Acturary

Cover of the 1896 Summer Olympics official report

The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. The International Olympic Committee was established in 1894 by a congress organized by Pierre de CoubertininParis. The committee appointed the Greek capital Athens as the host city, and the games took place from 6 to 15 April 1896. According to the committee, 14 nations took part, and 241 male athletes competed. The participants were all European, or living in Europe, with the exception of the United States team. More than 65 per cent of the competing athletes were Greek, and Greece won the most medals overall, 47. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was the German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, with four victories. The 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success, with the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. (Full article...)

Kubrick stare

• ... that a Kubrick stare (example pictured) can be "invasive" and "troubling"?
• ... that Chloë Farro, María Sara Grippoli, Edda Hannesdóttir, Viren Nettasinghe, Oyuntsetsegiin Yesügen, and Lê Đức Phát are flagbearers at today's Olympic opening ceremony?
• ... that silver dimes kept a Tennessee TV station on the air?
• ... that agronomist Oliver Golden remained in the Soviet Union after his delegation of cotton experts returned to the United States?
• ... that the Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest menorah, in Grand Army Plaza, is smaller than a menorah in Grand Army Plaza?
• ... that Olympic swimmer Camil Doua represents a country in which "the only existing swimming pools are those in hotels"?
• ... that there is a rare circumstance in which Jewish soldiers are allowed to abandon kosher dietary laws?
• ... that physiotherapist Alison McGregor was one of the Olympic flame torchbearers from Imperial College London in the build-up to the London Olympic Games in 2012?
• ... that NATO was once targeted by a group of "gay furry hackers"?

Tadej Pogačar

• In cycling, Tadej Pogačar (pictured) wins the Tour de France.
• Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
• In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
• General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.

July 26: Independence Day in the Maldives (1965), Kargil Vijay Diwas in India

L. L. Zamenhof

• 1759 – French and Indian War: Troops led by French brigadier general François-Charles de Bourlamaque attempted to blow up Fort Carillon, near present-day Ticonderoga, New York, rather than defending it against approaching British forces.
• 1887 – L. L. Zamenhof (pictured) published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.
• 1936 – The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, dedicated to Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed in the First World War, was unveiled in Pas-de-Calais, France.
• 1953 – The Battle of the Samichon River, the last engagement of the Korean War, ended a few hours before the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
• 2007 – After widespread controversy throughout Wales, Shambo, a black Friesian bull that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, was slaughtered due to concerns about bovine tuberculosis.