Historical Events
- Jul 1 Denmark is the first European economy to confirm it is in recession since the global credit crunch began; its GDP shrinks 0.6% in the first quarter after a 0.2% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2007
- Jul 2 A settlement is reached allowing former NBA franchise the Seattle SuperSonics to move to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; new owner Clay Bennett agrees to pay City of Seattle $45 million to wriggle out of last 2 years of KeyArena lease
- Jul 2 Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages are rescued by the Colombian armed forces.
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 5 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Venus Williams successfully defends her title beating younger sister Serena 7-5, 6-4
Wimbledon Men's Tennis
Jul 6 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal of Spain ends Roger Federer's 5 year reign at Wimbledon 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7
Pickens Plan
Jul 8 American businessman T. Boone Pickens announces his "Pickens Plan", an energy policy that moves away from imported oil
The Dark Knight
Jul 14 "The Dark Knight" directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, premieres in New York
- Jul 16 79th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 4-3 at Yankee Stadium, New York City
- Jul 16 Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is arrested on sodomy charges in Malaysia
Music Concert
Jul 18 Billy Joel performs last of two concerts dubbed "The Last Play at Shea"; the final concert event before demolition of the 1964 baseball stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC; featured guests include Roger Daltrey, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney
ESPY Awards
Jul 20 16th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Candace Parker win
- Jul 20 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Irishman Pádraig Harrington successfully defends his Open title; shoots 4-under par over the final 9 to be 4 strokes clear of runner-up Ian Poulter
Event of Interest
Jul 21 Bosnian Serb politician Radovan Karadžić is arrested in Serbia and indicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia tribunal for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre
- Jul 23 Cape Verde joins the World Trade Organization, becoming its 153rd member.
- Jul 24 41st San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center
- Jul 27 95th Tour de France won by Carlos Sastre of Spain
- Jul 27 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Troon: Bruce Vaughan birdies first extra playoff hole to beat fellow American John Cook by a stroke
- Jul 28 Historic Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier burns down for a second time in 80 years
Famous Birthdays
- Jul 15 Iain Armitage, American actor (Young Sheldon), born in Georgia
Famous Weddings
Samantha Power
Jul 4 American journalist and diplomat Samantha Power (37) weds American law professor Cass Sunstein (53) at Church of Mary Immaculate in County Kerry, Ireland
- Jul 5 "The Bachelor" TV personality Andrew Firestone (32) weds Serbian model and actress Ivana Bozilovic (30) at St Mark's in the Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos, California
- Jul 12 "Black Eyed Peas" rapper Taboo (32) weds fashion publicist Jaymie Dizon (29) at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Pasadena, California
- Jul 13 American Pie actor Jason Biggs (30) weds actress Jenny Mollen (28) at Honig Winery and Vineyard in Napa, California
- Jul 21 Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai and actress and singer Carina Lau marry in Bhutan
Gavin Newsom
Jul 26 Actress Jennifer Siebel (34) weds San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (40) at her parents horse ranch in Stevensville, Montana
Famous Divorces
Alex Rodriguez
Jul 7 Cynthia Rodriguez (35) divorces New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (32) due to long period of infidelity and emotional abandonment after 6 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Jul 1 John Pont, American college football coach (Miami, Yale, Northwestern, Indiana), dies at 80
- Jul 1 Mel Galley, English guitarist (Whitesnake; Phenomena), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
- Jul 2 Elizabeth Spriggs, English-Born Actress (b. 1929)
- Jul 2 Natasha Shneider, Russian musician (Eleven), dies at 52
- Jul 3 Clive Hornby, English soap actor (Emmerdale), dies of cancer at 63
- Jul 3 Colin Cooper, British vocalist and harmonica player (Climax Blues Band - "Couldn't Get It Right"), dies of cancer at 69 [1]
- Jul 3 Larry Harmon, American entertainer and TV producer (Bozo the Clown), dies at 83
- Jul 3 Oliver Schroer, Canadian fiddler and composer, dies of leukemia at 52
- Jul 4 Charles Wheeler, British journalist (b. 1923)
- Jul 4 Evelyn Keyes, American actress (Gone With The Wind), dies at 91
- Jul 4 Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch author (Hugh Pine books; Murder By Remote Control), dies at 77 [1]
- Jul 4 Jesse Helms, American politician (Senator -D/R-North Carolina, 1973-2003), dies at 86
- Jul 4 Terrence Kiel, American Football Player (b. 1980)
- Jul 4 Thomas M. Disch, American sci-fi author (Genocides, 102 H-Bombs), dies at 68
- Jul 5 Hasan Doğan, 37th president of the Turkish Football Federation (b. 1956)
- Jul 6 Bobby Durham, American jazz drummer (b. 1937)
- Jul 7 Bruce Conner, American artist (b. 1933)
- Jul 7 Dorian Leigh, American supermodel and icon of the fashion industry, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 91
- Jul 7 Hugh Mendl, British record label executive (Decca/Deram Records), dies at 88 [1]
- Jul 8 Alex d'Arbeloff, Georgian-American entrepreneur who co-founded Teradyne, dies at 80 [1]
- Jul 9 Séamus Brennan, Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Minister, dies of cancer at 60
- Jul 10 Hiroaki Aoki, founder of Benihana (b. 1938)
- Jul 10 Mike Souchak, American golfer (15 PGA Tour titles; Ryder Cup 1959, 61), dies of a heart attack at 81
- Jul 11 Michael DeBakey, Lebanese-American cardiac surgeon and artificial heart pioneer, dies at 99
- Jul 12 Bobby Murcer, American baseball outfielder (5-time MLB All Star), dies of brain cancer at 62
- Jul 12 Tony Snow, former speechwriter for Presidents George H. W. Bush and press secretary for George W. Bush, dies of colon and liver cancer at 53
- Jul 13 Bronisław Geremek, Polish social historian and politician (b. 1932)
- Jul 14 Henki Kolstad, Norwegian actor (b. 1915)
- Jul 14 Hugh Lloyd, British actor (Hugh and I, Punch & Judy Man), dies at 85
- Jul 15 Gyorgy Kolonics, Hungarian canoeist, Olympics medalist. (b. 1972)
- Jul 16 Jo Stafford, American pop singer (The Pied Pipers - "I'll Never Smile Again"; Tommy Dorsey - "Let's Just Pretend"; solo - "You Belong to Me"), dies of heart failure at 90
- Jul 17 Larry Haines [Hecht], American actor (The Odd Couple, Search for Tomorrow), dies at 89
- Jul 18 Khosrow Shakibai, Iranian actor (Hamoun), dies at 64
- Jul 18 Tauno Marttinen, Finnish composer (Dalai Lama Concerto; Elegia), dies at 95
- Jul 19 Dercy Gonçalves, Brazilian comedienne (b. 1907)
- Jul 19 Eddie Fuller, South African cricket fast bowler (7 Tests, 22 wickets, BB 5/66; Western Province, Cumbria CCC), dies at 76
- Jul 20 Artie Traum, American folk guitarist, songwriter, producer, and filmmaker, dies of ocular cancer at 65
- Jul 21 Lord Stokes [Donald Stokes], English industrialist (British Leyland), dies at 94
Estelle Getty (1923-2008)
Jul 22 American actress (The Golden Girls, The Golden Palace), dies of Lewy body disease at 84
- Jul 22 Joe Beck, American session and jazz guitarist (Don Sebesky; Gil Evans; Gato Barbieri; Esther Phillips), and bandleader, dies of lung cancer at 62
- Jul 23 Kurt Furgler, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1924)
- Jul 24 Norman Dello Joio [Nicodemo DeGioio], American classical composer (Choreography: Three Dances for Strings), dies at 95
- Jul 24 Robert T. Herres, American air force officer (Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff), dies at 75
- Jul 25 Hiram Bullock, American jazz, funk, and fusion guitarist (The World's Most Dangerous Band), dies of cancer at 52
- Jul 25 Jamiel Chagra, American drug trafficker, dies at 63
- Jul 25 Jeff Fehring, Australian rules footballer (b. 1955)
- Jul 25 Johnny Griffin III, American jazz saxophonist (A Blowin' Session), dies of a heart attack at 80
- Jul 25 Randy Pausch, American professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, known for his "Last Lecture" (b. 1960)
- Jul 25 Tracy Hall, American inventor (b. 1919)
- Jul 27 Horst Stein, German conductor (Hamburg State Opera, 1963-77), dies at 80
- Jul 27 Isaac Saba Raffoul, Mexican Businessman (b. 1923)
- Jul 27 Julius B. Richmond, 12th US Surgeon General (1977-81) created Head Start program, dies at 91
- Jul 27 Youssef Chahine, Egyptian film director (b. 1926)
- Jul 28 Susan Tamim, Lebanese singer and actress (Studio El Fan), murdered in her apartment in Dubai at 30
- Jul 29 Eric Varley, British politician and cabinet minister, dies at 75
- Jul 29 Ishmeet Singh [Sodhi], Indian playback singer (Voice of India, 2007), drowns in a Maldives hotel swimming pool at 19
- Jul 30 Anne Armstrong U.S. ambassador to Britain and first female counsel to the President, dies at 80
