July 11, 1804 – Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton during a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.
July 13, 1787 – Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing procedures for transforming territories into states to be considered equal to the original 13 (Illinois becomes one such state in 1818).
July 14, 1789 – The fall of the Bastille Prison occurs at the beginning of the French Revolution. This will later be celebrated as a day of French unification over the monarchy.
July 16, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Lunar landing mission begins with a liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center at 9:37 AM.