July 11 has seen population milestones, duels of honor, and breakthroughs in exploration.
Vice President Aaron Burr fatally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel at Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton died the next day, and the tragedy effectively ended Burr's political career.
America's first space station, Skylab, made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris across Western Australia. NASA had hoped to boost it to a higher orbit, but solar activity caused it to fall earlier than expected.
Bosnian Serb forces under General Ratko Mladić captured the UN-designated safe area of Srebrenica. Over the following days, they systematically murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.
Pope Clement VII excommunicated King Henry VIII of England for annulling his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This led to the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.
Harper Lee's debut novel was published, telling the story of racial injustice in the American South through a child's eyes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and became one of the most beloved and influential American novels.
The United Nations designated this day as the approximate date when the world's population reached five billion. The milestone highlighted concerns about population growth, resources, and sustainability.
President John Adams signed legislation re-establishing the United States Marine Corps as a permanent military force. The Marines would become one of the most elite fighting forces in the world.