356 BC– Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
365– Crete Earthquake followed by tsunami around the Eastern Mediterranean allegedly destroys Alexandria
1798 – Napoleon’s Army of Egypt used a new military tactic, the massive divisional square, to defeat the Egyptian forces of Murād Bey this day in 1798 at the Battle of the Pyramids during Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign.
1861 -First Battle of Bull Run [Battle of First Manassas], 1st major battle of the US Civil War is fought near Manassas, Virginia, Confederate victory
1904 – After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway is completed
1925– John T. Scopes found guilty of teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial”, Dayton, Tennessee, fined $100 & costs
1969– Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the Moon at 2:56:15 AM (GMT)
1970– Aswan High Dam opens in Egypt, enables human control of the flooding of the Nile
2007 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, was released.
2011 – The U.S. space shuttle program ended, after 135 missions, as the orbiter Atlantis landed at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Births & Deaths:
1967 – Albert John Luthuli, president of the African National Congress (1952–60) and the first African to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace (1960), died after being struck by a train.
Film & TV:
1943– “Stormy Weather”, directed by Andrew L. Stone, starring Bill Robinson, Lena Horne and Fats Waller singing “Ain’tMisbehavin‘” premieres in the US
1996– “The Daily Show” hosted by Craig Kilborn premieres on Comedy Central in the US
Sport:
2002– With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th F1 World Drivers Championship with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
Music:
1983 – American heavy metal band Guns N’ Roses released the landmark album Appetite for Destruction, which sold more than 17 million copies.
