Tennis Match

1877

Wimbledon tournament begins

Born on This Day

David Hockney At Home

David Hockney

1937 -

British artist famous for his vibrant Pop Art paintings, photography and digital art including "A Bigger Splash."

Fendi Couture â Spring/Summer 2023 â Photocall

Courtney Love

1964 -

Musician who found fame through her band Hole and marriage to Kurt Cobain; acted in films like "The People vs. Larry Flynt."

"With/In Vol.1" - 2021 Tribeca Festival

Chris Cooper

1951 -

Oscar-winning actor in films "Adaptation," "American Beauty" and "The Bourne Identity."

1948

JUL

9

Satchel Paige, longtime Negro League star, makes his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians, the oldest rookie in history. “Age is a question of mind over matter,” he says. “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on July 9th

1762

Catherine the Great assumes power

On July 9, 1762, the wife of Russia’s new emperor, Peter III, rallies the army regiments of St. Petersburg against her husband and is proclaimed Empress Catherine II, the sole ruler of Russia. More commonly known as Catherine the Great, she would stay on the throne for the next 34 years, longer than any other female […]

1846

U.S. takes San Francisco from Mexico

An American naval captain occupies the small settlement of Yerba Buena, a site that will later be renamed San Francisco. Europeans did not encounter the spectacular San Francisco Bay until 1769, although several explorers had sailed by it in earlier centuries. When Spanish explorers finally found the bay in that year, they immediately recognized its […]

1850

President Zachary Taylor dies unexpectedly

On July 9, 1850, after only 16 months in office, President Zachary Taylor dies after a brief illness. The exact cause of his death is still disputed by some historians. On a scorching Fourth of July in Washington, D.C., Taylor attended festivities at the newly dedicated grounds upon which the Washington Monument would be erected. […]

1915

Germans surrender Southwest Africa to Union of South Africa

On July 9, 1915, with the Central Powers pressing their advantage on the Western Front during World War I, the Allies score a distant victory, when military forces of the Union of South Africa accept a German surrender in the territory of Southwest Africa. The Union of South Africa, a united self-governing dominion of the […]

1918

William Faulkner joins the Royal Air Force

William Faulkner, who would go on to become one of America’s most iconic Southern authors, joins the Royal Air Force on this day, but will never see combat because World War I will end before he completes his training. Faulkner joined the RAF after his high school sweetheart, Estelle, married another man. He quit his […]

William Faulkner, pictured next to a plane circa 1930

1928

A spiteful son kills four in a fit of rage

Rose Booher, her son Fred and two hired workers are all shot to death on a secluded farm in Mannville, Alberta, Canada, while the rest of the Booher family is away. Although nothing appeared to be stolen from the house and few clues were found, authorities determined that a rifle had caused the gunshot wounds. […]

1960

Soviet Premier Khrushchev and President Eisenhower trade threats over Cuba

President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev trade verbal threats over the future of Cuba. In the following years, Cuba became a dangerous focus in the Cold War competition between the United States and Russia. In January 1959, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro overthrew the long-time dictator Fulgencio Batista. Although the United States recognized […]

1962

Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind”

On July 9, 1962, folk singer Bob Dylan walks into a studio and records the song that would make him a star: “Blowin’ In The Wind.” “This here ain’t no protest song or anything like that, ’cause I don’t write no protest songs.” That was how Bob Dylan introduced one of the most eloquent protest […]

1971

United States turns over responsibility for the DMZ

Four miles south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), about 500 U.S. troops of the 1st Brigade, 5th Mechanized Division turn over Fire Base Charlie 2 to Saigon troops, completing the transfer of defense responsibilities for the border area. On the previous day, nearby Fire Base Alpha 4 had been turned over to the South Vietnamese. […]

1993

Romanov remains identified using DNA

British forensic scientists announce that they have positively identified the remains of Russia’s last czar, Nicholas II; his wife, Czarina Alexandra; and three of their daughters. The scientists used mitochondria DNA fingerprinting to identify the bones, which had been excavated from a mass grave near Yekaterinburg in 1991. On the night of July 16, 1918, […]

1996

A family is brutally attacked on a walk in England

Dr. Lin Russell, her two daughters, Josie and Megan, and their dog, Lucy, are all brutally attacked by a man wielding a hammer on their way home to Nonington Village, Kent, England, after a swimming gala. Forcing them to sit down in the woods, the attacker blindfolded and tied up his victims with their torn […]

2020

Supreme Court rules in McGirt v. Oklahoma

In a major decision on July 9, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that an 1833 treaty still applies to the Muscogee Nation, also known as the Creek. In McGirt v. Oklahoma, the court holds 5-4 that, while still falling under federal jurisdiction, nearly half of Oklahoma remains Indian land and is not subject to […]

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us