12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for July 16, 2025
Today’s History:
- 622 – The Islamic calendar begins with the Hijra: Muhammad and followers flee Mecca for Medina.
- 1439 – Kissing is banned in England to stop the spread of the plague.
- 1661 – The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Bank of Stockholm.
- 1790 – Washington, D.C. is established as the U.S. capital.
- 1918 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family are executed by Bolsheviks.
- 1945 – The first successful test of an atomic bomb, the Trinity Test, occurs in New Mexico.
- 1951 – J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye is published.
- 1969 – Apollo 11 is launched from Kennedy Space Center, beginning the first Moon landing mission.
- 1979 – Saddam Hussein becomes President of Iraq.
- 1994 – Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 collides with Jupiter, offering first direct observation of extraterrestrial collision.
- 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crashes off Martha’s Vineyard, killing him, his wife, and sister-in-law.
- 2004 – Millennium Park opens in Chicago, showcasing the now-iconic Cloud Gate (“The Bean”).
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1946 – Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli-American violinist and conductor (79)
- 1948 – Ruben Blades, Panamanian musician and actor (77)
- 1952 – Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police (73)
- 1967 – Will Ferrell, actor and comedian (Anchorman, Elf) (58)
- 1971 – Corey Feldman, actor (The Goonies, Stand by Me) (54)
- 1984 – Katrina Kaif, Bollywood actress (41)
- 1992 – James Maslow, actor and singer (Big Time Rush) (33)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1557 – Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII (41)
- 1916 – Ilya Mechnikov, Nobel Prize-winning Russian immunologist (71)
- 1957 – Irving Baxter, American Olympic gold medalist in track and field (79)
- 1981 – Harry Chapin, singer-songwriter and humanitarian (38)
- 1990 – Herbert von Karajan, renowned Austrian conductor (81)
- 1994 – Julian Schwinger, Nobel Prize-winning physicist (76)
- 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr., journalist and son of President Kennedy (38)
Our revenue comes from a combination of direct subscriptions from users and commissions earned by affiliate commissions from sponsors’ links and banners. Some of the links you click may be affiliate links that generate that revenue.