July 16

District of Columbia established as capital of US (1790); RIP former US First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (1882); 1st successful atom bomb test (1945); Apollo 11 launches with first astronauts who would walk on the moon (1969); John F. Kennedy, Jr dies in plane crash (1999).

July 15

Spanish explorer and conquistador Ponce de Leon dies (1521); Rosetta Stone is found in Egypt (1799); HBD journalist and businesswoman Arianna Huffington (1950); Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered (1997); Twitter is launched (2006).

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie

Did you know...
... that today is the birthday of Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (1912)? Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. His best-known song was This Land Is Your Land. Trivia buffs: songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer and Tom Paxton have acknowledged their debt to Guthrie as an influence.

July 10

France declares war on Great Britain and enters American Revolutionary War (1778); Iconic inventor Nikola Tesla born (1856); Scopes Monkey Trial begins (1925); Tennis player Arthur Ashe born (1943); HBD actress Sofia Vergara (1972).

July 11

President John Q. Adams born (1767); Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in duel (1804); To Kill a Mockingbird is published (1960); RIP iconic actor Laurence Olivier (1989); RIP former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson (2007).

July 12

RIP US founding father Alexander Hamilton (1804); The Rolling Stones perform first concert (1962); Geraldine Ferraro is 1st female VP candidate from major party (1984); HBD activist and Nobel Peace Price recipient Malala Yousafzai (1997).

July 1

Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins (1863); RIP abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1896); Princess Diana born (1961); China regains sovereignty over Hong Kong (1997); Hollywood actor Marlon Brando dies (2004).