Historical Events
- Jul 2 Andrei Gromyko appointed president of USSR
- Jul 2 European Space Agency launches Giotto (Halley's Comet Flyby)
Back to the Future
Jul 3 "Back to the Future" directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd is released
Film & TV History
Jul 3 CBS announces a 21% stock buy-back to thwart Ted Turner's takeover
- Jul 3 Tinker Bell's first nightly flight at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida
- Jul 5 Nicholas Mark Sanders (England) begins circumnavigation of globe, covering 13,035 road miles in 78 days, 3 hr, 30 min
Election of Interest
Jul 5 Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party wins re-election in Zimbabwe for a second term
- Jul 6 Mom's Command wins the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont to clinch American thoroughbred racing's Triple Tiara for fillies
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her 6th Wimbledon singles title
The Rise and Fall of Boris Becker
Jul 7 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Boris Becker beats South African Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 to become the youngest man (17) to win a Wimbledon singles title
- Jul 8 Marge Schott becomes CEO of Cincinnati Red
Event of Interest
Jul 9 Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco convicted in New York of manufacturing, smuggling and distributing cocaine and sentenced to 15 years [1]
- Jul 9 South Africa police arrested Dutch ANC'er Klaas de Jong
- Jul 10 Coca-Cola Co announces it will resume selling old formula Coke
The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
Jul 10 French foreign intelligence agents blow up the Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbor, New Zealand to prevent it interfering with French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira is killed.
Sports History
Jul 11 Astros' Nolan Ryan, 1st to strike out 4000 (Mets' Danny Heep)
- Jul 11 Refurbished space shuttle Columbia moves overland from Palmdale to Dryden
- Jul 11 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Jul 12 "Singin' in the Rain", musical adaptation of the 1952 film, opens at Gershwin Theater, NYC; runs for 367 performances
Event of Interest
Jul 12 Doctors discover a cancerous growth in President Ronald Reagan's colon
- Jul 12 STS 51-F launch scrubbed at T -3s because of main engine shutdown
- Jul 13 "Live Aid" concerts held at both Wembley Stadium (London, England) and JFK Stadium (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) raises over $70 million for African famine relief
- Jul 13 Doctors at Bethesda Naval hospital remove two small benign polyps from US President Ronald Reagan's colon [1]
Sports History
Jul 13 New York Yankees retire Roger Maris (9) and Elston Howard (32) uniform numbers
- Jul 14 Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center via Offutt AFB, Neb
- Jul 14 Last USFL game-Baltimore Stars defeats Oakland Invaders, 28-24
- Jul 14 US Open Women's Golf, Baltusrol GC: Kathy Baker (later Guadagnino) wins her first LPGA Tour event and only major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Judy Clark (later Dickinson)
- Jul 15 Deborah Carthy-Deu, of Puerto Rico, crowned 34th Miss Universe
- Jul 16 56th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 6-1 at Humphrey Metrodome, Minn
- Jul 16 All star MVP: LaMarr Hoyt (San Diego Padres)
- Jul 16 Bill to abolish Greater London Council receives royal assent
- Jul 18 USSR performs underground nuclear Test
- Jul 19 Christa McAuliffe chosen as 1st school teacher to fly aboard the space shuttle
- Jul 19 The Val di Stava Dam collapse killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy.
- Jul 20 Divers find wreck of Spanish galleon Atocha
- Jul 20 The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles
- Jul 21 "Leader of the Pack" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 120 performances
Tour de France
Jul 21 72nd Tour de France won by Bernard Hinault of France
- Jul 21 Amina Fakir (Detroit), 23, crowned 18th Miss Black America
British Golf Open
Jul 21 British Open Men's Golf, Royal St George's GC: Scotsman Sandy Lyle wins his only Open title by 1 stroke from runner-up Payne Stewart; last time event features double cut (after 36 and 54 holes), introduced in 1968
- Jul 24 French DGSE officers Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart are arrested and charged with murder over the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
Event of Interest
Jul 24 Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signs a peace accord with Sikh leader Harchand Singh Longowai to settle the three-year Punjab crisis [1]
Film & TV History
Jul 25 Spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirms he has AIDS
- Jul 25 Steve Cram runs world record mile (3:46.32)
- Jul 25 Uganda suspends constitution following coup
- Jul 25 US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
- Jul 25 USSR performs nuclear Test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
World Record
Jul 27 Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway becomes first woman to run 10,000m in under 31 minutes; takes world record down to 30:59.42 in Oslo, Norway
- Jul 28 Alan Garcia sworn in as President of Peru
Canadian Women's Open
Jul 28 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), Beaconsfield GC: Pat Bradley wins by 1 from Jane Geddes
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jul 28 Lou Brock, Enos Slaughter, A Vaughan, & Hoyt Wilhelm are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
- Jul 29 19th NASA Space Shuttle Mission (51-G): Challenger 8 launches
Music History
Jul 29 Singer Tina Turner films music video for the song “One Of The Living” at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; song is from the film "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" in which she co-starred with Mel Gibson
- Jul 30 Discovery moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating of STS 51-I mission
- Jul 30 Valerie Lowrance, of Texas, 18, crowned America's Junior Miss
Under the Banyan Tree
Jul 31 Indian writer R.K. Narayan publishes his short story collection "Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories"
Famous Birthdays
- Jul 1 Chris Perez, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 2011, 12 Cleveland Indians; World Cup gold 2007), born in Bradenton, Florida
Léa Seydoux (38 years old)
Jul 1 French actress (Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Spectre), born in Paris, France
Ashley Tisdale (38 years old)
Jul 2 American actress and singer (High School Musical), born in Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Jul 2 Chad Henne, American football player
- Jul 2 Rhett Bomar, American football player
- Jul 2 Vincenzo Maltempo, Italian classical pianist (works of Charles-Valentin Alkan), and teacher, born in Benevento, Italy
- Jul 3 Minami Keisuke, Japanese singer and actor, born in Yokohama, Japan
Megan Rapinoe (38 years old)
Jul 5 American soccer midfielder (203 caps; FIFA Women's World Cup gold 2015, 19; Olympic gold 2012; FIFA Ballon d'Or 2019; Chicago Red Stars, Olympique Lyonnais, OL Reign), born in Redding, California
- Jul 5 Nick O'Malley, British indie rock musician (Arctic Monkeys), born in Sheffield, England
- Jul 5 Stephanie McIntosh, Australian pop singer and actress, born in Malvern, Australia
- Jul 6 Ranveer Singh, Bollywood actor (Bajirao Mastani), born in Mumbai, India
- Jul 8 Jamie Cook, British guitarist (Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor"), born in High Green, Sheffield, England
- Jul 9 Ashley Young, English footballer
- Jul 9 BJ Watling, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (79 Tests, 8 x 100s, 275 dismissals, TS 205; Northern Districts, Durham CCC, Lancashire CCC), born in Durban, Natal Province, South Africa
- Jul 9 Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
- Jul 10 Mario Gómez, German soccer striker (78 caps; VfB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich), born in Riedlingen, Germany
- Jul 11 Aki Maeda, Japanese actress (Battle Royale), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jul 12 Luiz Ejlli, Albanian pop singer (Eurovison, 2006), born in Shkodra, Albania
- Jul 12 Natasha Poly, Russian supermodel, born in Perm, Soviet Union
- Jul 13 Charlotte Dujardin, English equestrian and dressage rider (3x Olympic Gold medals 2012, 2016), born in London, England
- Jul 13 Guillermo Ochoa, Mexican footballer (Club América), born in Guadalajara, Mexico
- Jul 14 Darrelle Revis, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (Super Bowl XLIX NE Patriots; 4 × First-team All-Pro; 7 × Pro Bowl; NY Jets), born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
- Jul 14 Lee Kwang-soo, South Korean actor (Inseparable Bros), born in Namyangju, South Korea
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (38 years old)
Jul 14 English actress, writer and director (Fleabag), born in London, England
- Jul 17 Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer, born in Irvine, United Kingdom
- Jul 17 Tom Fletcher, British pop singer, and guitarist (McFly - "5 Colours In Her Hair"; "All About You"), born in Harrow, London, England
- Jul 18 Chace Crawford, American actor
- Jul 18 Theo Croker, American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer, and vocalist, born in Leesburg, Florida
- Jul 20 John Francis Daley, American actor and filmmaker (Bones, Horrible Bosses), born in Wheeling, Illinois
- Jul 21 Von Wafer, American basketball player, born in Homer, Louisiana
- Jul 22 Akira Tozawa, Japanese professional wrestler
- Jul 22 Takudzwa Ngwenya, Zimbabwean-American rugby player
- Jul 23 Luis Ángel Landín, Mexican footballer, born in Zamora, Mexico
- Jul 23 Matthew Murphy English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Wombats), born in Liverpool, England
- Jul 24 Patrice Bergeron, Canadian hockey player
- Jul 24 Xenia Rubinos, American jazz-funk-rock singer-songwriter, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Jul 25 James Lafferty, American actor (One Tree Hill-Nathan Scott), born in Hemet, California
- Jul 25 Jasmine Lennard, British model and reality TV star (Big Brother), born in Belgravia, Westminster, England
- Jul 25 Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazilian auto racer (Formula E champion 2014-15), born in Heidelberg, West Germany
- Jul 25 Shantel VanSanten, American model and actress (For All Mankind), born in Luverne, Minnesota
- Jul 26 Audrey De Montigny, French Canadian pop singer (Canadian Idol, 2003; "Même Les Anges"), and real estate agent, born in Sainte-Julienne, Quebec
- Jul 26 Gaël Clichy, French footballer (İstanbul Başakşehir), born in Toulouse, France
- Jul 27 Benedita Pereira, Portuguese actress, born in Porto, Portugal
- Jul 27 Lou Taylor Pucci, American actor (Thumbsucker), born in Seaside Heights, New Jersey
- Jul 28 Dustin Milligan, Canadian actor, born in Yellowknife, Canada
- Jul 28 Tynisha Keli, American singer, born in New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Jul 30 Daniel Fredheim Holm, Norwegian footballer, born in Oslo, Norway
Famous Weddings
Isiah Thomas
Jul 19 NBA player Isiah Thomas (24) weds Lynn Kendall in Chicago
Robin Gibb
Jul 31 Bee Gees member Robin Gibb (35) weds author and artist Dwina Murphy
Famous Deaths
- Jul 1 Pauli Murray, African American poet and civil rights activist, dies at 74
- Jul 2 David Purley, British Formula 1 driver (b. 1945)
- Jul 3 Cooney Weiland, Canadian ice hockey coach (Stanley Cup 1941 Boston Bruins; Harvard Uni) and NHL forward (Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings), dies at 80
- Jul 3 Frank J. Selke, Canadian Hockey HOF executive (9 x Stanley Cup Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens), dies at 92
- Jul 4 Jan de Quay, Dutch politician (KVP, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1959-63), dies at 83
- Jul 5 Ger Schmook, Flemish librarian (ADB, Antwerp City Library) dies at 86
- Jul 5 Marion Byron, actress (Steamboat Bill Jr), dies at 73
- Jul 7 Guido Kisch, Czech-American Jewish historian (Jews in medieval Germany), dies at 96
- Jul 7 Patti McCarty, actress (Gangster of the Frontier), dies at 64
- Jul 8 Gardner Cowles Jr., American publisher (Look Magazine), dies at 82
- Jul 8 Phil Foster, American comedian (Frank De Fazio-Laverne & Shirley), dies at 72
- Jul 8 Simon Kuznets, American economist (Nobel 1971), dies at 84
- Jul 9 Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1896)
- Jul 9 Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish founder of Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)
- Jul 9 Rafael Campos, Dominican born actor (Ramon-Rhoda, Sancho-V), dies of cancer at 49
- Jul 10 Fernando Pereira, military activist, murdered
- Jul 16 Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
- Jul 16 Robert Siohan, French conductor and composer, dies at 91
- Jul 16 Wayne King, American saxophonist and bandleader, known as the Waltz King ("The Waltz You Saved for Me"), dies at 84
- Jul 17 Czesław Marek, Polish composer, dies at 93
- Jul 17 Margo, Mexican-American actress (Rumba, Viva Zapata), dies at 68 of a brain tumor
- Jul 17 Susanne Langer, American philosopher and educator (Philosophy in a New Key), dies at 89
- Jul 18 Robert Raglan, British character actor (Dad's Army - " Colonel Pritchard"), dies at 76
- Jul 18 Shahnawaz Bhutto, son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
- Jul 19 Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish sci-fi author (The Whole Truth about Planet Xi), dies at 47
- Jul 19 John Canaday, American art critic (Metropolitan Museum of Art Portfolios), dies at 78
- Jul 20 Bruno de Finetti, Italian probabilist statistician and actuary, dies at 79
- Jul 21 Mickey Shaughnessy, American actor and comedian (Chicago Teddy Bears), dies at 65
- Jul 21 Vicki Vola, American actress (Miss Miller-Mr District Attorney), dies at 68
- Jul 22 Matti Järvinen, Finnish javelin thrower (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 76
- Jul 23 Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (b. 1923)
- Jul 23 Kay Kyser, bandleader (Kay Kyser's Kollege), dies at 79
- Jul 27 'Smoky' Joe Wood, American baseball pitcher/outfielder (World Series 1912, 15, 20; MLB wins leader 34–5 1912; pitched no-hitter 1911; Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians), dies at 95
- Jul 28 Grant Williams, American actor (Hawaiian Eye, Incredible Shrinking Man), dies of toxic poisoning at 54
- Jul 29 James F Nolan, actor (Dante), dies of cancer at 69
- Jul 30 Julia Hall Bowman Robinson, American mathematician (b. 1919)
- Jul 30 Peter Knight, English musical arranger, conductor, and composer, dies at 68
- Jul 31 Eugene Carson Blake, US Secretary-General of World Council of Churches (1966-72), dies at 78
- Jul 31 Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricket batsman (14 Tests, 3 x 50; Canterbury, Central Districts), dies at 55
