Michael Phelps sets the Olympic record for the most gold medals (8 in Beijing and 6 in Athens) won by an individual in Olympic history with his win in the men's 200m butterfly.

Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, strikes Punta Gorda, Florida and devastates the surrounding area.

156 Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.

The roof of the uncompleted Rosemont Horizon near Chicago, Illinois collapses, killing 5 workers and injuring 16.

150 Palestinians in Beirut are killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War.

The ''Apollo 11'' astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.

The German Democratic Republic closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West.

The Central African Republic declares independence from France.

Radio Pakistan broadcasts the National Anthem of Pakistan for the first time.

The Battle of Shanghai begins.

Polish-Soviet War: the Battle of Warsaw begins and will last till August 25. The Red Army is defeated.

Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany.

Otto Witte, an acrobat, is purportedly crowned King of Albania.

First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.

German Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his ''Navigable Balloon''.

Nat Turner sees a solar eclipse, which he believes is a sign from God. Eight days later he and 70 other slaves kill approximately 55 whites in Southampton County, Virginia.

The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Provinces, is signed in London.

Battle of Mišar during the Serbian revolution begins. The battle will end two days later, with a decisive Serbian victory over the Ottomans.

King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal, and declared an enemy of the people.

War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim

Michael Servetus is arrested by John Calvin in Geneva as a heretic.

Buddhist monks from Kyōto's Enryaku-ji temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout in what will be known as the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance. (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1536).

Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.

The Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain is signed. Francis I of France recognises Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor recognises Francis's claim to Milan.