^B{^#!16!9 July^N! National Day of Argentina. Feast day of St Veronica de Julianis, St Nicholas Pieck and his Companions, St Everild, and the Martyrs of Gorcum.
^B{1810^B} Napoleon annexed Holland, making his brother, Louis, its king. ^B{1816^B} Argentina declared independence from Spain at the Congress of Tucuman. ^B{1877^B} The first Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championship was held at its original site at Worple Road. ^B{1922^B} Johnny Weissmuller, aged 18, swam the 100m in under a minute (58.6 sec). ^B{1938^B} In anticipation of World War II, 35 million gas masks were issued to Britain's civilian population. ^B{1979^B} In Nicaragua, General Somoza was overthrown by the Sandinista rebels. ^B{1984^B} Lightning struck York Minster Cathedral and set the roof on fire, destroying the south transept. ^B{1991^B} The International Olympic Committee lifted a 21-year-old boycott on South Africa.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Elias Howe, US inventor, ^B{1819^B}; Bruce Bairnsfather, British cartoonist, ^B{1888^B}; Barbara Cartland, English novelist, ^B{1901^B}; Edward Heath, British politician, ^B{1916^B}; Michael Williams, British actor, ^B{1935^B}; David Hockney, English painter, ^B{1937^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter, ^B{1440^B}; Edmund Burke, British statesman, ^B{1797^B}; Zachary Taylor, 12th US president, ^B{1850^B}; King Camp Gilette, US safety-razor inventor, ^B{1932^B}; Randall Thompson, US composer, ^B{1984^B}.
