On July 20th, 1948, President Truman issued the first peacetime military draft in the United States.

On July 19th, 1870, France declared war on Prussia.

On July 18th, 1938, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan arrived in Ireland after departing from New York -- he was attempting to fly to California.

On July 17th, 1816, the Klondike gold rush began.

On July 16th, 1769, Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcala in California.

On July 15th, 1799, the Rosetta Stone was discovered by Pierre-Francois Bouchard.

On July 14th, 1902, the Campanile in Venice collapsed.

On July 13th, 1772, the HMS Resolution set sail from Plymouth, England.

On July 12th, 1534, King Henry the VIII married his final wife, Catherine Parr.

On July 11th, 1859, "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens was published.

On July 10th, 1778, Louis XVI declared war on Great Britain.

On July 9th, 1968, the Hayward Gallery on London's South Bank was opened.

On July 8th, 1776, the Liberty Bell was rung to gather people to the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

On July 7th, 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam was begun.

On July 6th, 1785, the dollar was unanimously chosen as the official currency of the United States.

On July 5th, 1937, SPAM was first put on the market.

On July 4th, 1817, construction began on the Erie Canal.

On July 3rd, 1863. the Battle of Gettysburg ended.

On July 2nd, 1900, the first zeppelin flight took place on Lake Constance in Germany.

On July 1st, 1862, the Russian State Library was founded.