This page features facts previously highlighted in On this day in History for July.

1 July

On this day in 1916, the first Battle of the Somme commenced. 21,000 men were killed on the first day.

Lest we forget.

2 July

On this day in 1956 Elvis Presley recorded 'Don't be Cruel' and 'Hound Dog'.

3 July

On this day in 1954 the rationing of food in Great Britain came to an end nine years after the end of the Second World War¹.

4 July

Happy Independence Day to all our American researchers.

On this day in 1848, Marx and Engels published their Communist Manifesto.

Emmeline Pankhurst, leading member of the Women's Suffrage movement in Britain, was born this day in 1858.

5 July

On 5 July 1948, the UK National Health Service was established.

On this day in 1791, George Hammond took up his position as Britain's first ambassador to the United States of America.

6 July

6 July 1553 saw Mary I acceed to the throne of England. She was the first woman to rule the country in her own right.

On this day in 1892, Britain gained her first MP from an ethnic minority when Dadabhai Naorajii was elected to represent the people of Finsbury.

7 July

On this day in 1307, Edward I of England, also known as Edward Longshanks, died at Burgh-on-Sands, Cumberland. Edward was arguably the most successful and most hated of the medieval kings. He introduced the basis of the modern political system, built a series of stunning castles in Wales and was ruthless in his treatment of the Scots, engendering a hatred that continues to this day.

You can visit Edward in Westminster Abbey. Dancing on his grave is not encouraged.

10 July

On this day in 1553, Lady Jane Grey was declared Queen of England following the death of Edward VI. Popularly known as the 'Nine Days Queen' due to the length of her reign, she was executed by Mary I on 12th February 1554.

On this day in 1985, the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior sank in Auckland harbour, New Zealand. Her hull was ripped open by two explosions.

11 July

On this day in 1776 the Resolution set sail from Plymouth, carrying Captain James Cook on his final journey.

On this day in 1975, 8000 terracotta warrior figures were unearthed during the excavation of the tomb of Emperor Quin Shi Huangdi in China.

12 July

On this day in 100BC, Gauis Julius Caesar was born.

On this day in 1930, during the Headingley Test Match against England, Aussie batsman Don Bradman scored a record 334 runs.

On this day in 1174, King Henry II was flogged at St. Thomas Beckett's tomb in Canterbury for his part in the Archbishop's murder on 29th December 1170.

13 July

On this day in 1930 the first World Cup Final was held between Uruguay, the hosts, and Argentina. Uruguay won 4-2.

14 July

Today is Bastille Day, the premier national holiday in France. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789, an event that is popularly seen as the start of the first French Revolution.

The Bastille was built originally as a medieval fortress for the defence of Eastern Paris. It was converted to a prison in the early 1600s under the orders of Cardinal Richelieu. It is interesting to note that the people imprisoned in the Bastille were done so at the request of the King and were not put on trial. Equally their release was left to the royal perogative. Life inside the Bastille was not hard. Rooms could be furnished and servants employed and most prisoners had free run of the fortress. Famous inmates included Voltaire and the Marquis de Sade.

The Storming of the Bastille was undertaken by the people of Paris in 1789. They lay siege to the fortress and demanded the release of the supplies of explosives. Eventually the governor of the Bastille gave into the demands for them to lower the bridge. He was captured with his troops and paraded through the streets of Paris before being killed. The same fate befell many of the prisoners. The Bastille itself was all but destroyed and shortly afterwards it was demolished completely. The few remains were later removed from their location to the Square Galli in Paris.

15 July

On this day in 1099 AD the Crusaders recaptured Jerusalem, ending a period of religious toleration.

16 July

On 16 July 1945 the first atomic bomb was exploded at Los Alomos, New Mexico

On this day in 1557 - Anne of Cleves died. The fourth wife of King Henry VIII, she argreed to a comfortable divorce settlement and outlived her husband.

17 July

Punch, the witty and waggish magazine was first published this day in 1841. It was founded by two reforming liberal thinkers, Mark Lemon and Henry Mayhew , who saw the opportunity to produce a magazine that would poke fun at the establishment and politicians of the day.

In the grandest traditions of English journalism, the paper was founded over lunch in a pub on the Strand. Other founding members were John Leech, an amateur cartoonist and Douglas Jerrold, a 19th century hack whose life's work was a crusade against poverty. The first editorial commented that the aim of the magazine was to "destroy the principle of evil by increasing the means of cultivating the good".

Punch employed some of the most talented artists and writers during its history but the arrival of the more ascorbic Private Eye made it seem outdated and it finally folded in 1995. In 1996, it was relaunched by Mohammed Al Fayed, whose website AlFayed.com cheerfully proclaims "Mohamed Al Fayed acquired Punch magazine in 1996 and, typically, has restored an ailing institution to robust health. By successfully modernizing the format he has once again made Punch required reading in the corridors of power.".

Most Punch fans prefer to think fondly of the original.

18 July

On this day in 64AD, the Roman Emperor Nero fiddled while the city of Rome burnt.

On this day in 1925 Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler was published.

19 July

On this day in 1545, the Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII's Tudor navy sank in the English Channel.

The Great Western was launched this day in 1837. Built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, she was a timber paddle driven vessel capable of making the journey to America in 15 days. The 19 July 1843 saw the initial floating of the iron hull of Brunel's other great ship the Great Britain.

20 July

On this day in 1885 , the Football Association allowed players to be paid paving the way for the professional game.

In America, Billboard published the results of the first survey of record sales and the charts were born on this day in 1940.

21 July

The Tate Gallery was opened in London on this day in 1897. It was built on the site of the Millbank Prison.

The eagle landed this day in 1969 as man first walked on the moon.

22 July

On this day in 1604, James I commissioned a new translation of the Bible into English. This has come to be known as the King James version.

23 July

Dr Livingstone returned to Britain from Africa this day in 1864.

24 July

On this day in 1925, the first successful use of insulin would performed on a young girl at Guy's Hospital, London.

25 July

On this day in 1917, the Dutch spy, Mata Hari was sentenced to death by the French. Hari's modus operandi was to undertake passionate affairs with high ranking Allied officers and then pass the secrets to the Germans.

26 July

The forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded this day in 1908 as the Office of the Chief Examiner. Its name was changed to its current incarnation in 1935.

27 July

The Battle of Dunsinane was fought this day in 1054 AD. Macbeth, King of Scotland was defeated by Malcolm who returned from England in the company of Siward of Northumberland.

The Bank of England was founded this day in 1694.

28 July

On this day in 1794, Robespierre and 19 other Revolutionaries followed countless others to Madame Guillotine.

The First World War became a reality as the first declaration of war was made by the Austro-Hungarian Empire on Serbia.

29 July

The grass tennis court was patented this day in 1874.

30 July

Penguin Books were launched this day in 1935.

The (Football) World Cup was clinched in extra time by the England team this day in 1966.

31 July

Dr Crippen became the first criminal to be defeated by modern communication, when the boat carrying him to Canada was contacted by radio and he was arrested on board this day in 1910.