Today is Tuesday, July 21, the 202nd day of 2026. There are 163 days left in the year.
Today in History
On July 21, 1925, the so-called “Monkey Trial” ended in Dayton, Tennessee, with John T. Scopes found guilty of violating state law for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The conviction was later overturned.
Also on this date, in 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Virginia, resulting in a Confederate victory. In 1944, American forces landed on Guam during World War II, capturing it from the Japanese some three weeks later.
In 1954, the Geneva Conference concluded with accords dividing Vietnam into northern and southern entities. In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin blasted off from the moon aboard the ascent stage of the lunar module for docking with the command module.
In 1970, construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed. In 1972, the Irish Republican Army carried out 22 bombings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing nine people and injuring 130 in what became known as “Bloody Friday.”
In 2002, golfer Ernie Els won the British Open in the first sudden-death finish in the 142-year history of the tournament. In 2008, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was arrested in a Belgrade suburb by Serbian security forces.
In 2011, the 30-year-old space shuttle program ended as Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after the 135th shuttle flight. In 2012, Turkish-American Erden Eruc became the first person to complete a solo, human-powered circumnavigation of the globe; his journey lasted more than five years.
In 2023, the “Barbenheimer” buzz reached its peak as the films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opened in theaters; the critical and public acclaim for both films led to the fourth-largest weekend box office of all time.
In 2024, President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection following a disastrous campaign debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about the Democratic incumbent’s fitness for office.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
