1875 – California:
Infamous outlaw Black Bart, known for leaving poetic verses at the scenes of his robberies, escaped authorities after stealing a Wells Fargo safe. The safe was later found emptied of cash, but with a poem inside—presumably penned by Bart himself.
July 26, 1925 – Thessaloniki, Greece:
Greek football club PAOK played its inaugural match, defeating Iraklis 2–1. The players wore jerseys featuring a green four-leaf clover emblem, which was replaced four years later by the now-iconic double-headed eagle.
1933 – Berlin, Germany:
The German government passed legislation mandating forced sterilization of individuals with severe physical or hereditary mental illnesses, part of a disturbing trend in early Nazi eugenics policy.
July 1935 – China:
Deadly flooding along the Yangtze River claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 people. The disaster stands as one of the worst in the country’s history.
1973 – Limassol, Cyprus:
A powerful bomb exploded at the main police station, reportedly carried out by EOKA B, severely damaging one wing of the facility.
1974 – Athens, Greece:
Konstantinos Karamanlis formed a government of “national unity” following the fall of the military junta. Key political figures, including Andreas Papandreou, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, and representatives of the Left, did not participate.
1996 – Atlanta, United States:
Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas won a gold medal in the 83 kg category at the Summer Olympics, adding to his legacy as one of the nation’s most celebrated athletes.
2006 – Ankara, Turkey:
Greek military chief Gen. Panagiotis Hinofotis made a landmark three-day official visit to Turkey, invited by his counterpart Gen. Hilmi Özkök. It was the first visit of its kind since 1974.
2013 – Turkey:
Turkish authorities detained a lesser kestrel suspected of espionage for Israel. The bird was released after X-rays confirmed no surveillance device had been implanted.
2015 – Athens, Greece:
According to a report in Kathimerini, former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis was tasked by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in December 2014 with developing a detailed “Plan B.” The alternative economic strategy envisioned a parallel banking system that, while euro-denominated, could be swiftly converted into a new drachma overnight.