THURSDAY, July 16, 2026

622-Islamic Era begins: Muhammad and his followers begin migration from Mecca to Medina (Hijra) 1054-The Great Schism between Western and Eastern churches begins when Roman Cardinal Humbert issues a bull of excommunication against Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, on the altar of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople 1517-Copy of Martin Luther's 95 theses, the publication of which began the Protestant Reformation in EuropeThe Protestant Reformation 1519-Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope 1809-La Paz, Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the first independent government in Spanish America 1940-Adolf Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion) 1945-First test detonation of an atomic bomb occurs at Trinity Site, Alamogordo, New Mexico, as part of the U.S.

Manhattan Project 1966-72 year-old Mao Zedong swims the Yangtze River near Wuhan to prove his strength as part o ...