Historical Events
- 1689 Matsuo Basho, zen poet, leaves for 150 days journey on Honshu, Japan
- 1858 The joint reading of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace's papers on evolution to the Linnean Society
- 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Lee's northward advance halted
- 1867 The Dominion of Canada is formed, comprising the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario & Quebec, with John A. Macdonald serving as the first Prime Minister
- 1916 First day of the Battle of the Somme: the British Army suffers its worst day, losing 19,240 men (WWI)
- 1921 The Communist Party of China is founded and Chen Duxiu elected its leader
- 1997 United Kingdom returns Hong Kong and the New Territories to the People's Republic of China
- More Historical Events
Jul 1 in Film & TV
- 1941 Bulova Watch Co pays $9 for 1st ever network TV commercial
Jul 1 in Music
- 1967 The Beatles' album "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" goes #1 in the United States, stays there for 15 weeks
Jul 1 in Sport
- 1998 NBA commences a player lockout after no agreement with players about salary issues - lasts 204 days with the season shortened by 50 games
Did You Know?
"SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal becomes the worldwide standard for help
On July 1, 1908
Christian II
William Wyler
Diana Spencer
Dan Aykroyd
Carl Lewis
Liv TylerWould You Believe?
1st of 4 fatal Jersey Shore shark attacks occur at Beach Haven when Charles Vansant (25) bled to death, challenging previous scientific belief that sharks never hurt humans, and sparking popular fear over sharks which persists today
On July 1, 1916
Famous Weddings
- 1900 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (36) weds countess Sophie Chotek (32) in Reichstadt, Bohemia
- 1902 British admiral John Jellicoe (42) weds Gwendoline Cayzer at Holy Trinity in London
- 1916 Dwight Eisenhower marries Mary `Mamie' Geneva Doud in Denver, Colorado
Famous Divorces
- 2011 "Medium" actress Patricia Arquette (40) divorces actor Thomas Jane (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 5 years of marriage
- 2011 Actor Ryan Reynolds (34) and actress Scarlett Johansson (26) divorce due to irreconcilable differences after two years of marriage
- 2011 Ann Serano Lopez divorces actor and talk show host George Lopez (49) due to irreconcilable differences
More Weddings & Divorces
Charles Watson-Wentworth
Mahmud II
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Alice Mary Robertson
Michael Landon
Marlon BrandoArticles, Photos and Quiz
1st US Olympic Games
Poster promoting the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis
July 1, 1904
Five Miles of Mud Costs a Million Casualties
The Battle of the Somme, which began on this day, left one man dead every five seconds. It was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history.
July 1, 1916
Battle of the Somme
A large mine placed by a British tunneling unit explodes under German positions on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. At the time it was one of the largest explosions ever and one of the loudest man-made noises.
July 1, 1916
Weekly Quiz for July 1-7
Test your knowledge of historical events and famous people in our multi-choice, weekly history quiz for July 1-7. Then challenge your friends!
