August 7
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1420
The feud behind Florenceâs landmark
On this day in 1420, construction began on the iconic dome of Florence Cathedral. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the massive structure was an engineering breakthrough, built without the traditional wooden scaffolding. Brunelleschiâs bitter rivalry with Lorenzo Ghiberti shaped the project, and after reportedly exposing his rivalâs inability to direct the work, Brunelleschi became the domeâs sole architect and earned lasting fame.
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Featured Event
UPI/Bettmann Archive
In the Alliesâ first major offensive in the Pacific theater during World War II, U.S. Marines on this day in 1942 landed on Guadalcanal and captured the airfield from Japan, sparking a battle that lasted some six months. [Take our quiz about World War II.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Courtesy of the Nolde-Foundation; photograph, Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich
Born this day in 1867, Emil Nolde was a leading German Expressionist painter, printmaker, and watercolorist whose artânotably violent religious works and foreboding landscapesâwas later called âdegenerateâ by the Nazis.
Famous Birthdays
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© TUR Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/HandoutâAnadolu/Getty Images
2026
Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey (TĂŒrkiye), and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement as the 2026 Iran war and Houthi-Saudi conflict continued to shift security dynamics in the Middle East. [What are the provisions of the Mecca Pact?]
© Bettmann/Getty Images
2015
American golfer Louise Suggs, a pioneer of womenâs golf who cofounded (1950) the Ladies Professional Golf Association and won 61 career LPGA tournaments, died at age 91. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about golf.]
Andrew GombertâEPA/REX/Shutterstock.com
2007
American baseball player Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run, breaking the record set by Hank Aaron. [How much do you know about baseball?]
© Gerald MartineauâThe Washington Post/Getty Images
1978
U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency in Love Canal, a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, following the leakage of toxic chemicals buried under the community; it was the worst environmental disaster involving chemical wastes in U.S. history. [Explore a timeline of environmental history.]
© Featureflash/Dreamstime.com
1974
French-born Philippe Petit walked on a high wire between the newly built twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, about 1,350 feet (411 meters) above the ground. He was arrested, but the charges were later dismissed.
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1960
CĂŽte dâIvoire gained independence from France. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Africa.]
© 1934 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc
1957
Oliver Hardyâa member of Laurel and Hardy, the first great Hollywood motion-picture comedy teamâdied in California.
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1948
At the Olympics in London, track-and-field athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, who was pregnant with her third child, helped the Dutch team win the 4 Ă 100 relay, becoming the first woman to capture four gold medals at a single Games. She earlier had won the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and the 80-meter hurdles. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Olympics.]
U.S. Department of Defense
1943
Hazel Ying Lee, one of the first Chinese American women to earn a pilotâs license, graduated from a Women Airforce Service Pilots program that qualified her to fly several types of U.S. military planes. She later trained for and flew fighter aircraft.
© Bettmann/Getty Images
1932
Abebe Bikila, the first athlete to win two Olympic marathons, was born in Jato, Ethiopia. [How much do you know about Olympic history?]
© Interfoto/Alamy
1905
The Swadeshi Movement was formally launched in Calcutta (now Kolkata). An anti-colonial agitation in British India, it was the first organized mass collective action in the Indian Independence Movement.
The British Library/Robana/REX/Shutterstock.com
1888
The first of the murders committed by Jack the Ripper took place in Londonâs East End. [Read more about Jack the Ripper and six other notorious serial killers.]
Harlinque/H. Roger-Viollet
1876
Mata Hari, whose name became a synonym for the seductive female spy, was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. [Find out more about Mata Hari and other notable female spies.]
North Wind Picture Archives
1819
A group of South American insurgents under SimĂłn BolĂvar defeated Spanish forces at the Battle of BoyacĂĄ, which freed New Granada (Colombia and Venezuela) from Spanish control. [Test your knowledge of Latin American history.]
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
1782
George Washington ordered the creation of the first U.S. military decoration, the Badge of Military Merit (today called the Purple Heart), which was later awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers for bravery in action.
Interfoto/Alamy
1560
Hungarian countess Elizabeth BĂĄthory was born. During her lifetime, she was accused of torturing and murdering more than 600 young women, though modern scholarship has questioned these claims.