Today:
1419 – The First Defenestration of Prague took place when Hussite protesters threw several city officials from the windows of Prague’s New Town Hall, helping ignite the Hussite Wars.
1619 – The House of Burgesses convened for the first time in Jamestown, Virginia, becoming the first elected legislative assembly in English North America.
1863 – Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and pioneer of the moving assembly line, was born in Dearborn Township, Michigan.
1930 – Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 to win the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup Final.
1945 – The USS Indianapolis Sinking occurred after the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, leading to one of the deadliest naval disasters in U.S. history.
1965 – Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, creating the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
1971 – The Apollo 15 landed on the Moon at Hadley–Apennine, becoming the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
1975 – Jimmy Hoffa, the influential labor leader, disappeared from a suburban Detroit restaurant parking lot. His fate remains one of America’s enduring mysteries.
2003 – The final Volkswagen Beetle (Type 1) rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, ending production of the original Beetle after more than 21 million were built.
2020 – Mars 2020, carrying the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter, was launched by NASA on its journey to Mars.