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.
July 17, 1955 – Disneyland is opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California. Originally planned as an eight-acre park across the street from the Walt Disney Burbank Studios to be called Mickey Mouse Park, it evolved into a 160-acre site near Anaheim highlighting multiple Walt Disney characters and movies appealing to children and adults.