This Day in History: July 31st

Here are ten interesting events that took place on July 31st throughout history:

1. 1498: Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Trinidad during his third voyage to the Americas.
2. 1556: St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order, dies in Rome at the age of 65.
3. 1715: Seven Spanish treasure ships sink off the coast of Florida during a hurricane, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of gold and silver.
4. 1790: The first U.S. patent is issued to Samuel Hopkins for a method of making potash, a crucial ingredient in fertilizer production.
5. 1874: Dr. Patrick Francis Healy becomes the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. degree from a European university, graduating from the University of Leuven in Belgium.
6. 1941: The Holocaust begins as the Nazis implement the systematic extermination of Jews in the Soviet Union with the first mass killing at the town of Białystok.
7. 1964: Ranger 7, a U.S. space probe, transmits the first close-up images of the moon’s surface before crashing into the lunar surface.
8. 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the first to drive a lunar rover on the moon’s surface.
9. 2006: Fidel Castro temporarily hands over power to his brother Raúl Castro due to illness, marking the first time in 47 years that Fidel was not the leader of Cuba.
10. 2012: Michael Phelps becomes the most decorated Olympian in history, winning his 19th Olympic medal at the London Summer Olympics.

These events cover a range of historical milestones, from significant exploration and space achievements to tragedies and important moments in civil rights and politics. Each of these events has left its mark on history and continues to be remembered for its significance.

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