Svetlana Savitskaya, Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman to perform a spacewalk, passed away. She was a pioneer in space exploration and a symbol of women's advancement in STEM fields.
📍 Moscow, Russia
The WHO declared Liberia Ebola-free for the second time, marking a critical moment in containing the worst Ebola outbreak in history, which claimed over 11,000 lives across West Africa.
📍 Monrovia, Liberia
Big Mama Thornton, pioneering blues singer and original performer of 'Hound Dog'—later made famous by Elvis Presley—died. She helped shape the sound of rock and roll and rhythm and blues.
📍 Los Angeles, California, United States
Walter Brennan, the first actor to win three Academy Awards for acting, passed away. Known for his roles in Westerns and dramas, he became a legendary character actor in American cinema.
📍 Oxnard, California, United States
The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania began operation as the first full-scale commercial nuclear power plant in the United States, signaling a new era in civilian energy production.
📍 Shippingport, Pennsylvania, United States
Tunisia enacted the Code of Personal Status, a progressive reform of civil law granting women more rights, including the abolition of polygamy. It became a model for modern legal reform in the Arab world.
📍 Tunis, Tunisia
Negotiators finalized the initial draft of the Korean Armistice Agreement on this day, just before it was signed on July 27. The document marked a ceasefire in the Korean War, though not a formal peace.
📍 Panmunjom, Korean Demilitarized Zone
The United States conducted the first underwater atomic bomb test, known as Operation Crossroads, at Bikini Atoll. The explosion highlighted the destructive power of nuclear weapons in a maritime context.
📍 Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
The United States detonated an atomic bomb underwater during Operation Baker, part of Operation Crossroads. The test revealed devastating effects on naval vessels and ecosystems, influencing global nuclear policy.
📍 Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
Francisco Franco officially declared the end of the Spanish Civil War, consolidating his dictatorship. The war had caused immense suffering and influenced global politics ahead of WWII.
📍 Madrid, Spain
Estelle Getty, American actress best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on the hit sitcom *The Golden Girls*, was born. She became a beloved figure in 1980s television comedy.
📍 New York City, United States
Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer crucial to discovering the double-helix structure of DNA, was born. Her contributions gained recognition posthumously.
📍 London, United Kingdom
The first international air mail service between London and Paris was inaugurated, establishing a new era of faster global communication and commercial aviation routes.
📍 London, England and Paris, France
French aviator Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, a major milestone in aviation history.
📍 Calais, France to Dover, England
Carl Benz filed the patent for his Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first true automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. It revolutionized transportation globally.
📍 Mannheim, Germany
Maxfield Parrish, famed American illustrator and painter known for his distinctive saturated hues and dreamlike imagery, was born. His work shaped early 20th-century magazine covers and posters.
📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Thomas Eakins, one of the most influential American artists of the 19th century, was born. He was known for his realist paintings and contributions to art education and anatomy in portraiture.
📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
The Surrey Iron Railway officially opened in southern England as the world’s first public railway to use horse-drawn wagons. It marked the beginning of the railway revolution in transportation.
📍 Wandsworth to Croydon, England
King James VI of Scotland, who also became James I of England and united the crowns in 1603, passed away. His reign saw the commissioning of the King James Bible and the early Stuart era.
📍 Theobalds House, England
William of Wykeham, influential bishop, Lord Chancellor, and founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford, died. He left a lasting legacy in English architecture and education.
📍 Bishop's Waltham, England