14 July 1772

A man deliberately drove a truck into crowds in Nice, France, resulting in 86 deaths.

Lightning strikes started four fires in the Methow Valley in the U.S. state of Washington, collectively known as the Carlton Complex Fire.

Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative was leaked to and published by journalist Robert Novak.

More than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour period in parts of Montreal, causing severe flooding.

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 1-11 ditched off Polillo Island in the Philippines, killing one person and injuring 44 others.

Korean War: North Korean troops began attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in present-day Daejeon, South Korea.

The Battle of Delville Wood began as an action within the Battle of the Somme, lasting until 3 September 1916.

The medieval St Mark's Campanile in Venice collapsed, also demolishing the Loggetta del Sansovino.

An expedition led by Peruvian explorer and farmer Agustín Lizárraga discovered the Incan city of Machu Picchu (pictured).

While on the run from a death sentence, American outlaw Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sherriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

A fire destroyed 812 structures and killed 20 people in Chicago, leading to reforms in the city's fire-prevention and firefighting efforts.

A seven-man mountaineering team made the first ascent of the Matterhorn, marking the end of the golden age of alpinism.

The Priestley Riots, targeting religious dissenters such as Joseph Priestley, began in Birmingham, England.

The Bastille, a fortress and prison in Paris, was stormed by a crowd during the flashpoint of the French Revolution.

1454–1466 Thirteen Years' War: The Battle for Kneiphof ended with a decisive victory for the Teutonic Order.

Louis VIII (seal pictured) began his three-year reign as King of France.

A GippsAero GA8 Airvan crashes in Umeå, Sweden, killing all nine aboard.

A man ploughs a truck into a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring another 434 before being shot by police.

NASA's New Horizons probe performs the first flyby of Pluto, and thus completes the initial survey of the Solar System.

Dedication of the statue of Rachel Carson, a sculpture of the environmentalist, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

French president Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt from Maxime Brunerie during a Bastille Day parade at Champs-Élysées.

Australian criminal Bradley John Murdoch murders British tourist Peter Falconio and abducts his girlfriend in the Northern Territory.

Rus Flight 9633 crashes during takeoff from Chkalovsky Airport, killing all 10 people on board.

Mario Bros. is released in Japan, beginning the popular Super Mario Bros franchise.