Today:
1097 – Crusader forces defeated the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Dorylaeum during the First Crusade.
1863 – The Battle of Gettysburg began in Pennsylvania, becoming the largest battle ever fought in North America and a turning point in the American Civil War.
1867 – The Dominion of Canada was established through the British North America Act, uniting Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Canada Day is celebrated each year on this date.
1876 – Colorado was admitted as the 38th state of the United States, earning the nickname “The Centennial State” because it joined the Union 100 years after the Declaration of Independence.
1898 – During the Spanish-American War, the Battle of San Juan Hill was fought in Cuba, with U.S. forces—including Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders—capturing key positions.
1903 – The first Tour de France bicycle race began in Montgeron, outside Paris.
1941 – NBC-TV aired the first legal television commercial in the United States, an advertisement for Bulova watches, before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
1963 – The United States Post Office introduced ZIP Codes to improve the efficiency of mail delivery.
1997 – Hong Kong officially became a Special Administrative Region of China after the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty, ending 156 years of British rule.
2002 – The International Criminal Court officially came into existence in The Hague, becoming the world’s first permanent international court for prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.