1540: England’s King Henry VIII had his six-month marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.
1762: Catherine the Great assumed power. Catherine the Great overthrew Peter III on this day in 1762 and began her reign as empress of Russia, leading her country into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe and extending Russian territory.
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1860: The last ship carrying enslaved Africans brought across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S. – from the Dahomey Kingdom of Benin arrives at the port of Mobile in Alabama.
1877: The first Wimbledon Championship is held. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London hosted the first Wimbledon championship, which was not only the first tennis championship held in England but was also a precursor to grand slam tournaments. 22 men competed in the championship and Spencer Gore became the first person to win the Wimbledon tournament.
1958: Lituya Bay megatsunami, a megatsunami, a tsunami whose waves are higher than a normal tsunami, hit Lituya Bay in Alaska, United States, resulting in a wave that was recorded to be 1,720 feet or 516 meters high. This is the highest wave recorded in history.
1962: Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind” (audio) On July 9, 1962, folk singer Bob Dylan walks into a studio and records the song that would make him a star: “Blowin’ In The Wind.”
“This here ain’t no protest song or anything like that, ’cause I don’t write no protest songs.” That was how Bob Dylan introduced one of the most eloquent protest songs ever written when he first performed it publicly.
1962: Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans make their debut. The Soup Cans were first displayed at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, California, and were instrumental in popularizing Pop Art in the United States.
1981: Nintendo’s famous character Mario debuted as Jumpman in this popular arcade game.
1982: Queen Elizabeth II woke to find an intruder (Michael Fagan) sitting at the end of her bed, raising further concerns about poor Palace security.
1992: In Luanda, Cuba President Fidel Castro receives Angola’s highest honor, the Order of Agostinho Nieto. Castro will also be decorated by Ghana, Mali, and South Africa in 1998, Algeria in 2001 Guinea-Bissau in 2007, Namibia in 2008, and Zambia in 2009.
1995: In Port Harcourt, “over 200 college students, suspected to be members of secret cults, are arrested”. According to Nigerian police, the members of such sects are often involved in criminal activities.
1995: American psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead performed their last concert, at Soldier Field in Chicago; lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia died the following month.
1998: PRC commutes death sentences passed on Diya, Olanrewaju, and Adisa over the alleged coup plot of December 1997 to jail terms.
2002: The African Union, a stronger institution than the Organisation of African Unity it replaces while still retaining the OAU’s Pan-African ideals, is launched in Durban, South Africa. With 55 African countries as member states, the AU has a goal of advancing the security, solidarity, and economic development of Africa.
2003: Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State, Nigeria was abducted and a forged letter of resignation was presented to the Anambra House of Assembly. He later re-emerged to claim his seat.
2011: South Sudan becomes the youngest country in the world. The North East African country, formally known as the Republic of South Sudan peacefully seceded from Sudan after an independence referendum was passed. Since independence, however, the country has been wrecked with widespread ethnic violence and human rights violations.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: July 08
O.J. Simpson (9 July 1947 – 10 April 2024)
Orenthal James Simpson, was an American former football running back, broadcaster, actor, and advertising spokesman. He attended the University of Southern California, where he played football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He played professionally as a running back in the NFL for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977.
Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After retiring from football, he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting. He died at the age of 76.
