July 12: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released its first groundbreaking images from space.

The new images paved the way for a new era in astronomy. One of the first full-color images was called Cosmic Cliffs. The photo was taken from a star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula.

Sandra Oh became the first woman nominated for an Emmy for her lead role in Killing Eve.

Seven people were killed when a French passenger train derailed in Brétigny-Sur-Orge.

The accident was France's most severe train crash since the 1988 Gare de Lyon accident, in which 56 people lost their lives.

NASA’s Atlantis space shuttle took off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-104.

Mission STS-104's main priorities were transporting and installing the Quest Joint airlock to the International Space Station and conducting routine maintenance on the station. The airlock was the biggest deal, though, as it was the first airlock on the ISS, which was usable by both Russian and American astronauts.

The “X-Men” film premiered in New York on Ellis Island.

Since Ellis Island plays an important role in the movie, the premiere was held at that location. Two days later, the film opened in thousands of theaters across North America.

Basketball player Michael Jordan was offered the richest NBA one-year contract of $30 million from the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan signed the deal for the 1996-97 season with the Chicago Bulls, and little did he know that one year later, he would be offered $33 million to stay with Chicago Bulls.

The musical “Sunset Boulevard” by Andrew Lloyd Webber opened at the Adelphi Theater in London.

The show was incredibly popular and ran for 1,529 performances but had to be stopped due to losing money for being an expensive production.

The Rolling Stones had their first performance at the Marquee Club in London.

Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first president to fly in a helicopter.

Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was shot in a pistol duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

British explorer James Cook returned to England.

His journey from Batavia (modern-day Jakarta in Indonesia) wasn't the easiest as many of his crew suffered from malaria.

Under the rule of King Charles II of England, the Habeas Corpus Parliament was dissolved.

The Habeas Corpus Act was established on March 6, 1679.

The Saxon King Æthelstan of Southern England was the first successful king to take over Northern England.

In Saxon, England, there were many rulers of each area. On this day, King Constantine II of Alba, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, and Ealdred of Bamburgh accepted King Æthelstan's overlordship. He was the first successful king to conquer northern and southern England.