1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States.

On this day in history, July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in duel

 DaveInSaoMiguel wrote: He should have copyrighted his name

On this day in history, July 10, 1856, inventor Nikola Tesla is born: 'Keen interest in nature'

1997 – In London, scientists report the findings of the DNA analysis of a Neanderthal skeleton which supports the "out of Africa theory" of human evolution, placing an "African Eve" at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

1962 – Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit.

2004 – The Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence is released by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, casting doubt on the rationale for the Iraq War.

1868 – 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.

On this day in history, July 9, 1828, American painter Gilbert Stuart dies at age 72

1970 – Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

On this day in history, July 8, 1918, American Red Cross driver Ernest Hemingway is wounded in World War I

1937 – The Peel Commission Report recommends the partition of Palestine, which was the first formal recommendation for partition in the history of Palestine.

1928 – Sliced bread is sold for the first time (on the inventor's 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.

1911 – The United States, UK, Japan, and Russia sign the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 banning open-water seal hunting, the first international treaty to address wildlife preservation issues.

On this day in history, July 7, 1930, Hoover Dam construction begins

2003 – The 70-metre Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2049, respectively.

1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles.

1947 – The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.

1944 – Jackie Robinson refuses to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court-martial.

1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.