Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon
After 13 days and 34,000 kilometers, the American adventurer landed in Australia to complete his record-breaking journey. It was his sixth attempt at...
July 2 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2002
2000
Vicente Fox was elected president of Mexico, ending 71 years of single-party rule by the PRI
Fox's victory marked the first time an opposition candidate won the Mexican presidency since 1929. His election was considered a watershed moment for...
1985
The European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft was launched to intercept and study Halley's Comet
Named after the Italian painter who depicted the comet in 1301, Giotto became the first spacecraft to take close-up photos of a comet's nucleus. It pa...
1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
MajorThis landmark legislation ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination. The act was the most sweeping civil rights legislat...
1962
The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas, founded by Sam Walton
What started as a single discount store became the world's largest retailer. Walton's original store sold products at lower prices by reducing profit...
1937
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe
MajorThe pioneering aviator vanished near Howland Island during the most challenging leg of her round-the-world flight. Despite extensive search efforts, n...
1932
A completely new type of matter was discovered when physicist Carl Anderson detected the first antimatter particle
While studying cosmic rays, Anderson photographed tracks of a particle identical to an electron but with positive charge—the positron. This confirmed...
1900
The first Zeppelin flight took place when Ferdinand von Zeppelin's LZ 1 airship flew for 18 minutes over Lake Constance
The rigid airship traveled about 6 kilometers before a winding mechanism failed, forcing an early landing. Despite the short flight, it proved the con...
1822
Denmark Vesey, a formerly enslaved carpenter who bought his freedom, was hanged for planning a major slave rebellion in Charleston, South Carolina
Vesey had organized what would have been one of the largest slave uprisings in U.S. history, planning to kill slaveholders and escape to Haiti. The pl...
1776
The Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain, two days before the Declaration was signed
MajorOn this date, the Second Continental Congress actually voted to approve independence from Britain. July 4th became the famous date because that's when...
1698
Thomas Savery patented the first crude steam engine, originally designed to pump water out of mines
Though impractical and dangerous due to high pressure, Savery's 'Miner's Friend' was the first commercial steam-powered device. It laid groundwork for...
1505
Martin Luther entered a monastery after being caught in a violent thunderstorm and vowing to become a monk if he survived
According to legend, the future Protestant Reformation leader was struck by lightning and cried out to Saint Anne for protection, promising to become...
