1. 2020

    After a five day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera was recovered from Lake Piru, confirming her death.

  2. 2014

    Germany won the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina, with Mario Götze scoring the game's only goal (pictured) in the extra time.

  3. 2013

    Typhoon Soulik (pictured) made landfall in East China and Taiwan, killing at least 20 people.

  4. 2003

    French Directorate General for External Security personnel aborted an operation to rescue Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt from FARC guerrillas, resulting in a political scandal.

  5. 1992

    Croatian War of Independence: The Croatian Army concluded Operation Tiger, advancing 17 kilometres (11 miles) into the Dubrovnik hinterland.

  6. 1973

    Watergate scandal: Under questioning by Senate investigators, White House deputy chief of staff Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of a secret taping system (tape recorder pictured) in the Oval Office.

  7. 1962

    In an unprecedented reshuffle, British prime minister Harold Macmillan (pictured) dismissed seven members of his cabinet.

  8. 1943

    World War II: Operation Fustian, an Allied operation to capture the Primosole Bridge in Sicily, was launched.

  9. 1942

    World War II: The 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment was converted from a battalion to accommodate a larger number of volunteers spurred on by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.

  10. 1930

    The first FIFA World Cup was opened in Uruguay.

  11. 1913

    While on a campaign in Bulgaria, the Romanian Army suffered a cholera outbreak that led to around 1,600 deaths.

  12. 1863

    Four days of rioting began in New York City in response to laws passed by the U.S. Congress to draft men to fight in the American Civil War.

  13. 1855

    Firefighters in Toronto, Canada, destroyed the infrastructure of a visiting circus; police refusal to identify rioters caused widespread protest and a complete redesign of the city's police service.

  14. 1831

    Wallachian officials adopted the Regulamentul Organic, which engendered a period of reforms that provided for the westernization of the local society.

  15. 1794

    The Battle of Trippstadt between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria began.

  16. 1643

    English Civil War: Royalist forces defeated the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Roundway Down near Devizes, Wiltshire.

  17. 1586

    Anglo–Spanish War: A convoy of English ships from the Levant Company repelled a fleet of Spanish and Maltese galleys at the Battle of Pantelleria.

  18. 1260

    Livonian Crusade: Samogitian forces defeated Teutonic knights and the Livonian Order at the Battle of Durbe.

Photo archive

24 historic images from this day — tap to open the gallery.

What was life like?

Prices, jobs, food, music and everyday routine — the world as it felt to live in.

Sources & fact check

Every claim is traced to primary sources, archives, universities and the press — with an explicit confidence rating. Dossiers are generated once and cached permanently.