Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
πHumans Walk on the Moon
π
July 20, 1969
Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon! Neil Armstrong said: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Over 600 million people watched on TV!
π€ Did you know?
The footprints left by Apollo 11 astronauts are still on the Moon today β there's no wind or rain to erase them!
βNelson Mandela is Born
π
July 18, 1918
Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa! He spent decades fighting against unfair segregation laws, eventually becoming his country's first Black president and a global symbol of forgiveness and unity.
π€ Did you know?
The United Nations declared July 18th "Nelson Mandela International Day," encouraging people to spend 67 minutes helping others β one minute for each year Mandela spent in public service!
β°οΈMachu Picchu is Shown to the World
π
July 24, 1911
Explorer Hiram Bingham was led by local guides to Machu Picchu, an incredible "lost city" of the Inca Empire hidden high in the mountains of Peru! Its stone buildings had stood quietly for centuries.
π€ Did you know?
The Inca built Machu Picchu's walls so precisely that the stones fit together perfectly without any mortar β you can't even slide paper between them!
π©οΈAmelia Earhart is Born
π
July 24, 1897
Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas! She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and one of the most famous aviators in history, inspiring generations to take to the skies.
π€ Did you know?
As a kid, Amelia built a homemade roller coaster off the roof of her family's shed β she loved thrills from the very start!
π°Disneyland Opens
π
July 17, 1955
Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, becoming the very first Disney theme park in the world! It combined rides, storytelling, and imagination in a way no theme park ever had before.
π€ Did you know?
Opening day, nicknamed "Black Sunday," was chaotic β the asphalt was still wet and some rides broke down β but Disneyland went on to become one of the most visited places on Earth!
πΆThe First "Test-Tube" Baby
π
July 25, 1978
Louise Brown was born in England β the first baby ever conceived through in-vitro fertilization! The medical breakthrough has since helped millions of families around the world have children.
π€ Did you know?
The scientist behind the breakthrough, Robert Edwards, later won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the achievement!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
πApollo 11 Launches to the Moon
π
July 16, 1969
A giant Saturn V rocket carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins blasted off from Florida, beginning the historic journey that would land the first humans on the Moon just days later!
π€ Did you know?
The Saturn V rocket was taller than a 36-story building and remains the most powerful rocket ever successfully flown!
βοΈThe U.S. Postal Service is Created
π
July 26, 1775
The Continental Congress created the postal service and appointed Benjamin Franklin as the very first Postmaster General! It helped colonists β and later all Americans β send letters and packages across the growing country.
π€ Did you know?
Benjamin Franklin helped design efficient mail routes that are still similar to routes used today, over 250 years later!
βΏThe Americans with Disabilities Act
π
July 26, 1990
President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA, a landmark law guaranteeing people with disabilities equal access to schools, jobs, buildings, and buses β declaring "let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down!"
π€ Did you know?
Thanks to the ADA, features like ramps, elevators, and curb cuts β which help everyone, from wheelchair users to parents with strollers β became standard across America!
ποΈThe Korean War Armistice
π
July 27, 1953
An armistice was signed bringing the fighting of the Korean War to an end. American soldiers who served are honored for their sacrifice in what is sometimes called "the Forgotten War."
π€ Did you know?
The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. features 19 stainless steel soldiers that seem to walk silently through juniper bushes!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
β½Carli Lloyd is Born
π
July 16, 1982
Soccer star Carli Lloyd was born in Delran, New Jersey! She scored the winning goals in two Olympic finals and famously netted three goals in a World Cup final β one from midfield!
π€ Did you know?
Lloyd's hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final took just 16 minutes β the fastest in World Cup final history!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
π²William Feller is Born
π
July 20, 1906
William Feller was born in what is now Croatia! He became one of the most important experts ever in probability β the math of figuring out how likely something is to happen, like flipping heads on a coin or rolling a six.
π€ Did you know?
The math Feller pioneered is used today for everything from predicting weather to figuring out the odds in your favorite board games!
π₯§Pi Approximation Day!
π
July 22
July 22nd (22/7) is Pi Approximation Day! The fraction 22 divided by 7 gives about 3.142857 β remarkably close to pi β and people used it as a handy stand-in for pi for thousands of years before calculators.
π€ Did you know?
The ancient mathematician Archimedes proved that 22/7 is slightly bigger than pi over 2,200 years ago β without any calculator!
π΄Checkers is Solved
π
July 19, 2007
After 18 years of computation, scientists announced that checkers is officially solved β with perfect play by both sides, the game always ends in a draw! It's the most complex game ever fully solved.
π€ Did you know?
The proof examined 500 billion billion possible positions β running on dozens of computers for nearly two decades!
π₯Terence Tao is Born
π
July 17, 1975
Terence Tao was born in Australia! A math prodigy who started college classes at age 9, he grew up to win the Fields Medal, math's highest honor, and is considered one of the greatest living mathematicians.
π€ Did you know?
Tao was the youngest ever competitor to win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, at just 13 years old!
πThe Enigma Secret is Shared
π
July 25, 1939
Weeks before World War II began, Polish mathematicians met secretly with British and French codebreakers and handed over everything β their reconstructed Enigma machines and the math to crack the German cipher!
π€ Did you know?
Polish mathematician Marian Rejewski broke Enigma using pure mathematics β group theory β years before Bletchley Park took up the fight!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
πVera Rubin is Born
π
July 23, 1928
Vera Rubin was born in Philadelphia! Her careful observations of galaxies provided some of the strongest evidence that "dark matter" β an invisible substance that makes up much of the universe β really exists.
π€ Did you know?
Rubin faced a lot of doubt as a woman in astronomy early in her career, but her groundbreaking observations are now considered one of the most important discoveries in modern astrophysics!
π¬Robert Hooke is Born
π
July 18, 1635
Robert Hooke was born in England! He studied how springs stretch and bounce back (now called "Hooke's Law"), built some of the first powerful microscopes, and was the first to use the word "cell" in biology.
π€ Did you know?
Hooke drew incredibly detailed pictures of what he saw under his microscope, including a flea so magnified it looked like a monster!
π¬Rosalind Franklin is Born
π
July 25, 1920
Rosalind Franklin was born in London, England! Her expert X-ray imaging captured the first clear photo revealing DNA's twisted double-helix shape, providing crucial evidence for one of biology's biggest discoveries.
π€ Did you know?
Franklin's famous X-ray photo, known as "Photo 51," was one of the most important images in the history of science!
β€οΈNew Horizons Reaches Pluto
π
July 14, 2015
After a nine-year journey of three billion miles, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto β revealing ice mountains, glaciers, and a giant heart-shaped plain on the distant world!
π€ Did you know?
Some of Clyde Tombaugh's ashes β the astronomer who discovered Pluto β were aboard New Horizons as it flew past!
π‘Charles Townes is Born
π
July 28, 1915
Charles Townes was born in South Carolina! He invented the maser β the microwave ancestor of the laser β and the idea famously came to him while sitting on a park bench one morning.
π€ Did you know?
A plaque in Washington D.C. marks the actual park bench where Townes scribbled his Nobel-winning idea on the back of an envelope!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
π€Selena Gomez is Born
π
July 22, 1992
Selena Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas! She started acting as a kid on TV before launching a successful music career, becoming one of the most followed people in the world on social media.
π€ Did you know?
Selena Gomez has both a hit Netflix show and a hit music career at the same time β she's a true double threat!
πΈCarlos Santana is Born
π
July 20, 1947
Carlos Santana was born in Mexico! A guitar virtuoso, he blended rock with Latin American rhythms to create a completely unique sound, especially with his famous song "Oye Como Va."
π€ Did you know?
Santana's legendary performance at the original Woodstock festival helped launch him to stardom!
π£Handel's Water Music on the Thames
π
July 17, 1717
King George I sailed up the River Thames on a royal barge while 50 musicians on a boat alongside premiered Handel's "Water Music"! The king loved it so much he ordered the hour-long suite played three times.
π€ Did you know?
The musicians had to play the entire concert while floating on a barge β one of history's first "concerts on the water"!
β‘Dylan Goes Electric
π
July 25, 1965
At the Newport Folk Festival, Bob Dylan shocked the folk world by plugging in an electric guitar! The controversial moment changed rock and folk music forever.
π€ Did you know?
Dylan played just three electric songs before leaving the stage β three songs that split the music world in two!
π€Mick Jagger is Born
π
July 26, 1943
Mick Jagger was born in England! As the electrifying frontman of The Rolling Stones, he's been strutting across stages for over 60 years as one of rock and roll's most famous performers.
π€ Did you know?
Jagger was studying at the London School of Economics before choosing rock and roll β quite a career change!
πΈWoody Guthrie is Born
π
July 14, 1912
Folk singer Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma! He traveled across America with his guitar, writing songs about everyday people and the country's beautiful landscapes β including the beloved song "This Land Is Your Land."
π€ Did you know?
Guthrie's guitar had a sticker on it that said "This machine kills fascists" β he believed music could be a powerful force for good!
Events from July 14 β July 28 Β· within 7 days of today!
π
The First Special Olympics
π
July 20, 1968
The very first Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago, giving athletes with intellectual disabilities the chance to train and compete in sports, celebrating their skill and courage on a world stage.
π€ Did you know?
The Special Olympics has grown from that first event into a worldwide movement with millions of athletes in more than 170 countries!
π€ΈKerri Strug's Golden Vault
π
July 23, 1996
With the team gold on the line, gymnast Kerri Strug landed her vault on an injured ankle, saluted the judges on one foot β and clinched the first Olympic team gold ever for U.S. women's gymnastics!
π€ Did you know?
Coach BΓ©la KΓ‘rolyi carried Strug to the medal podium in his arms β one of the most touching scenes in Olympic history!
π€ΈNadia ComΔneci's Perfect 10
π
July 18, 1976
At the Montreal Olympics, 14-year-old gymnast Nadia ComΔneci scored the first-ever perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history! The scoreboard wasn't even built to show a perfect score, so it displayed "1.00" instead.
π€ Did you know?
Nadia scored seven perfect 10s at those Olympics alone β a feat no one had ever come close to before!
βΎThe Streak Ends at 56
π
July 17, 1941
Joe DiMaggio's legendary 56-game hitting streak finally ended in Cleveland β stopped by two great plays at third base! No player since has come within 12 games of the record.
π€ Did you know?
DiMaggio started a new 16-game streak the very next day β he hit safely in 72 of 73 games that summer!
