandoah), dies at 52
1967 – Guy Favreau, French Canadian lawyer, politician and judge, dies at 50
2002 – Bernardas Brazdzionis, Lithuanian poet, editor and critic, dies at 95
2006 – John Spencer, English snooker player (b. 1935)
2010 – Bob Sheppard, American public address announcer (MLB: NY Yankees 1951–2007; NFL: NY Giants 1956–2006), dies at 99
2022 – Víctor Benítez, Peruvian soccer centre-back / defensive midfielder (11 caps; AC Milan, Roma, Inter Milan, Boca Juniors), dies at 86
Historical Events for 11th July 2026
1924 – Muslim-Hindu rebellion in Delhi, India
1962 – Fred Baldasare is first to swim English Channel underwater (scuba)
1974 – US House Judiciary Committee releases evidence on Watergate inquiry
2013 – “Orange Is the New Black” starring Taylor Schilling premieres on Netflix, the first series to be nominated for both comedy and drama Emmy awards
2015 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams becomes oldest winner in Open era (33) beating Garbiñe Muguruza 6-4, 6-4
2019 – US stock markets reach new records, the Dow tops 27,000 points for the first time, and the SandP 500 hits 3,000 points
2021 – UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Italy wins first Euro title since 1968, 3-2 on penalties over England after scores locked at 1-1 AET
2023 – Scientists select Crawford Lake, Ontario, as the reference location for the beginning of a new interval of geologic time, the human-caused Anthropocene Epoch, starting in the 1950s and ending the Holocene; the proposal is later rejected