July 6 facts for kids

July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 178 days remain until the end of the year. July 6th is a day filled with many important moments throughout history, from ancient battles to modern discoveries. People around the world celebrate different holidays and remember famous figures born or who passed away on this day. Let's explore some of the key events that have shaped our world on July 6th.

Historical Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra took place, which greatly weakened Sparta's reputation as an unbeatable military power.
• 640 – The Muslim Arab army, led by 'Amr ibn al-'As, defeated the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis in Egypt.
• 1253 – Mindaugas was crowned the first King of Lithuania.
• 1348 – Pope Clement VI issued a special order, called a papal bull, to protect Jewish people who were wrongly blamed for causing the Black Death plague.
• 1411 – China's Admiral Zheng He returned to Nanjing after his third great sea journey. He brought back the king of Sri Lanka, who had been captured during a conflict, to show to the Yongle Emperor.
• 1415 – Jan Hus, a Czech priest and reformer, was sentenced to death for his beliefs by a council in the Konstanz Cathedral.
• 1483 – Richard III and Anne Neville were crowned King and Queen of England.
• 1484 – Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão discovered the mouth of the Congo River in Africa.
• 1495 – During the First Italian War, Charles VIII of France defeated the Holy League at the Battle of Fornovo.
• 1536 – The explorer Jacques Cartier landed back at St. Malo, France, after his second trip to North America. He did not find the gold he had hoped for.
• 1557 – King Philip II of Spain left Dover to go to war with France. This war later led to England losing the city of Calais, their last possession on the European continent.
• 1560 – The Treaty of Edinburgh was signed between Scotland and England, bringing peace between the two nations.
• 1573 – The city of Córdoba, Argentina, was founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
• 1573 – The French Wars of Religion saw the end of the Siege of La Rochelle.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1614 – The town of Żejtun in Malta was attacked by Ottoman forces. This was the last time the Ottomans tried and failed to conquer the island of Malta.
• 1630 – In the Thirty Years' War, four thousand Swedish soldiers, led by Gustavus Adolphus, landed in Pomerania, Germany.
• 1685 – The Battle of Sedgemoor, the last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion, took place. King James II's troops defeated the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.
• 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, American forces had to leave Fort Ticonderoga in New York after British artillery under General John Burgoyne bombarded it.
• 1779 – The French navy defeated British naval forces in the Caribbean during the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Grenada.
• 1791 – In Padua, Emperor Leopold II asked other European rulers to join him in demanding freedom for King Louis XVI of France.
• 1801 – In the First Battle of Algeciras, French Navy ships, though outnumbered, defeated the Royal Navy in the Spanish port of Algeciras.
• 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Wagram saw France defeat the Austrian army. This was one of the largest battles of the Napoleonic Wars at that time.
• 1854 – The Republican Party in the United States held its very first meeting in Jackson, Michigan.
• 1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies on a boy named Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by a rabid dog.
• 1887 – David Kalākaua, the king of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution. This document took away much of the king's power and gave it to the Hawaiian Legislature.
• 1892 – During the Homestead Strike, thousands of striking steelworkers fought a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents. Ten people died and many more were injured.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1917 – In World War I, Arabian troops, led by T. E. Lawrence (also known as "Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi, captured Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.
• 1919 – The British airship R34 landed in New York, completing the first airship crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1933 – The first ever Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Chicago. The American League team won against the National League team.
• 1936 – A large part of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England broke, sending millions of gallons of water rushing into the River Irwell.
• 1940 – The Story Bridge, a major landmark and Australia's longest cantilever bridge in Brisbane, was officially opened.
• 1941 – In World War II, the German army began an attack to surround several Soviet armies near Smolensk.
• 1942 – Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in Amsterdam.
• 1944 – Jackie Robinson, a famous baseball player, refused to move to the back of a bus. This led to him facing a court-martial.
• 1944 – The Hartford circus fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, killed about 168 people and injured over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut.
• 1947 – A vote was held in Sylhet to decide if it would join India or Pakistan during the Partition of India.
• 1947 – The AK-47 rifle began production in the Soviet Union.
• 1957 – Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first black athlete to achieve this.
• 1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time as teenagers. They would later form the famous band, The Beatles.
• 1962 – The Sedan nuclear test took place as part of Operation Plowshare, which explored peaceful uses for nuclear explosions.
• 1964 – Malawi declared its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1966 – Malawi became a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President.
• 1967 – The Nigerian Civil War began when Nigerian forces invaded Biafra.
• 1975 – The Comoros declared its independence from France.
• 1982 – Aeroflot Flight 411, an Ilyushin Il-62 plane, crashed near Mendeleyevo, Moscow Oblast, killing all 90 people on board.
• 1988 – The Piper Alpha oil drilling platform in the North Sea was destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers died, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost.
• 1995 – During the Bosnian War, Serbian forces, led by General Ratko Mladić, began their attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
• 1996 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1288, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 plane, had an engine failure during takeoff from Pensacola International Airport. Two people died and five were injured.
• 1998 – Hong Kong International Airport opened in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, replacing Kai Tak Airport as the city's main international airport.
• 2003 – The 70-meter Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sent a special message to five stars, hoping to reach extra-terrestrial intelligence.
• 2006 – The Nathu La pass between India and China, which had been closed for 44 years since the Sino-Indian War, reopened for trade.
• 2013 – A train carrying oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, and exploded. At least 47 people died, and many buildings in the town center were destroyed.
• 2022 – The Georgia Guidestones, a monument in the United States, were severely damaged in a bombing and later taken down.

Famous Births

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1387 – Queen Blanche I of Navarre.
• 1423 – Antonio Manetti, an Italian mathematician and architect.
• 1747 – John Paul Jones, a Scottish-American naval captain known for his bravery during the American Revolution.
• 1796 – Nicholas I of Russia, who became Emperor of Russia.
• 1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico, an Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico.
• 1885 – Ernst Busch, a German field marshal.
• 1887 – Marc Chagall, a famous Belarusian-French painter and poet.
• 1887 – Annette Kellermann, an Australian swimmer and actress who helped popularize synchronized swimming.
• 1899 – Susannah Mushatt Jones, an American supercentenarian who lived to be 116 years old.

Modern Personalities (1901–Present)

• 1907 – Frida Kahlo, a very famous Mexican painter known for her self-portraits.
• 1907 – George Stanley, a Canadian soldier and historian who designed the flag of Canada.
• 1914 – Vince McMahon Sr., who founded the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).
• 1921 – Nancy Reagan, an American actress and the 42nd First Lady of the United States.
• 1923 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, a Polish general and the first President of Poland.
• 1925 – Merv Griffin, an American producer who created popular game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.
• 1925 – Bill Haley, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known as one of the first rock and roll stars.
• 1935 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
• 1937 – Vladimir Ashkenazy, a renowned Russian-Icelandic pianist and conductor.
• 1946 – George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.
• 1946 – Sylvester Stallone, a famous American actor, director, and screenwriter known for roles like Rocky and Rambo.
• 1949 – Geoffrey Rush, an Australian actor and producer who has won many awards.
• 1958 – Jennifer Saunders, an English actress, comedian, and screenwriter, famous for the show Absolutely Fabulous.
• 1975 – 50 Cent, a popular American rapper and actor.
• 1978 – Tamera Mowry and Tia Mowry, American actresses and producers, known for their roles in the TV show Sister, Sister.
• 1979 – Kevin Hart, a very popular American comedian, actor, and producer.
• 1980 – Eva Green, a French actress and model.
• 1985 – Ranveer Singh, a well-known Indian film actor.
• 1986 – David Karp, the American businessman who founded Tumblr.
• 2000 – Zion Williamson, a talented American basketball player.

Notable Deaths

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 371 BC – Cleombrotus I, a Spartan king.
• 1189 – Henry II, King of England.
• 1415 – Jan Hus, the Czech priest and reformer mentioned earlier.
• 1533 – Ludovico Ariosto, an Italian poet and playwright.
• 1535 – Thomas More, an English lawyer and politician.
• 1553 – Edward VI, King of England and Ireland.
• 1854 – Georg Ohm, a German physicist and mathematician, known for Ohm's Law in electricity.
• 1893 – Guy de Maupassant, a famous French short story writer and novelist.

Modern Personalities (1901–Present)

• 1932 – Kenneth Grahame, a Scottish-English author, best known for The Wind in the Willows.
• 1962 – William Faulkner, an American novelist and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1971 – Louis Armstrong, a legendary American jazz singer and trumpet player.
• 1973 – Otto Klemperer, a German-American conductor and composer.
• 1998 – Roy Rogers, a famous American cowboy, actor, and singer.
• 1999 – Joaquín Rodrigo, a Spanish pianist and composer.
• 2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, an Indian businessman who founded Reliance Industries.
• 2004 – Thomas Klestil, the 10th President of Austria.
• 2009 – Robert McNamara, an American businessman and politician who served as the 8th United States Secretary of Defense.
• 2020 – Charlie Daniels, an American country music singer-songwriter and fiddle player.
• 2020 – Ennio Morricone, a famous Italian composer known for his film scores.
• 2022 – James Caan, an American actor.

Holidays and Celebrations

• The first day of the Festival of San Fermín, which lasts until July 14. This is celebrated in Pamplona, Spain.
• Constitution Day in the Cayman Islands.
• Day of the Capital in Kazakhstan.
• Independence Day (Comoros), celebrating the independence of the Comoros from France in 1975.
• Independence Day (Malawi), celebrating the independence of Malawi from the United Kingdom in 1964.
• International Kissing Day (an informally observed day).
• Jan Hus Day in the Czech Republic.
• Kupala Night in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
• Statehood Day (Lithuania).
• Teachers' Day in Peru.

See also

A friendly robot

In Spanish: 6 de julio para niños