- July 10
- 1778 - Louis XVI of France declares war on Great Britain in the American Revolution.
- 1850 - Millard Fillmore inaugurated as the 13th President of the United States.
- 1890 - Wyoming becomes the 44th state.
- 1919 - President Woodrow Wilson personally delivers the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate and urges its ratification.
- 1925 - The Scopes Trial begins in Dayton, Tennessee
- 1962 - The world's first communications satellite, Telstar, is launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral.
- 1973 - The Bahamas gain full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1985 - Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior is blown up and sunk in Auckland, New Zealand Harbor by French government agents.
- 1991 - Boris Yeltsin takes the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic.
- July 9
- 1749 - The settlement of Halifax Nova Scotia is founded by Edward Cornwallis.
- 1793 - The Act Against Slavery was passed by Upper Canada to prohibit slavery and the importation of slaves.
- 1816 - Argentina declares its independence from Spain.
- 1943 - Operation Husky: The Allied forces execute an amphibious invasion of Sicily.
- 1960 - Seven-year old Roger Woodward is the first person to go over the 162 ft Niagra Falls by accident and live. His first words on being rescued: "Gosh!"
- 1982 - Queen Elizabeth II has a rude awakening as intruder Michael Fagan shins up a drain pipe and enters her bedroom.
- 2001 - Chile rules that General Augusto Pinochet would not be tried on human rights charges because of his deteriorating physical and mental health.
- 2004 - The International Court of Justice rules that Israel's security barrier in the West Bank violates international law; Israel responds that there has been an absolute halt in terrorist activities in the West Bank areas where the barrier has been constructed.