July 24

Roger II of Sicily defeats rival forces at the Battle of Nocera, consolidating his control over southern Italy.

Norman ruler Roger II defeated a coalition of rebellious vassals and allied forces at Nocera in southern Italy, a victory that helped consolidate his control over the mainland territories that, combined with Sicily, formed the foundation of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.

King Edward I of England captures Stirling Castle using a massive siege engine known as the War Wolf.

During the First War of Scottish Independence, English King Edward I's forces finally captured the strategically vital Stirling Castle after a prolonged siege, employing a massive and technologically impressive trebuchet nicknamed the "War Wolf" that the king reportedly insisted on using even after the garrison offered to surrender.

French explorer Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the Gaspe Peninsula, formally claiming the territory for France.

Facing a rebellion by Protestant Scottish nobles following scandal and the suspicious death of her second husband, Mary, Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate her throne in favor of her thirteen-month-old son, who was crowned James VI and later became James I of England as well.

Mary, Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favor of her infant son, James VI.

French explorer and colonial administrator Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established a fortified settlement along the Detroit River as part of France's effort to control trade routes and counter British expansion in the Great Lakes region. The outpost gradually grew into the major American industrial city of Detroit.

French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds Fort Pontchartrain, the settlement that grew into the city of Detroit.

After being driven from Illinois due to religious persecution, Brigham Young led a large group of Latter-day Saint pioneers into the arid Salt Lake Valley, where he reportedly declared it the right place for their new settlement. The community rapidly developed into a significant regional center and eventually the capital of Utah.

Brigham Young leads Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley, founding what became Salt Lake City.

American explorer and Yale professor Hiram Bingham III, guided by local farmers, visited the overgrown ruins of the Inca citadel Machu Picchu and subsequently publicized the site internationally through detailed expeditions and photography, bringing global attention to what remains one of the most iconic archaeological sites in South America.

American explorer Hiram Bingham III brings the ruins of Machu Picchu to international attention, later popularly described as its rediscovery.

The Apollo 11 command module Columbia splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, successfully concluding the historic mission that had achieved humanity's first crewed lunar landing days earlier. The returning astronauts were immediately placed in quarantine as a precaution against potential lunar contaminants before their triumphant public reception.

The Apollo 11 spacecraft splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, completing the first crewed Moon landing mission.

In a unanimous ruling addressing the ongoing Watergate scandal, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that executive privilege did not permit President Nixon to withhold subpoenaed White House tape recordings from prosecutors. The decision proved instrumental in bringing about Nixon's resignation just weeks later.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules that President Nixon must surrender the Watergate tapes to prosecutors.

Following a decisive Conservative Party leadership contest, Boris Johnson formally became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, inheriting the unresolved and contentious task of implementing Britain's withdrawal from the European Union after his predecessor's efforts had repeatedly stalled in Parliament.

Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

During his voyage exploring the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, French explorer Jacques Cartier erected a large cross on the Gaspe Peninsula bearing the arms of the French king, formally claiming the territory for France and initiating the long history of French colonial presence in what became Canada.