8 July 1660

A Thursday in history

Weekday

Thursday

Season

Summer (N. Hemisphere)

Century

17th century

Records

293

  1. 2022

    Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) was assassinated with an improvised firearm.

    Source
  2. 2021

    Head of a Bear (pictured) sold at auction in London for a total of £8.8 million, a record for a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

    Source
  3. 2014

    German citizen Lars Mittank disappeared from Varna Airport, Bulgaria; his last known movements were widely watched on YouTube.

    Source
  4. 2014

    In the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final at the Mineirão, Germany defeated Brazil 7–1 (players pictured), breaking several tournament records.

    Source
  5. 2003

    Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board.

    Source
  6. 1990

    West Germany won the FIFA World Cup final against defending champions Argentina, with Andreas Brehme scoring the game's only goal.

    Source
  7. 1980

    Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashed near Almaty International Airport in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan) killing all 166 people on board.

    Source
  8. 1966

    King Mwambutsa IV of Burundi was deposed in a coup d'état by his son, Prince Charles Ndizi.

    Source
  9. 1965

    Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 was destroyed by a bomb near 100 Mile House, Canada, killing 52.

    Source
  10. 1962

    Following student protests at Rangoon University, Burmese general Ne Win ordered the demolition of the historic students' union building.

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  11. 1950

    Korean War: American troops withdrew from Cheonan, in modern-day South Korea, after suffering heavy casualties from a North Korean attack.

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  12. 1947

    Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Forces personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon.

    Source
  13. 1927

    The Spanish anarchist group Los Errantes are released from French detention, following a lengthy defense campaign against their extradition.

    Source
  14. 1874

    Members of the North-West Mounted Police at Fort Dufferin began their March West, their first journey to the Canadian Prairies.

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  15. 1776

    The United States Declaration of Independence received its first formal public reading, in Philadelphia.

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  16. 1758

    French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at Fort Carillon in the British colony of New York.

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  17. 1709

    Great Northern War: Swedish forces under Charles XII were defeated by Russian troops led by Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava.

    Source
  18. 1663

    Baptist minister John Clarke (pictured) was granted the Rhode Island Royal Charter, described as the "grandest instrument of human liberty ever constructed".

    Source

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.