July 9 in history — What Happened Today in History

Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 145 people on board and eight others on the ground.

A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.

The Pinochet dictatorship in Chile organises the youth event of Acto de Chacarillas, a ritualised act reminiscent of Francoist Spain.

Starfish Prime tests the effects of a nuclear explosion at orbital altitudes.

Greece becomes the first member state to join the European Economic Community by signing the Athens Agreement, which is later suspended in 1967 during the Greek junta.

A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed.

The 7.7 Mw Amorgos earthquake shakes the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock.

The Russell–Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction of the risk of nuclear warfare.

World War II: American forces take Saipan, bringing the Japanese archipelago within range of B-29 raids, and causing the downfall of the Tojo government.

World War II: Continuation War: Finland wins the Battle of Tali–Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in northern Europe. The Red Army withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into a defensive position, thus ending the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.

World War II: The Allied invasion of Sicily begins, leading to the downfall of Mussolini and forcing Hitler to break off the Battle of Kursk.

The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation are destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire.

The state of São Paulo revolts against the Brazilian Federal Government, starting the Constitutionalist Revolution.

Chiang Kai-shek accepts the post of commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, marking the beginning of the Northern Expedition to unite China under the rule of the Nationalist government.

Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking the world swimming record and the 'minute barrier'.

In Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history.

The Federation of Australia is given royal assent.

The Governor of Shanxi province in North China orders the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children.

William Jennings Bryan delivers his Cross of Gold speech advocating bimetallism at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Daniel Hale Williams, American heart surgeon, performs the first successful open-heart surgery in United States without anesthesia.

The inaugural Wimbledon Championships begins.

The Herzegovina Uprising against Ottoman rule begins, which would last until 1878 and have far-reaching implications throughout the Balkans.

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.

American Civil War: The Siege of Port Hudson ends in a Union victory and, along with the fall of Vicksburg five days earlier, gives the Union complete control of the Mississippi River.

U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies after eating raw fruit and iced milk; he is succeeded in office by Vice President Millard Fillmore.

Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia.

Four hundred and seventy prominent Cypriots including Archbishop Kyprianos are executed in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence.

Argentina declares independence from Spain.

Simon Dumont, American skier

Kiely Williams, American singer-songwriter and dancer

Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer

Ashley Young, English footballer

Chris Campoli, Canadian ice hockey player

Gianni Fabiano, Italian footballer

Jacob Hoggard, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Ave Pajo, Estonian footballer

Piia Suomalainen, Finnish tennis player

LA Tenorio, Filipino basketball player

Alecko Eskandarian, American soccer player and manager

Sakon Yamamoto, Japanese race car driver

Lee Chun-soo, South Korean footballer

Freddie Jones, English actor (born 1927)

Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (born 1958)

Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian economist and politician, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1940)

Lorenzo Álvarez Florentín, Paraguayan violinist and composer (born 1926)

David Azrieli, Polish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1922)

Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (born 1922)

John Spinks, English guitarist and songwriter (born 1953)

Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (born 1959)

Andrew Nori, Solomon lawyer and politician (born 1952)

Kiril of Varna, Bulgarian metropolitan (born 1954)

Barbara Robinson, American author and poet (born 1927)

Toshi Seeger, American activist, co-founded the Clearwater Festival (born 1922)

Shin Jae-chul, South Korean-American martial artist (born 1936)