Historical Events, Temperature Records, and Significant Dates for July 10th

A review of historical events highlights various significant moments, ranging from monarchical decisions to major rescues and military actions.

Landmark Moments in History

In 1840, the marriage of Queen Victoria of Great Britain initiated the tradition of white wedding dresses. Her choice of color was made to support the struggling lace industry and to demonstrate the image of a modest and loving wife. Previously, brides usually wore their finest dress of any color.

Events of July 9th

In 68 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide, asking his secretary Epaphroditus to slit his throat to avoid punishment by flogging. In 1910, a passenger on the SS Arawatta threw a bottle with a note overboard somewhere between Cairns and Brisbane. This bottle was discovered almost 73 years later, on June 6, 1983, on Moreton Island, Queensland.

Bottles thrown into the sea are used to study ocean currents. They follow amazing routes. Three bottles thrown into the Beaufort Sea, off northern Alaska and northwestern Canada, froze in sea ice. Five years later, melting Arctic ice delivered these bottles to Northern Europe. Another bottle circled Antarctica one and a half times before ending up on a beach in Tasmania.

Achievements and Tragedies

In 1928, Charles Kingsford Smith completed the first transatlantic flight in a Fokker Trimotor aircraft. In 1941, an explosion at a gunpowder factory in Belgrade killed 1500 people. In 1944, German troops hanged 99 civilians on lampposts and balconies in Tula, France, in retaliation for rebel attacks preceding D-Day.

In 1967, Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria and reached the Suez Canal. In 1983, Zimbabwe unexpectedly won its first ODI cricket match against strong Australia. In 1984, Nelson Mandela noted in his prison calendar the execution of struggle heroes Simon Mgoerane, Jerry Mosololi, and Thabo Mtaunga.

Peace and Modern Events

In 1999, Yugoslavia and NATO signed a peace treaty that ended the brutal war in Kosovo. In 2010, 40 people died in a suicide bombing at a wedding in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In 2021, a record price was set at a New York auction for a coin when a 1933 'Double Eagle' gold coin sold for $18.9 million. In 2022, doctors successfully separated conjoined twins using virtual reality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also in 2022, two people were rescued after falling into a chocolate vat at the Mars M&M factory in Pennsylvania. In 2023, four children from Colombia were found safe and sound after surviving 40 days in the Colombian jungle following a plane crash that carried three adults onboard.

This day in history is marked by a number of significant events, including maritime discoveries, major disasters, and moments that have influenced the course of world history.

Maritime Discoveries and Contacts

In 1497, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama began his first voyage. He became the first European to reach India by sea. Over four months, the crew crossed the Atlantic without sighting land until they reached a place now known as St Helena Bay. Near the mouth of the Berg River, the explorers stopped for repairs, to find water, and to determine their location. It was here that they had their first encounter with the Khoikhoi people. Due to misunderstandings between the groups, the Khoikhoi threw spears, wounding Da Gama in the thigh.

Tragedies and Military Events

In 1708, the British navy destroyed a Spanish fleet that was extremely rich in gold, silver, and emeralds near Colombia. One of the treasure ships, San Jose, sank and earned the nickname 'Holy Grail of Shipwrecks'. In 1961, the Portuguese vessel SS Save sank off Mozambique, resulting in the death of 227 people.

Infrastructure and Scientific Events

In 1895, the important Delagoa-Beira railway line connecting Johannesburg and Maputo was opened. In 1947, reports emerged of a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. In 1949, the Law prohibiting mixed marriages came into effect, banning love, marriage, and sexual relations between Black and white people.

Contemporary and Recent Events

In 2018, four boys were the first rescued after being trapped in a Thai cave for 16 days. They were given sedatives to prevent panic, and each was pulled out, attached to the cave diver during a dangerous underwater journey. Eight other boys and their football coach remained trapped, awaiting rescue. The two-day rescue operation became one of the most complex cave rescues in history and was recognized as an outstanding example of international cooperation, engineering ingenuity, courage, and teamwork. In 2021, a small sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, 'Head of a Bear', the size of a sticker, was sold at auction in London for 8.9 million pounds sterling. In 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while speaking in Nara. In 2025, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States would send more weapons to Ukraine, although he had previously said he would not do so during the election campaign, and repeatedly criticized opponents publicly, using the word 'liar' in their names.