On this day…

In 1856 Nikola Tesla—a Serbian American inventor and researcher who discovered the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery—was born this day in Smiljan, Croatia.

In 1877 the first Wimbledon Championship is held.

In 1956, American actor Tom Hanks, was born.

In 1962 Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans make their debut. The Soup Cans were first displayed at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, California, and were instrumental in popularizing Pop Art in the United States.

In 2002 The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.

In 2006, Italy won its fourth FIFA World Cup.

In 2011 South Sudan becomes the youngest country in the world. The North East African country, formally known as Republic of South Sudan peacefully seceded from Sudan after an independence referendum was passed. Since independence, however, the country has been wrecked with widespread ethnic violence and human rights violations.

In 2017 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaims victory over Islamic State forces in Mosul.

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