This Day in History: July

Look back in time and examine the amazing events that happened on this day in history and which helped shape the world as we know it.

Course No. 90049

This collection of historical moments reveals pivotal July events that changed science, exploration, and global politics – from ancient discoveries to modern physics. Each concise lecture brings a different day to life through expert analysis and storytelling.

Video Lessons

01: July 19, 1799 – Rosetta Stone Discovered (9 min)

The discovery that unlocked ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and its connection to Napoleon’s campaigns.

02: July 27, 1953 – Korean War Ends (8 min)

How the Korean War Veterans Memorial honors those involved in this pivotal Cold War conflict.

03: July 6, 1885 – Pasteur Prevents Rabies (4 min)

The dramatic story of Louis Pasteur’s first successful rabies treatment on a 9-year-old boy.

04: July 16, 1872 – Roald Amundsen Born (11 min)

The life of history’s greatest polar explorer, from Northwest Passage to South Pole conquest.

05: July 20, 1969 – Moon Landing (8 min)

Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” that marked humanity’s greatest technological achievement.

06: July 18, 1817 – Jane Austen Dies (4 min)

Professor Devoney Looser examines Austen’s mysterious death and posthumous literary fame.

07: July 30, 762 – Baghdad Founded (12 min)

Professor Eamonn Gearon on how this desert city became the center of the Muslim world.

08: July 13, 586 BCE – Solomon’s Temple Destroyed (6 min)

The Babylonian conquest that shaped Jewish history and biblical narratives.

09: July 28, 1939 – Sutton Hoo Helmet Found (10 min)

The archaeological discovery that revealed Anglo-Saxon England’s sophisticated culture.

10: July 4, 2012 – Higgs Boson Announced (5 min)

How modern physics’ “God particle” discovery completed our understanding of the universe.

11: July 26, 1953 – Castro Attacks Moncada (5 min)

The failed rebellion that sparked the Cuban Revolution and Cold War tensions.