On This Day in History — July 7

• 2016 — Former U.S. Army soldier Micah Xavier Johnson shoots fourteen policemen during an anti-police protest in downtown Dallas, Texas, killing five of them. He is subsequently killed by a robot-delivered bomb.
• 2013 — A De Havilland Otter air taxi crashes in Soldotna, Alaska, killing ten people.
• 2012 — At least 172 people are killed in a flash flood in the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia.
• 2007 — The first Live Earth benefit concert was held in 11 locations around the world.
• 2005 — A series of four explosions occurs on London's transport system, killing 56 people, including four suicide bombers, and injuring over 700 others.
• 2003 — NASA Opportunity rover, MER-B or Mars Exploration Rover-B, was launched into space aboard a Delta II rocket.

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Notable Births on July 7

• 1994 — Timothy Cathcart, Northern Irish race car driver (d. 2014)
• 1992 — Ellina Anissimova, Estonian hammer thrower
• 1992 — Dominik Furman, Polish footballer
• 1990 — Lee Addy, Ghanaian footballer
• 1989 — Landon Cassill, American race car driver
• 1989 — Miina Kallas, Estonian footballer

Notable Deaths on July 7

• 2015 — Maria Barroso, Portuguese actress and politician (b. 1925)
• 2015 — Bob MacKinnon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)
• 2014 — Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1926)
• 2014 — Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgian general and politician, 2nd President of Georgia (b. 1928)
• 2014 — Peter Underwood, Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1937)
• 2013 — Artur Hajzer, Polish mountaineer (b. 1962)

On This Day in History — July 8

• 2014 — Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.
• 2011 — Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
• 1994 — Kim Jong-il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.
• 1988 — The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.
• 1982 — Assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in Dujail.
• 1980 — The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20-10 at Lang Park.

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Notable Births on July 8

• 1998 — Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, American actor and rapper
• 1996 — Braidon Burns, Australian rugby league player
• 1991 — Virgil van Dijk, Dutch footballer
• 1989 — Yarden Gerbi, Israeli world champion and Olympic bronze medalist judoka
• 1989 — Tor Marius Gromstad, Norwegian footballer (d. 2012)
• 1988 — Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)

Notable Deaths on July 8

• 2016 — Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistani philanthropist (b. 1928)
• 2015 — Ken Stabler, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1945)
• 2015 — James Tate, American poet (b. 1943)
• 2014 — Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (b. 1930)
• 2014 — John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (b. 1925)
• 2014 — Ben Pangelinan, Guamanian businessman and politician (b. 1956)