Today:
1223 – Louis VIII of France succeeded his father, Philip II of France, as King of France.
1789 – The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, marking the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution.
1790 – The Fête de la Fédération was held in Paris to celebrate the first anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille and national unity.
1853 – Commodore Matthew C. Perry first landed in Japan near Edo (Tokyo), continuing negotiations that would lead to Japan opening its ports to the West.
1881 – Outlaw Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
1933 – The Nazi regime enacted the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, authorizing the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of people.
1958 – The Iraqi monarchy was overthrown in the 14 July Revolution, ending the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq.
1965 – Mariner 4 made the first successful flyby of Mars, returning humanity’s first close-up images of another planet.
2015 – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was agreed to by Iran and six world powers.
2016 – The 2016 Nice truck attack occurred during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds.