Major Events
- 1401 Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane (Timur) destroys Baghdad, killing 20,000
- 1790 Russo-Swedish War: Second Battle of Svensksund - in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian fleet
- 1868 Louisiana and South Carolina are the last states to ratify the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing civil rights
- 1893 Daniel Hale Williams repairs the torn pericardium of a knife wound patient, James Cornish, without penicillin or blood transfusion
- 1917 British battleship HMS Vanguard explodes at Scapa Flow (the result of an internal explosion of faulty cordite), killing 804
- 1971 Henry Kissinger visits the People's Republic of China to negotiate a detente between the US and China
- 2002 The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.
- 2017 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaims victory over Islamic State forces in Mosul
- More July 9 Events
Jul 9 in Film & TV
- 2001 "The Office" mockumentary created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, starring Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman premieres on BBC Two in the UK
- 2023 Fantasy comedy film "Barbie", starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and directed by Greta Gerwig premieres at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles
Jul 9 in Music
- 1955 Bill Haley & His Comets "Rock Around the Clock" tops the billboards chart, one of the best-selling singles ever
Jul 9 in Sport
- 1877 First ever Wimbledon tennis championship begins - first official lawn tennis tournament - men's singles only
Did You Know?
Nintendo release arcade game "Donkey Kong" created by Shigeru Miyamoto in Japan (July 31 in the US)
Ferdinand II
Clarence Campbell
Edward Heath
O.J. Simpson
Viktor Yanukovych
Tom Hanks
Fun Fact About July 9
Bright pink is the world's oldest biological colour according to scientists, produced by tiny cyanobacteria in 1.1bn-year-old marine shale rock from Taoudeni basin, Mauritania
Famous Weddings
- 1735 Author, poet, critic and lexicographer and writer of the first English dictionary Dr. Samuel Johnson (25) marries the widow Elizabeth "Tetty" Porter, 21 years his senior
- 1842 American "The Scarlett Letter" writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (38) marries American painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody (33) in the Peabody's home, Boston, until his death in 1864
- 1952 American country singer June Carter (23) weds American singer Carl "Mr. Country" Smith (25); divorce 1956
Famous Divorces
- 1540 English King Henry VIII annuls his 6 month marriage to his 4th wife Anne of Cleves, on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine
- 2007 Former contestant on "The Apprentice" and beauty queen Jennifer Murphy (28) divorces "Extreme Makeover" Bill Dorfman (48) due to irreconcilable differences after 1 year of marriage
More July 9 Weddings
Zachary Taylor
Amedeo Avogadro
King C. Gillette
Alice Paul
Rod Steiger
Luis Suárez MiramontesArticles, Photos and Quiz
Battle of Svolder
The Battle of Svolder, a naval battle fought between King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway and an alliance of his enemies
July 9, 1000
$48 Million Prize Money: Anyone For Tennis?
The first Wimbledon Men’s Singles championship began on this day. The winner received prize money of $15. In 2022 the champion took away more than $2 million.
July 9, 1877
HMS Vanguard Disaster
HMS Vanguard in 1909
July 9, 1917
Weekly Quiz for July 8-14
Test your knowledge of historical events and famous people in our multi-choice, weekly history quiz for July 8-14. Then challenge your friends!
