On July 16, 1790, the District of Columbia was established as the permanent seat of the United States government by the Residence Act. Originally the district contained land on both sides of the Potomac, grants from Maryland and Virginia, but in the mid-19th century, when it was obvious that the major government buildings were being [...]
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On July 16, 1979, Hasan al-Bakr resigned as President of Iraq. He was replaced by Saddam Hussein, who held power until he was deposed by American forces in 2003. In 2006, Hussein was tried and convicted of crimes against humanity. He was executed by hanging later that year. Learn more about relations between the United [...]
On July 15, 1949, Congress passed the Federal Housing Act to fund slum clearance and low-rent public housing projects. Learn more about the history of federal housing policy.
On July 15, 2002, a court in Pakistan sentenced Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three accomplices to death for the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Read selected stories by Daniel Pearl from the The Wall Street Journal.
On July 14, 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act, which declared that any treasonable activity, including the publication of “any false, scandalous and malicious writing,” was a high misdemeanor, punishable by fine and imprisonment. Learn more about the Sedition Act from the National Archives and Records Administration.
On July 14, 1789, ordinary citizens of France stormed the Bastille prison and freed prisoners held there. The event has come to symbolize the opening salvo in the French Revolution. One year later, France celebrated the establishment of a short-lived constitutional monarchy in Fête de la Fédération. The anniversary, Bastille Day, is celebrated today as [...]
On July 13, 1955, Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be hanged in Britain after being convicted of murder. Learn more about the hanging and trial of Ruth Ellis.
On July 13, 1787, the Continental Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, passed the Northwest Ordinance. Considered to be the most important piece of legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance created and organized the Northwest Territory, which would become the states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio, as well as [...]
On July 12, 1909, the US Congress passed the Sixteenth Amendment, giving Congress the power to collect income taxes. The Amendment was ratified and went into force in 1913. Learn more about the history of the 16th Amendment.
On July 12, 1790, the French National Assembly promulgated the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. While previous legislation passed by the National Assembly already seized church lands and ended monastic vows, the Civil Constitution finally destroyed monastic orders in France.
