July 22

Byzantine Emperor Theophilos is defeated by Abbasid forces at the Battle of Anzen.

Byzantine Emperor Theophilos personally led his forces against the Abbasid Caliphate but suffered a significant defeat near Anzen in Asia Minor, a setback that emboldened the Abbasids to launch a subsequent devastating raid deep into Byzantine territory, sacking the emperor's own ancestral city.

Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first ruler of the Crusader-controlled Kingdom of Jerusalem, taking the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre.

Following the successful First Crusade's capture of Jerusalem, the assembled Crusader nobility elected Godfrey of Bouillon as the city's first ruler. Godfrey modestly declined the title of king, preferring the more humble designation of Advocate or Defender of the Holy Sepulchre, though his brother and successor readily accepted the royal title.

Crusading forces massacre the population of Beziers in southern France, launching the brutal Albigensian Crusade.

Crusading forces gathered to suppress the Cathar heresy in southern France besieged and captured the city of Beziers, massacring much of its population regardless of religious affiliation. A papal legate is reputed to have declared "kill them all, God will know his own," and the brutal episode set the tone for the ensuing decades-long Albigensian Crusade.

Explorer Alexander Mackenzie completes the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico.

Fur trader and explorer Alexander Mackenzie reached the Pacific coast of present-day British Columbia, completing the first documented transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico, predating the American Lewis and Clark expedition by over a decade. He commemorated the achievement with an inscription on a coastal rock.

The Duke of Wellington's British forces decisively defeat the French at the Battle of Salamanca during the Peninsular War.

The Duke of Wellington's British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces won a decisive victory over French troops near the Spanish city of Salamanca during the Peninsular War. The battle significantly weakened French control over Spain and paved the way for Wellington's subsequent liberation of Madrid.

Britain's Parliament passes the Slavery Abolition Act, initiating the gradual abolition of slavery throughout most of the British Empire.

Britain's Parliament passed legislation providing for the phased abolition of slavery across most of the British Empire, though it included a controversial system of unpaid "apprenticeship" for formerly enslaved people that delayed full freedom for several more years. The act followed decades of abolitionist campaigning and represented a major milestone in the global movement against slavery.

Confederate General John Bell Hood launches an unsuccessful attack during the Battle of Atlanta.

Confederate General John Bell Hood launched another costly offensive against Union forces besieging Atlanta, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, including the death of Union Major General James B. McPherson. Despite inflicting damage, the attack failed to break the Union siege, which continued to tighten around the city.

The Zionist militant group Irgun bombs the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 91 people.

Militants from the Zionist paramilitary group Irgun detonated a large bomb at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which housed British Mandate administrative and military offices, killing 91 people of various nationalities. The attack remains one of the deadliest incidents of the pre-independence conflict in British Mandatory Palestine.

Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping is restored to power after being purged during the Cultural Revolution.

Following the death of Mao Zedong and the fall of the Gang of Four, Deng Xiaoping was reinstated to senior leadership positions within the Chinese Communist Party after having been purged during the Cultural Revolution. Deng's return set the stage for the sweeping economic reforms he would later champion as China's paramount leader.

A bombing in Oslo and a mass shooting at a youth camp on Utoya island, both carried out by a far-right extremist, kill 77 people in Norway.

A far-right extremist detonated a car bomb outside government buildings in Oslo before traveling to the island of Utoya and opening fire on attendees of a youth political camp, killing 77 people in total across both attacks. The atrocity prompted a nationwide reckoning in Norway over extremism and led to significant reforms in national security policy.