The United Nations officially designated June 30 as International Asteroid Day, with the first global observance on June 29 to promote awareness of asteroid impact hazards and planetary defense initiatives.
📍 Global
Shortly before gaining full independence, South Sudan was admitted as the 54th member of the African Union, signaling growing international recognition and regional support.
📍 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
China approved its Shenzhou 7 mission, which would later become the nation's first spacewalk and a landmark achievement in China’s rapidly advancing space program.
📍 Beijing, China
Apple’s first-generation iPhone officially went on sale in the United States, triggering massive public interest and long lines. The product launch revolutionized mobile communication and consumer electronics.
📍 United States
NASA’s Deep Impact mission successfully launched its impactor into comet Tempel 1, providing unprecedented data on comet composition and structure. The mission marked a milestone in planetary science.
📍 Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States
The first African Union Assembly of Heads of State opened in Durban, South Africa, marking a shift from the OAU to a more integrated political and economic body promoting unity across Africa.
📍 Durban, South Africa
The European Space Agency launched ENVISAT, one of the largest Earth observation satellites ever built. It monitored atmospheric and oceanic conditions for climate and environmental research.
📍 Kourou, French Guiana
The reconstructed Globe Theatre, an authentic replica of Shakespeare’s original, was inaugurated on the same date it burned down in 1613. It revived interest in Elizabethan drama and historical performance.
📍 London, United Kingdom
After four years of intense unrest and global pressure, the South African government ended the state of emergency imposed to suppress anti-apartheid protests, paving the way for democratic reforms.
📍 Pretoria, South Africa
IBM, in collaboration with Microsoft, introduced the OS/2 operating system as a supposed successor to MS-DOS. Though it eventually lost to Windows, it influenced the direction of GUI computing.
📍 Armonk, New York, United States
The island nation of Seychelles gained independence from British colonial rule and became a republic within the Commonwealth, marking a key moment in African decolonization.
📍 Victoria, Seychelles
The U.S. Senate passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after a 75-day filibuster. The law, later signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, outlawed racial segregation and employment discrimination nationwide.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed a general amnesty to Filipino revolutionaries and marked the first American-recognized Independence Day in the Philippines following the Philippine-American War.
📍 Manila, Philippines
The Central London Railway, now part of the London Underground's Central Line, completed its first public journey. It marked a major advancement in urban transportation and mass transit systems.
📍 London, United Kingdom
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French author and aviator best known for *The Little Prince*, was born. His works became globally beloved for their poetic themes and philosophical insights.
📍 Lyon, France
Christopher Latham Sholes was granted a U.S. patent for his typewriter design, the first commercially successful machine of its kind. The invention revolutionized writing, journalism, and office work.
📍 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of the most respected English poets of the Victorian era, died in Florence, Italy. Her work deeply influenced literary thought and women’s writing worldwide.
📍 Florence, Italy
The U.S. Senate ratified the Jay Treaty, improving trade relations and averting war with Great Britain. It marked one of the first major diplomatic agreements for the young American republic.
📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
St. Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London, was consecrated. It became one of the most iconic religious and architectural landmarks in Britain.
📍 London, United Kingdom
During a performance of Shakespeare’s *Henry VIII*, a theatrical cannon misfired and ignited the thatched roof of the original Globe Theatre in London, destroying the structure completely.
📍 London, England