What Happened in July 1999

Historical Events

  • Jul 1 The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on the day powers are transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Lindsay Davenport beats Steffi Graf 6-4, 7-5 for her only Wimbledon singles title

Sports History

Jul 4 South Korean defending champion Se Ri Pak wins the most crowded playoff in LPGA history (6) in the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic

Wimbledon Men's Tennis

Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: In an all-American final, Pete Sampras beats Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 for his third straight Wimbledon title

  • Jul 6 U.S. Army private Barry Winchell dies from baseball-bat injuries inflicted in his sleep the previous day by fellow soldiers for his relationship with transgendered showgirl and former Navy combat medic, Calpernia Addams

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Jul 8 "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" the 3rd book of the series by J. K. Rowling is published by Bloomsbury in the UK

  • Jul 8 Allen Lee Davis is executed by electrocution by the state of Florida, the last use of the electric chair for capital punishment in Florida

American Pie

Jul 9 Coming of age film "American Pie" is released, directed by Paul Weitz, starring Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, and an ensemble cast

  • Jul 9 Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran
  • Jul 10 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: US beats China, 5-4 on penalties; 0-0 a.e.t; US second World Cup
  • Jul 11 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Des Moines G & CC: Dave Eichelberger wins by 3 strokes ahead of Ed Dougherty for his lone major title
  • Jul 13 70th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 4-1 at Fenway Park, Boston
  • Jul 13 Pedro Martínez strikes out the first four batters in the All-Star Game at Fenway Park, earning All-Star Game MVP
  • Jul 15 Scientists uncover possible reason for SS Waratah's disappearance 100 years later; The SS Waratah was a luxury steamer which did not reach its destination in 1909, and no trace of the wreckage was ever found
  • Jul 15 The inaugural game at the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field held in Seattle, Washington

Plane Crash

Jul 16 John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard; the Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy

  • Jul 18 British Open Men's Golf, Carnoustie: Scotsman Paul Lawrie wins his only major title by 3 strokes in 4-hole aggregate playoff with Jean van de Velde & Justin Leonard; recovers from 10 shots behind after 3rd round for biggest comeback in major championship history; van de Velde famously triple-bogies last hole
  • Jul 18 New York Yankees' David Cone becomes 15th pitcher to throw a perfect game (6-0 vs Montreal)
  • Jul 20 Falun Gong is banned in the People's Republic of China, and a large scale crackdown of the practice is launched
  • Jul 22 Woodstock '99 music festival begins at Griffiss Park, Rome, New York (runs until 25th); attended by 200,000, ended due to violence
  • Jul 23 ANA Flight 61 is hijacked in Tokyo, Japan.
  • Jul 23 Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the death of his father

Tour de France

Jul 25 86th Tour de France: Lance Armstrong wins 1st of 7 consecutive Tour de France titles but is later disqualified for drug cheating

  • Jul 25 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Irishman Christy O'Connor Jr wins by 3 strokes from John Bland of South Africa
  • Jul 26 Fighting ceases between India and Pakistan in the Kargil War, Kashmir, after two months of fighting

Sports History

Jul 27 Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a "900"

  • Jul 31 Discovery Program: Lunar Prospector - NASA intentionally crashes the spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the moon's surface
1999 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jul 20 Pop Smoke [Bashar Barakah Jackson], American rapper and singer-songwriter (Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2020)
  • Jul 20 Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco
  • Jul 28 GloRilla [Gloria Woods], American rapper (F.N.F. (Let's Go)), born in Memphis, Tennessee
  • Jul 30 Joey King, American actress (The Kissing Booth, The Act), born in Los Angeles, California
Born in 1999

Famous Weddings

Victoria Beckham & David Beckham

Jul 4 English Los Angeles Galaxy soccer star player David Beckham (24) weds English "Spice Girls" singer Victoria Beckham (25) at the 560-acre Luttrellstown Castle outside Dublin, Ireland

  • Jul 9 Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark (33) weds Spanish architect and yachtsman Carlos Morales Quintana (28) at St. Sophia Cathedral in London, England
  • Jul 10 "It Could Happen To You" actress Rosie Perez (34) weds playwright and screenwriter Seth Zvi Rosenfeld (37) in Brooklyn, New York
  • Jul 15 "Grateful Dead" guitarist Bob Weir (51) weds Natasha Muenter (31) in Mill Valley, California

Helen Hunt & Hank Azaria

Jul 17 Academy Award-winning actress Helen Hunt (36) weds "The Simpsons" voice actor Hank Azaria (35) in Los Angeles, California

Raquel Welch

Jul 17 American actress Raquel Welch (58) weds American pizza maker Richard Palmer at her home in Beverly Hills, California; divorce in 2004

Glenn McGrath

Jul 17 Cricketer Glenn McGrath (29) weds flight attendant Jane Louise Steele

Jimmy Johnson

Jul 18 Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson (56) weds longtime girlfriend Rhonda Rookmaaker (45) in the Florida Keys

Martin Scorsese

Jul 22 American film director Martin Scorsese (56) weds fifth wife Helen Morris in New York City

  • Jul 28 "Sixteen Candles" actress Molly Ringwald (31) weds French writer Valery Lamerignere in Bordeaux, France

Patrick Dempsey

Jul 31 American actor Patrick Dempsey (33) weds American makeup artist Jillian Fink (33) at his family's farmhouse in Maine

Phil Esposito

Jul 31 NHL player Phil Esposito (57) weds Bridget Leigh


Famous Deaths

  • Jul 1 Dennis Brown, Jamaican reggae singer ("Money In My Pocket"), dies of a collapsed lung, after a heart attack, at 42
  • Jul 1 Edward Dmytryk, Canadian film director (Carpetbaggers, Young Lions, Caine Mutiny), dies at 90
  • Jul 1 Forrest Mars Sr., American candy magnate (Mars, Inc.), dies at 95
  • Jul 1 Guy Mitchell [Albert George Cernik], American singer and actor (Red Garters, 3 Redheads from Seattle), dies at 72
  • Jul 1 Jack Moroney, Australian cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 118; NSWCA), dies at 81
  • Jul 1 Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean revolutionary (ZAPU), and Matabeleland politician (Vice-President of Zimbabwe, 1990-99), dies of prostate cancer at 82
  • Jul 1 Sylvia Sidney, American actress (b. 1910)
  • Jul 2 Angelo Paccignini, Italian composer (Flou II), educator (Milan Conservatory - electronic music chair. 1969-80), and musical director (Nuova Armonia), dies at 68

Mario Puzo (1920-1999)

Jul 2 American novelist (The Godfather, Cotton Club, Earthquake), dies at 78

  • Jul 3 Mark Sandman, American singer-songwriter and musician (Morphine; Treat Her Right), dies of a heart attack at 46
  • Jul 4 Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b.1917)
  • Jul 4 Ronny Graham [Stringer], American composer, lyricist, screenwriter (M*A*S*H (TV series), and actor (Chico & the Man; Mel Brooks films), dies of liver disease at 79
  • Jul 4 Ruby Johnson, American singer (I'll Run Your Hurt Away), dies at 63
  • Jul 6 Barry Winchell, American soldier murdered in his sleep by a fellow soldier at 21
  • Jul 6 Carl Gunter Jr, American politician (b. 1938)
  • Jul 6 Joaquín Rodrigo, Spanish composer, dies at 97
  • Jul 7 Captain Vikram Batra, Indian Army officer, awarded Param Vir Chakra (September 9,1974)
  • Jul 8 Pete Conrad, American astronaut (b. 1930)
  • Jul 9 Robert de Cotret, Canadian politician (b. 1944)
  • Jul 9 Talib Dawud [Alfonso Rainey], Antiguan-American jazz trumpeter (Dizzy Gillespie Big Band), dies at 76
  • Jul 11 Helen Forrest [Fogel], American big band, pop, and swing jazz singer (Artie Shaw; Benny Goodman; Harry James), dies of heart failure at 82 [1]
  • Jul 12 Bill Owen [William Owen Rowbotham], British actor (Last of the Summer Wine, Not So Dusty), dies from pancreatic cancer at 85
  • Jul 14 Gar Samuelson, American drummer (Megadeth), dies of liver failure at 41
  • Jul 15 George Brown Jr, American politician (Rep-D-CA, 1963-71, 73-99), dies at 79
  • Jul 16 Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy, Jr. (b. 1966)
  • Jul 16 Hiromi Yanagihara, Japanese singer (b. 1979)

John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960-1999)

Jul 16 American magazine publisher (George), lawyer and son of JFK, dies in a plane crash at 38

  • Jul 17 Kevin Wilkinson, British drummer (The Waterboys), commits suicide at 41
  • Jul 20 Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
  • Jul 21 David Ogilvy 'Father of Advertising', English advertising whiz (founded Ogilvy & Mathers), dies at 88
  • Jul 23 Alex Gordon, Welsh architect (RIBA President), dies at 82

Hassan II (1922-1999)

Jul 23 King of Morocco (1961-99), dies of natural causes at 70

  • Jul 27 Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov, Russian mathematician, physicist, philosopher, and mountaineer, dies at 86
  • Jul 27 Harry "Sweets" Edison, American jazz and session trumpet player, dies of prostate cancer at 83
  • Jul 28 Rudolf Halaczinsky, German composer, dies at 78
  • Jul 28 Trygve Haavelmo, Norwegian economist and 1989 Nobel laureate for his contributions to econometrics, dies at 87
  • Jul 29 Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor, producer and director (Arzoo, Love Story, Sangam), dies at 70