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July 1916

{{short description|Month in 1916}}

{{Events by month|1916}}

{{calendar|year=1916|month=July}}

File:PhiladelphiaInquirerJuly151916.gif reporting the capture of a "man-eating" shark supposedly responsible for several attacks along the New Jersey coast in July.]]

File:Thiepval cimetière derrière mémorial 1.jpg to the British soldiers missing during the Battle of the Somme.}}]]

File:Trones Wood Battle July 1916.jpg

The following events occurred in July 1916:

[[July 1]], 1916 (Saturday)

Image:Newfoundland soldiers 1916.jpg

File:Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt mine (1 July 1916) 2.jpg

  • Battle of the Somme – The biggest battle of World War I opened with the Battle of Albert, with British forces capturing the French communes of Gommecourt, Mountauban and Mametz on the same day.{{cite book|series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence|title=Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916: Sir Douglas Haig's Command to the 1st July: Battle of the Somme|volume=I|last=Edmonds|first=J. E.|author-link=James Edward Edmonds|year=1993|orig-year=1932|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press|isbn=0-89839-185-7|pages=344–345}}{{cite book|title=The German Army on the Somme 1914–1916|last=Sheldon|first=J.|year=2006|orig-year=2005|publisher=Leo Cooper|location=London|edition=Pen & Sword Military|isbn=1-84415-269-3|pages=162}}{{cite book|title=Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century|last=Philpott|first=W.|year=2009|publisher=Little, Brown|location=London|edition=1st|isbn=978-1-4087-0108-9|pages=187–188}} The opening offense was the British Army's bloodiest day, with 57,470 British casualties including 19,240 killed. German casualties for that day were significantly lower at {{nowrap|c. 12,000 men}}.{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Gary|title=The Somme|publisher=Cassell|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/somme0000shef/page/68 68]|isbn=0-304-36649-8|url=https://archive.org/details/somme0000shef/page/68}} Some of the noted casualties included:
  • The 36th Ulster Division, which contained many Ulster Volunteers, lost 5,500 men during the first two days of fighting.{{cite web|title=Parades and Marches - Chronology 2: Historical Dates and Events|work=Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/chpa2.htm|access-date=28 January 2010|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005172743/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/chpa2.htm|url-status=dead}}
  • The Royal Newfoundland Regiment with the Dominion of Newfoundland sustained a 90 percent casualty rate while attacking Hawthorn Ridge, with 68 men out of 801 reporting for roll call the day after{{cite book|first=Margaret R.|last=Higonnet|title=Lines of fire: women writers of World War I|year=1999|publisher=Plume|isbn=978-0-452-28146-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/linesoffirewomen00higo/page/174 174]|url=https://archive.org/details/linesoffirewomen00higo/page/174}} and 26% of all the Dominion's troops killed in the entire war falling on this day.
  • Nine Victoria Crosses were awarded, two-thirds posthumously, for brave action during the first date of the battle, which included Eric Bell, Geoffrey Cather, John Leslie Green, Stewart Loudoun-Shand, William McFadzean, Robert Quigg, Walter Potter Ritchie, George Sanders, and James Youll Turnbull.{{cite book|last=Middlebrook|first=M.|author-link=Martin Middlebrook|title=The First Day on the Somme|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1971|location=London|isbn=978-0-14-139071-0|page=329}}
  • A high number of noted British poets were among the casualties during the first day of fighting, including W. N. Hodgson, Will Streets, Gilbert Waterhouse, Henry Field, Alfred Ratcliffe, Alexander Robertson and Bernard White.{{cite web|title=Poets Killed on the First Day of the Somme|url=http://www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com/killedsomme.html|work=Poetry of the First World War|access-date=2013-05-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522142845/http://www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com/killedsomme.html|archive-date=2011-05-22}} Some other noted casualties included cricketer Major Booth[http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/155536.html Booth’s Obituary] in the 1917 John Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanac and association football player Evelyn Lintott.{{cite book|first1=Rick|last1=Cowdery|first2=Mike|last2=Curno|title=Plymouth Argyle: Miscellany|year=2009|publisher=Pitch Publishing|location=Durrington|isbn=978-1-905411-40-5|name-list-style=amp|page=64}}
  • A total 19 mines dug and filled with explosives were ignited underneath German front lines at the start of the Battle of the Somme, resulting in one of the largest man-made explosions at the time that was rumored to be heard as far as London.{{cite book|title=Underground Warfare 1914-1918|last=Jones|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Jones (author)|year=2010|publisher=Pen & Sword Books|location=Barnsley|pages=115, 131|isbn=978-1-84415-962-8}}
  • The Social Democratic Party of Finland won a majority in the parliament of the Russian-ruled Grand Duchy of Finland.Seppo Zetterberg et al (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History. Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö.Allan Tiitta and Seppo Zetterberg (1992) Finland Through the Ages. Reader's Digest.
  • At least one shark attacked five swimmers over the course of two weeks along {{convert|80|mi|km}} of New Jersey coastline, resulting in four deaths and the survival of one youth who required limb amputation. The event inspired author Peter Benchley, over half a century later, to write the thriller novel Jaws.Fernicola, Twelve Days of Terror, pp. 1–9; Capuzzo, Close to Shore, pp. 88–103; Thomas B. Allen, Shadows in the Sea: The Sharks, Skates, and Rays, (1963; Guilford, Conn.: The Lyons Press, 1996), pp. 3–4, {{ISBN|1-55821-518-2}}.
  • Prohibition of alcohol was introduced in Alberta under the binding results of a liquor plebiscite in 1915.{{cite news|title=Majority For Liquor Act In Neighborhood of 20,000|publisher=The Calgary Daily Herald|date=July 22, 1915|page=1|work=22nd Year No. 3867}}
  • The United States Army activated the 17th Cavalry Regiment in Fort Bliss, Texas to protect the United States-Mexico border.{{cite web|url=http://www.mindspring.com/~cjenkins/17hist.htm |title=17th Cavalry Regimental History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518035159/http://www.mindspring.com/~cjenkins/17hist.htm |archive-date=18 May 2006 |df=dmy }}
  • The Zoological Survey of India was established to survey, explore and research the fauna in the Indian region.Zoological Survey of India-History and Progress 1916-1990 (1990). Edited by Director, Zoological Survey of India. Published by ZSI, Kolkata.109pp.
  • W. B. Yeats made his fifth and final proposal of marriage to the newly widowed Maud Gonne in France. Gonne had been married to Irish Republican leader John MacBride, who was executed in May by British forces for his role in the Easter Rising.Mann, Neil. [http://www.yeatsvision.com/Overview.html "An Overview of A Vision"]. "The System of W. B. Yeats's A Vision". Retrieved on 15 July 2007.
  • The municipality of Bremnes, Norway was established and would exist until 1963, when it merged with the municipality of Bømlo.{{cite web|first=Dag|last=Jukvam|publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå|title=Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen|year=1999|url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf|language=no}}
  • Auto-Owners Insurance was established in Mount Pleasant, Michigan but moved to Lansing, Michigan a year later.{{cite web | url = http://www.auto-owners.com/Corporate_Information.aspx | title = Corporate Information | publisher = Auto-Owners Insurance Company | access-date = 2010-08-30}}
  • Born:
  • Olivia de Havilland, British-American actress, best known for her leading roles in The Adventures of Robin Hood and Gone with the Wind, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for To Each His Own and The Heiress; in Tokyo, Empire of Japan (present-day Japan) (d. 2020){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Lawrence Halprin, American architect, best known for his design work for the grounds at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco and the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle; in New York City, United States (d. 2009){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Bob Prince, American sportscaster, best known for sports commentary for the Pittsburgh Pirates; as Robert Ferris Prince, in Los Angeles, United States (d. 1985){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Iosif Shklovsky, Ukrainian astrophysicist, best known for his theory and search for extraterrestrial life, co-author of Intelligent Life in the Universe with Carl Sagan; in Hlukhiv, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) (d. 1985){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Robert Stanford Tuck, British air force officer, commander of the 257 Squadron during World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Flying Cross; in Catford, London, England (d. 1987){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 2]], 1916 (Sunday)

  • Battle of Albert – British forces captured the village of Fricourt along with 1,625 German prisoners, but at a cost of 8,791 casualties over 48 hours.{{cite book |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916: 2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |last=Miles |first=W. |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press |isbn=0-901627-76-3|pages=5–6}}{{cite book |title=History of the 17th (Northern) Division |last=Hilliard Atteridge |first=A. |year=2003 |orig-year=1929 |publisher=R. Maclehose |location=London |edition=Naval & Military Press |isbn=1-843-42581-5|page=110}}
  • Battle of Erzincan – Russian forces under command of Nikolai Yudenich launched counterattacks against the Ottoman Third Army at Erzincan in what is now Turkey.A Global Chronology of Conflict, Volume Four, ed. Spencer C. Tucker, (ABC-CLIO, 2010), p. 1625
  • Baranovichi Offensive – Three corps with the Russian 4th Army attempted the first of four attacks against Central Powers around Baranovichi in what is now Belarus, but saw the offense stall by the second day.Залесский К. А. Кто был кто в Первой мировой войне. — М:Астрель. АСТ, 2003. — p. 699.
  • Born:
  • Ken Curtis, American actor, best known for the role of Festus Haggen in the long-running TV Western Gunsmoke; as Curtis Wain Gates, in Lamar, Colorado, United States (d. 1991){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Barry Gray, American radio broadcaster, considered the "Father of Talk Radio"; as Bernard Yaroslaw, in Red Lion, New Jersey, United States (d. 1996){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Hans-Ulrich Rudel, German fighter pilot, member of the Luftwaffe during World War II with over 800 confirmed destroyed enemy vehicles and weapons, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross; in Konradswaldau, German Empire (present-day Poland) (d. 1982){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 3]], 1916 (Monday)

  • Battle of Albert – British forces captured parts of La Boisselle and Ovillers from the Germans.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=12–13}}
  • At the Battle of Guayacanas in the Dominican Republic, the United States Marine Corps ultimately defeated Dominican troops and captured Santiago de los Caballeros after their 800 men were held back by 80 Dominican men, for a considerable time given the disparity. The Dominican side lost 27 men.{{cite book |via=Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/bananawarshistor00musi |url-access=registration |title=The Banana Wars |publisher=Macmillan Publishing Co. |last=Musicant |first=Ivan |year=1990 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bananawarshistor00musi/page/253 253]–263 |isbn=0025882104}}
  • Born: John Kundla, American basketball coach, coached for Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 to 1960 before the team moved and became the Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team from 1959 to 1968; in Star Junction, Pennsylvania, United States (d. 2017){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died:
  • Hetty Green, 81, American financier, nicknamed "Witch of Wall Street" for both her financial successes in real estate, railroad investments and loans, as well as her legendary miserliness that earned her an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records (b. 1834){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Alfred Kleiner, 67, Swiss physicist, doctoral adviser of Albert Einstein (b. 1849){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 4]], 1916 (Tuesday)

File:Polish troops.JPG}}]]

[[July 5]], 1916 (Wednesday)

  • A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico killed 34 people and caused $3 million in crop and property damage for Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.{{cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division |url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_19151920_new.html |title=HURDAT Meta-Data |publisher=NOAA |access-date=February 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316222108/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_19151920_new.html |archive-date=16 March 2008 |url-status=dead }}
  • Shinano Railway extended the Ōito Line in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with station Shinano-Ōmachi serving the line.{{cite book |last1=Shinano Mainichi Shimbun |title=Nagano Prefecture All Railway Stations, revised edition (長野県鉄道全駅 増補改訂版) |date=2011 |publisher=Shinano Mainichi Shinbun Publishing |isbn=9784784071647 |page=110|language=ja}}
  • Born: Ivor Powell, Welsh association football player and manager, played for the Queens Park Rangers from 1937 to 1948 and the Wales national football team from 1946 to 1950, manager for various clubs including Carlisle United; in Bargoed, Wales (d. 2012){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 6]], 1916 (Thursday)

  • At the Battle of Albert, the British had complete control over La Boisselle, but at a loss of 9,850 casualties.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=21–22}}
  • At the Battle of Kostiuchnówka, Russia broke through the line, forcing the Polish Legions and supporting Hungarian troops to retreat, with the Poles enduring 2,000 casualties.Matuszak, 2006 p. 12
  • British submarine {{HMS|E26}} was lost in the North Sea with all 30 crew.{{cite web |publisher=Royal Naval Submarine Museum |title=Submarine losses 1904 to present day |page=6 |url=https://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/what-we-have/memorial-chapel/submarine-losses?start=5}}
  • The United States Army activated the 33rd Infantry Regiment to protect the Panama Canal.{{cite web |title=A Brief History of the 33rd Infantry Regiment |url=http://www.czimages.com/CZMemories/Fort_Clayton/33rdinfreg.pdf |website=CZ Images |publisher=33rd Infantry Regiment Combat Team |access-date=9 November 2016}}
  • Died:
  • Odilon Redon, 76, French painter, member of the Symbolism movement, recipient of the Legion of Honour (b. 1840){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Béla Békessy, 40, Hungarian fencer, silver medalist at the 1912 Olympic Games; killed in action in Ukraine (b. 1875){{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/22422 |title=Béla Békessy |website=Olympedia |publisher=OlyMADMen |access-date=9 May 2024}}

[[July 7]], 1916 (Friday)

[[July 8]], 1916 (Saturday)

[[July 9]], 1916 (Sunday)

  • Battle of Verdun – The Germans began their assault of Fort Souville southeast of the Fleury-devant-Douaumont commune using gas, French soldiers with new gas masks that prevented numerous gas-related casualties.{{cite book|author1-link=Robert A. Doughty |last=Doughty |first=R. A. |title=Pyrrhic victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=The Belknap Press of Harvard University |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-674-01880-8 |page=298}}{{cite book |series=Battleground Europe |title=Fort Douaumont |last=Holstein |first=C. |year=2010 |orig-year=2002 |publisher=Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |edition=repr. |isbn=978-1-84884-345-5 |pages=94–95}}
  • Arab Revolt – Arab forces loyal to Hussein bin Ali took control of the holy city of Mecca.{{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=David|title=The Arab Revolt 1916–18 Lawrence sets Arabia Ablaze|url=https://archive.org/details/arabrevoltlawren00murp_298|url-access=limited|date=2008|publisher=Osprey|location=London|isbn=978-1-84603-339-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/arabrevoltlawren00murp_298/page/n35 35]}}
  • Argentine president Victorino de la Plaza was nearly assassinated during a military parade inspection on the centennial of Argentina's independence.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6dRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4473,3490772&dq= |title=Effort Made to Kill President of Argentine |work=The Gazette Times |date=10 July 1916}}
  • The governing sports organization CONMEBOL for all of South American association football was established on the centennial Independence Day for Argentina, under the initiative of Héctor Rivadavia Gómez, director of the Uruguayan Football Association.{{cite web|url=http://www.conmebol.com/en/content/eugenio-figueredo-will-attend-tribute-hector-rivadavia-gomez|title=Eugenio Figueredo will attend the tribute to Héctor Rivadavia Gómez|publisher=conmebol.com}}
  • Born:
  • Edward Heath, British state leader, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974; in Broadstairs, Kent, England (d. 2005){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Elmer Bischoff, American artist, member of the Bay Area Figurative Movement in San Francisco; in Berkeley, California, United States (d. 1991){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 10]], 1916 (Monday)

  • Battle of Albert – British forces captured the French commune of Contalmaison at an estimated cost of 12,000 casualties compared to 4,000 lost on the German side.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=57–58}}
  • Born: Hubert Ogunde, Nigerian stage actor playwright, founder of Ogunde Theater; in Ogun State, Nigeria (d. 1990){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Denys Dobson, 35, English rugby player, played for the England national rugby union team in 1902 to 1903; gored to death by charging rhinoceros (b. 1880){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 11]], 1916 (Tuesday)

[[July 12]], 1916 (Wednesday)

  • Battle of Albert – The British captured Mametz Wood in France at a cost of {{circa|4,000 casualties.}}.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=52–54}}
  • Battle of Verdun – German soldiers reach the top of Fort Souville in France.
  • American cruiser USS North Carolina launched a Curtiss flying boat piloted by Lieutenant Godfrey Chevalier using a catapult, becoming the first ship to do so while underway.Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-87021-210-9}}, p. 113.
  • Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition – A third attempt to rescue the main body of the stranded British polar expedition party on Elephant Island following the sinking of the polar ship Endurance was made by the British schooner Emma but the packed ice prevented the ship from nearing the island.{{cite book|author-link= Ernest Shackleton|last= Shackleton|first= Ernest|title= South|url= https://archive.org/details/southstoryofshac0000shac_h6x0|url-access= registration|publisher= Century Publishing|location= London|year= 1983|isbn= 0-7126-0111-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/southstoryofshac0000shac_h6x0/page/214 214]–18}}
  • Cesare Battisti and Fabio Filzi, both Austrian subjects but exponents of Italian irredentism, were hanged by the Austrians in Trento. They had enlisted in the Italian army and were captured by the Austrians, who condemned them as deserters.{{in lang|it}} [http://storia.camera.it/cronologia/leg-regno-XXIV#nav XXIV Legislatura del Regno d'Italia dal 27 novembre 1913 al 29 settembre 1919], Camera dei deputati, Portale storico (retrieved 29 May 2016)
  • Tennis player Molla Bjurstedt defeated Louise Hammond Raymond 6–0, 6–1 in the women's singles final at the U.S. National Championships hosted by Philadelphia Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.{{cite book|author=Bud Collins|title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis|year=2010|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=[New York]|isbn=978-0942257700|pages=454–483|edition=2nd}}
  • The first part of the Nyon–St-Cergue–Morez Railway was completed in Switzerland.{{cite news| last1=Cross| first1=Barry| last2=Hofmann| first2=Pierre| title=Nyon – St. Cergue – Morez: An international light rail line|magazine=Light Rail & Modern Tramway| publisher=Ian Allan Publishing| location=UK| date=April 1994| pages=87–93| issn=0964-9255}}
  • Born: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian sniper, one of the top Soviet snipers during World War II with 309 kills and one of the most successful female snipers in history, two-time recipient of the Order of Lenin and Hero of the Soviet Union; as Lyudmila Mikhailovna Belova, in Bila Tserkva, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) (d. 1974){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Johnny Williams, 34, Welsh rugby player, Triple Crown champion with the Wales national rugby union team from 1906 to 1911, as well as playing wing for Cardiff; killed in action at the Battle of the Somme (b. 1882){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 13]], 1916 (Thursday)

  • Battle of Albert – The first two weeks of the Battle of the Somme ended with a further 25,000 British casualties, 17,600 French casualties, and German casualties ranging between 40,187 and 46,315.{{sfn|Philpott|2009|p=237}}{{sfn|Sheffield|2003|p=76}}{{cite book|series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence|title=Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916: Sir Douglas Haig's Command to the 1st July: Battle of the Somme|volume=I|last=Edmonds|first=J. E.|author-link=James Edward Edmonds|year=1993|orig-year=1932|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press|isbn=0-89839-185-7|pages=483–484}}
  • Vivian Walsh became the first New Zealander to obtain a pilot's licence while a resident in New Zealand.Rendel, David (1975) Civil Aviation in New Zealand: An Illustrated History. Wellington. A.H. & A.W.Reed. {{ISBN|0-589-00905-2}}
  • Born: M. C. Richards, American poet and artist, author of Centering: in Pottery, Poetry and the Person; as Mary Caroline Richards, in Weiser, Idaho, United States (d. 1999){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 14]], 1916 (Friday)

File:Delville Wood Battle July 1916.jpg

  • Battle of Albert – The British captured Trônes Wood in France from the Germans at a cost of 3,837 men.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=75–78}} The same day, British, Indian and South African forces under command of General Henry Rawlinson began their assault of the German-held positions at Bazentin Ridge{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=78–79}} and Delville Wood in France.{{sfn|Philpott|2009|pp=255–260}}
  • Baranovichi Offensive – The German Ninth Army launched counterattacks against Russia in Belarus and gained back nearly all the ground lost in previous assaults.Залесский 2003, p. 699
  • The National Protection War ended in China, with all rebelling Chinese provinces rescinding their independence.{{cite journal|last1=Weale|first1=Putnam|last2=Lenox|first2=Bertram|title=The fight for the republic in China|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924023228533|date=1917|page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924023228533/page/n569 490]|publisher=Dodd, Mead and Company|oclc=1541271}}
  • A hurricane made landfall in North and South Carolina, causing heavy flooding that killed around 80 people and caused an estimated $15-$20 million in damages.Western North Carolina Heritage. [http://www.heritagewnc.org/wnc_natural_disasters/1916_flood.htm ASHEVILLE FLOOD of 1916.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819193937/http://www.heritagewnc.org/WNC_natural_disasters/1916_flood.htm |date=2008-08-19 }} Retrieved on June 23, 2008.
  • British submarine {{HMS|H5}} sank German U-boat SM U-51 with the loss of 34 of her crew (four survivors were rescued).[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1 National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918]
  • U.S. Navy collier USS Hector ran aground off the Atlantic coast and sank three days later, after all 142 crew members on board were rescued.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Imperial and Foreign news items |date=17 July 1916 |page=7 |issue=41221 |column=E }}
  • The Royal Flying Corps established the No. 41 Squadron with a nucleus of pilots from the 27 Reserve Squadron.{{cite web |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/41squadron.cfm |title=41(R) Squadron |work=Royal Air Force |access-date=11 February 2016}}
  • The King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women was established in Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia to handle pregnancy and infant care for female patients.{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=B.C.|last2=Hutchison|first2=R.L.|title=A history of the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women : the first fifty years, 1916 to 1966|year=1966|publisher=King Edward Memorial Hospital|place=Subiaco, Western Australia}}
  • German poet Hugo Ball recited the first Dada manifesto at a public soiree in Waag Hall, Zürich.(see text).{{cite book|last1=Motherwell|first1=Robert|title=The Dada painters and poets; an anthology.|date=1951|publisher=Wittenborn, Schultz|location=New York|oclc=1906000}}
  • Born:
  • Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author, known for works such as Family Sayings and Caro Michele; as Natalia Levi, in Palermo, Kingdom of Italy (present-day Italy) (d. 1991){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Sukarni, Indonesian politician, one of the major leaders of Indonesian independence; as Sukarni Kartodiwirjo, in Blitar, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) (d. 1971){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 15]], 1916 (Saturday)

File:Henry Lukin00.jpg

  • Battle of Delville Wood – The 1st South African Brigade under command of Brigadier-General Henry Lukin were ordered to take Delville Wood "at all cost",{{cite book |last=Buchan |first=J. |title=The History of the South African Forces in France |publisher=Nelson |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1920 |edition=Imperial War Museum and Battery Press |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthaf00buchrich |access-date=28 July 2014 |isbn=0-901627-89-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthaf00buchrich/page/59 59]–63}} resulting in South Africa sustaining its biggest loss of men in World War I when 766 soldiers in the brigade were killed in a single day's fighting.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=92–97}}
  • Battle of Verdun – The Germans gave up on taking Fort Souville and retreated to their start lines.
  • British submarine {{HMS|H3}} struck a mine and sank in the Adriatic Sea.{{cite book|author=Derek Walters|title=The History of the British 'U' Class Submarine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VyeJ9DOXcOAC&pg=PA2|year=2004|publisher=Casemate Publishers|isbn=978-1-84415-131-8|page=2}}
  • William E. Boeing founded the Pacific Aero Products Company in Seattle. It would be renamed the Boeing Airplane Company in 1917.Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 63.
  • Ross Sea party – The surviving three members of the sledging party for the second arm of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition — Ernest Wild, brother of Frank Wild of the expedition party under Ernest Shackleton, Ernest Joyce and Richard W. Richards — reached Cape Evans where they reunited with the four scientists already stationed there. Three members of the party, including expedition leader Aeneas Mackintosh, perished during the sledging trek. The final seven remained marooned at the station in Cape Evans until rescue in January 1917.{{cite book|last= Bickel|first= Lennard|title= 'Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tale of an Antarctic Tragedy|publisher= Pimlico Press|location= London|year= 2001|isbn= 0-7126-6807-1|pages= [https://archive.org/details/shackletonsforgo00lenn/page/204 204–13]|url= https://archive.org/details/shackletonsforgo00lenn/page/204}}{{cite book | author-link = Kelly Tyler-Lewis | last = Tyler-Lewis | first = Kelly | title = The Lost Men | publisher = Bloomsbury Publications | year = 2007 | location = London | isbn = 978-0-7475-7972-4 | pages=193–197}}
  • The United States Army activated the 34th Infantry Regiment in El Paso, Texas.{{cite web|title=Special Unit Designations |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |archive-date= 9 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}
  • The 1st Machine-Gun Squadron of New Zealand was formed to serve in the Sinai and Palestine campaign.{{cite book|last=Luxford|first=J H|title=With the Machine Gunners in France and Palestine|publisher=Whitcombe and Tombs|year=1923|location=Auckland|isbn=1843426773|pages=178–79}}
  • A partial lunar eclipse occurred over the Antarctica while stranded members of the Ross Sea party attempted to cross the sea ice to reach Cape Evans.{{cite book|title=Polar castaways: the Ross Sea Party (1914–17) of Sir Ernest Shackleton |author = Richard McElrea |author2 = David L. Harrowfield|page = 206|date=2004|publisher = Canterbury University Press}}
  • Born:
  • Joseph M. Pettit, American academic, president of Georgia Tech from 1972 to 1986; in Rochester, Minnesota, United States (d. 1986){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Stan Sismey, Australian cricketer, batsman for the New South Wales cricket team from 1938 to 1952; as Stanley George Sismey, in Junee, Australia (d. 2009){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Élie Metchnikoff, 71, Russian microbiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of phagocytes and cell-mediated immunity (b. 1845){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 16]], 1916 (Sunday)

  • Battle of Delville Wood – Heavy casualties from two days fighting reduced the 1st South African Brigade's ability to take German defense positions, forcing them to retreat back to their lines at Longueval, France.{{cite book |last=Uys |first=I. |title=Delville Wood |publisher=Uys Publishers |location=Johannesburg |year=1983 |isbn=0-620-06611-3|pages=103–104}}
  • Much of the Southern Railway's mainline in North and South Carolina was damaged or destroyed by flooding.{{cite web|author=Southern Railway Historical Association|url=http://www.srha.net/public/history/event_list.asp?D_ID=7-16|title=This Date in Southern Railway History|access-date=2005-07-12}}
  • The city of Blythe, California was established.{{Cite web |url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc |title=California Cities by Incorporation Date |format=Word |publisher=California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions |access-date=August 25, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc

|archive-date=November 3, 2014}}

[[July 17]], 1916 (Monday)

  • Battle of Albert – The British captured all of Ovillers, France, with 5,121 casualties.{{cite book |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916: 2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |last=Miles |first=W. |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press |isbn=0-901627-76-3|page=101}}
  • Battle of Bazentin Ridge – British forces captured Bazentin Ridge from the Germans but at a loss of 9,194 casualties.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=93–94}}
  • Battle of Delville Wood – Renewed British and South African attacks on the wood resulted in failure, allowing the Germans to launch nighttime counterattacks that forced most of the South African force from the forward trenches.{{cite book |last=Buchan |first=J. |title=The History of the South African Forces in France |publisher=Nelson |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1920 |edition=Imperial War Museum and Battery Press |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthaf00buchrich |isbn=0-901627-89-5 |pages=64–75}}{{sfn|Uys|1983|p=135}}
  • U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Farm Loan Act which allowed for the creation of farm loan boards at all three levels of government to financially assist American farmers.{{cite journal|last1=Shulman|first1=Stuart W.|editor1-last=Adams|editor1-first=Jane|title=The Origin of the Federal Farm Loan Act: Issue Emergence and Agenda‐Setting in the Progressive Era Print Press|journal=Fighting for the Farm: Rural America Transformed|date=2003|pages=113‐128|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press}}
  • Uruguay won the first Copa América association football continental championship after tying with host Argentina in the deciding last match held in Estadio Racing Club in Avellaneda, Argentina.{{cite web|url=http://www.conmebol.com/en/copa-america-2015-en/history|title=Copa América: History|publisher=CONMEBOL|access-date=27 February 2015}}
  • The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park was established in LaRue County, Kentucky.{{cite web | last =Robert W. | first =Blythe |author2=Maureen Carrol|author3=Steven Moffson | title =Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site: Historic Resource Study | publisher =National Park Service | date =July 2001 | url =http://www.nps.gov/abli/historyculture/upload/ABLI_Historic_Resource_Study.pdf | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080626000602/http://www.nps.gov/abli/historyculture/upload/ABLI_Historic_Resource_Study.pdf | url-status =dead | archive-date =June 26, 2008 | access-date =2008-02-13}}
  • Born: Henning Brandis, German physician, leading researcher in microbiology and contributor of the 1952 textbook Experimental Bacteriology, grandson of Dietrich Brandis; in Elberfeld, German Empire (present-day Germany) (d. 2004){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Eugene B. Beaumont, 79, American army officer, recipient of the Medal of Honor for action at the Battle of Selma (b. 1837){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 18]], 1916 (Tuesday)

[[July 19]], 1916 (Wednesday)

File:Vanhatulli Oulu 19160719.jpg, Finland.]]

  • Attack at Fromelles – The first joint British and Australian operation commenced with General Richard Haking commanding 10,000 to 15,000 troops in an assault of a German defense force of 30,000 near Lille, France.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=128–130}}
  • Battle of Delville Wood – German forces launched a rear attack on the 3rd South African Battalion, resulting in the capture of six officers and {{nowrap|185 men}}. The attacks also isolated more pockets of South African troops in the wood, forcing many to surrender over the day.{{cite book |last=Uys |first=I. |title=Rollcall: The Delville Wood Story |publisher=Uys Publishers |location=Germiston |year=1991 |isbn=0-9583173-1-3 |page=102}}
  • A city fire in Oulu, Finland destroyed four city blocks and left 200 people homeless.{{cite book | last = Suikkari | first=Risto | title = Paloturvallisuus ja kaupunkipalot Suomen puukaupungeissa – historiasta nykypäivään |trans-title=Fire safety and urban fires in Finland’s capitals from history to today | year = 2007 | pages = 54–57 | location = Oulu | publisher = University of Oulu | isbn = 978-951-42-8699-5 | url = http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9789514286995/isbn9789514286995.pdf | access-date = March 3, 2008 | language = fi}}
  • The First Army of the Imperial German Army was reformed for the Battle of the Somme.{{cite book | last = Cron | first = Hermann | year = 2002 | title = Imperial German Army 1914–18: Organisation, Structure, Orders-of-Battle [first published: 1937] | publisher = Helion & Co | isbn = 1-874622-70-1 | page=79}}
  • Famous Players Film Company and Jesse L. Lasky Feature Plays merged to form Famous Players–Lasky for movie distribution.Bernard F. Dick. [https://books.google.com/books?id=o44EhWgweyoC&pg=PA10 Engulfed: The Death of Paramount Pictures and the Birth of Corporate Hollywood] (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2001) pp.10-18
  • The Carl Eduard War Cross was established by German noble Charles Edward, the last reigning Duke of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The award was to be presented for bravery or merit in combat regardless of rank but was only awarded 97 times before World War I ended, making it one of the rarest of the German WWI military decorations.{{cite web| url=http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM01350/ |title=Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Carl Eduard War Cross | Australian War Memorial |publisher=Awm.gov.au |access-date=15 May 2013}}
  • Born:
  • Phil Cavarretta, American baseball player, played first base and outfielder for the Chicago Cubs from 1934 to 1955; as Philip Joseph Cavarretta, in Chicago, United States (d. 2010){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Bill Goldfinch, British air force pilot, best known for attempting to escape the German POW camp Oflag IV-C using a handmade glider; in Whitstable, England (d. 2007){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • James D. Ramage, American naval air force officer, leading developer of modern aircraft carrier operations including modeling to be nuclear-powered, recipient of the Navy Cross; in Waterloo, Iowa, United States (d. 2012){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 20]], 1916 (Thursday)

  • Attack at Fromelles – An attack by Australian and British troops was repulsed by the German army with heavy casualties. including the heaviest single-day casualties for Australia in World War I with 5,513 casualties out of 7,080 sustained overall.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=128–130}}
  • Battle of Delville Wood – British relief forces were able to secure an escape route for the remaining 1st South African Brigade out of Delville Wood,{{cite book |last=Uys |first=I. |title=Rollcall: The Delville Wood Story |publisher=Uys Publishers |location=Germiston |year=1991 |isbn=0-9583173-1-3 |page=117}} with total casualties numbered at {{nowrap|2,536 men}}.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |page=108}} At the same time, German forces repelled an attack by the French Sixth Army to recapture the village of Barleux, France, inflicting 2,000 casualties.Philpott 2009, pp. 255-256
  • Attacks on High Wood – British forces pushed into a wood near the French commune of Bazentin to forestall any German counterattacks following the capture of Bazentin Ridge the day before.{{cite book |title=The War in the Air, Being the Story of the Part Played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force |volume=II |last=Jones |first=H. A. |year=2002 |orig-year=1928 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=London |edition=Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press |url=https://archive.org/details/warinairbeingsto02rale |access-date=20 September 2014 |isbn=1-84342-413-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/warinairbeingsto02rale/page/238 238]}}
  • Lake View Store, the first indoor shopping mall in the United States, opened in Duluth, Minnesota.Duluth News Tribune (January 4, 1916, July 19, 1916, July 20, 1916, July 21, 1916); The Minnesotan (November 1916); American Architect Vol. 113 (June 1918); Morgan Park Bulletin Vol. 2 No. 26 (April 24, 1919); Duluth Herald (September 20, 1929); Minneapolis Star Tribune (02-28-1972); Duluth Sketches of the Past (1976), Arnold Alanen; Morgan Park Continuity And Change In A Company Town (1992), Anedith Nash & Robert Silberman
  • Born: Harold McMaster, American inventor, holder of over 100 patents including the McMaster rotary engine and tempered glass; in Perrysburg, Ohio, United States (d. 2003){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died:
  • Reinhard Sorge, 24, German dramatist and poet, member of the German Expressionism movement, recipient of the Kleist Prize for his play The Beggar; killed in action at the Battle of the Somme (b. 1892){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Herbert Bolt, 22, Australian rugby player, played for the Newtown Bluebags from 1912 to 1915,; killed in action at Fleurbaix, France (b. 1893){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Billy Congreve, 25, British soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross; killed in action at Longueval, France (b. 1891){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 21]], 1916 (Friday)

  • Battle of Delville Wood – The British launched a renewed offensive to take Delville Wood but were repelled by strong German defenses.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |page=141}}
  • Attacks on High Wood – German artillery barrages stalled the British advance to the north end of the wood.{{cite book |title=The Somme: The Day-by-Day Account |last=McCarthy |first=C. |year=2005 |orig-year=1993 |publisher=Weidenfeld Military |location=London |edition=Arms & Armour Press |isbn=1-85409-330-4|page=54}}
  • German flying ace Otto Parschau was mortally wounded by aircraft fire from British pilot John Oliver Andrews over Grévillers, France. Parschau was able to land his plane and was rushed to hospital where he died from his wounds.{{cite book |title=Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918 |page= 138}}
  • Born: Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Canadian academic, leading researcher in comparative religious studies, author of The Meaning and End of Religion; in Toronto, Canada (d. 2000){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 22]], 1916 (Saturday)

File:Preparedness Day Bombing newspaper photos.png in San Francisco.]]

[[July 23]], 1916 (Sunday)

  • Battle of Pozières – The Australian 1st Division captured the French village of Pozières on the first day of the joint British-Australian offense against the Germans.{{cite book| last=Keegan| first=J. |title=The First World War |year=1998 |publisher=Random House |location=London |isbn=0-09-180178-8|page=319}}{{cite book |title=The 1916 Battle of the Somme: A Reappraisal |last=Liddle |first=P. H. |publisher=Wordsworth |location=Hertfordshire |year=2001 |isbn=1-84022-240-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/1916battleofsomm0000lidd/page/78 78–79] |url=https://archive.org/details/1916battleofsomm0000lidd/page/78 }} On the first day, Australian soldiers Arthur Blackburn{{London Gazette|issue=29740|supp=y|page=8870|date=8 September 1916}} and John Leak{{London Gazette |issue=29740 |date=8 September 1916 |pages=8869–8871 |supp=y }} earned the Victoria Cross for their separate actions during the battle.
  • Attacks on High Wood – British attacks to capture the entire wood ended in failure, with {{nowrap|450 casualties.}}{{cite book |title=The Somme: The Day-by-Day Account |last=McCarthy |first=C. |year=2005 |orig-year=1993 |publisher=Weidenfeld Military |location=London |edition=Arms & Armour Press |isbn=978-1-85409-330-1 |pages=56–57}}
  • Thousands attended an open-air meeting at the Phoenix Park in Dublin to discuss the British government's Irish partition proposals. It is the first open-air meeting since martial law was proclaimed during the Easter Rising.
  • A peace demonstration organized by Scottish labor leader Helen Crawfurd was held in Glasgow with 5,000 in attendance. The event lead to further action and the formation of The Women's Peace Crusade.{{Cite book|title=The Life and Times of a Respectable Rebel: Selina Cooper (1864 – 1946)|last=Liddington|first=Jill|publisher=Virago|year=1984}}
  • Born: Sandra Gould, American actress, best known for the role of Gladys Kravitz in Bewitched; in New York City, United States (d. 1999){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: William Ramsay, 63, Scottish chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of noble gases (b. 1852){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 24]], 1916 (Monday)

[[July 25]], 1916 (Tuesday)

[[July 26]], 1916 (Wednesday)

  • Battle for Lake Tanganyika – With German colonial forces losing ground on land and likely risking the loss of the German-controlled lake port of Kigoma, General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck ordered marine engineers to scuttle the steamship Graf von Goetzen. The loss of the last of three German ships built to control Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa allowed the Allies control of the largest body of water in continent.Leconte: Les ancêtres de notre Force Navale. S. 331; Moulaert: La campagne du Tanganika. S. 119
  • Roger Casement was found guilty of high treason for this role in the Easter Rising and sentenced for execution on August 3.{{cite web|last=Andrews |first=Helen |url=http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2011/11/roger-casement-the-gay-irish-humanitarian-who-was-hanged-on-a-comma |title=Roger Casement: The Gay Irish Humanitarian Who Was Hanged On a Comma | Helen Andrews |publisher=First Things |date=2011-11-15 |access-date=2016-08-17}}
  • The New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership culminated in a grand final victory to the Balmain Tigers.[http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm Premiership Roll of Honour] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511185232/http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm |date=2006-05-11 }} at rl1908.com
  • The Woodman Institute Museum was opened in Dover, New Hampshire, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 {{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=80000317}}|title=NRHP nomination for Woodman Institute|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2014-08-04}}
  • Died: Henry Charlick, 71, Australian chess player, winner of the Australian Chess Championship in 1887 (b. 1845){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 27]], 1916 (Thursday)

File:Charles Fryatt IWM Q 066269.jpg, executed by the Imperial German Navy.]]

  • Battle of Delville Wood – A massive artillery barrage by the British destroyed much of the German defenses in Delville Wood, with patrols describing "a horrible scene of chaos and destruction". Despite horrific losses, German forces recovered and launched a counter-assault on the eastern side of the wood.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=158–159}}
  • Battle of Pozières – The Australian 2nd Division relieved Australian 1st Division to push for further attacks on the German line.{{sfn|Liddle|2001|p=78}}
  • English civilian ferry captain Charles Fryatt was executed at Bruges, Belgium, after a German court-martial condemned him for attempting to ram a U-boat in 1915.{{cite web|url=http://www.gwpda.org/naval/pers0003.htm |title=Captain Charles Fryatt |publisher=Great War Primary Documents Archive |access-date=8 December 2009}}
  • Maharaja Wadiyar presided over the opening of the University of Mysore, the sixth oldest university in India.{{cite web|title=About UOM|url=http://www.uni-mysore.ac.in/about-uom|website=University of Mysore|publisher=University of Mysore|access-date=5 November 2016}}
  • Born:
  • Amha Selassie, Ethiopian state leader, last Emperor of Ethiopia; as Asfaw Wossen Tafari, in Harar, Ethiopian Empire (present-day Ethiopia) (d. 1997){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic and novelist, co-founder of The New York Review of Books; in Lexington, Kentucky, United States (d. 2007){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Keenan Wynn, American actor, known for his character supporting roles in films such as Annie Get Your Gun and The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit; as Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn, in New York City, United States (d. 1986){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Rosemary Brown, British composer and spiritualist, purported to have been able to channel the spirits of deceased composers such as Franz Liszt to produce new compositions; as Rosemary Isobel Dickeson, in London, England (d. 2001){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Daniel Bliss, 92, American missionary, founder of the Syria Protestant College (now the American University of Beirut) (b. 1823){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 28]], 1916 (Friday)

[[July 29]], 1916 (Saturday)

  • Baranovichi Offensive – The Russian offensive ended in failure with no new ground recovered, with Russian Fourth Army sustaining 80,000 casualties. The opposing German Ninth Army only lost 13,000 casualties.Залесский 2003, p. 699
  • Matheson Fire – A lightning strike ignited a forest fire northwest of North Bay, Ontario that destroyed the towns of Cochrane and Matheson, Ontario, killing 233 people.{{citation |chapter-url=https://www.firesmartcanada.ca/images/uploads/resources/Alexander-Lest-We-Forget.pdf |chapter=‘Lest we forget’: Canada’s major wildland fire disasters of the past, 1825-1938 |author=Martin E. Alexander |title=Proceedings of 3rd Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, October 25-29, 2010, Spokane, Washington, USA |access-date=2016-05-14 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{citation |url=http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/cmsimages/18/18f43b81-8062-45ba-a86c-10ed87b53683.pdf |title=The Great Fire of 1916 |author=Ontario Heritage Foundation |access-date=2016-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131129/http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/cmsimages/18/18f43b81-8062-45ba-a86c-10ed87b53683.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}
  • Claud Castleton was killed in the Battle of Pozières and for his actions in bringing back wounded men before and at the time of his death, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.{{London Gazette |issue=29765|date=22 June 1915 |page=9418|supp=y }}
  • Born:
  • Charlie Christian, American jazz musician, best known for his recordings collected for the album Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian; as Charles Henry Christian, in Bonham, Texas, United States (d. 1942){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Budd Boetticher, American film director, best known for his Westerns starring Randolph Scott including Comanche Station; as Oscar Boetticher Jr., in Chicago, United States (d. 2001){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Rupert Hamer, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Victoria; in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2004){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Eleanor Vere Boyle, 91, English illustrator, best known for her illustrations for children's authors and her illustration collections including Child's Play and A Book of the Heavenly Birthdays (b. 1825){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 30]], 1916 (Sunday)

  • A revolt of Turkic peoples in Central Asia, including members of the Kyrgyz and Kazakhs, against the Russian Empire at Bedel Pass near the Russian-Chinese international border resulted in at least 3,000 deaths[http://www.krugosvet.ru/articles/124/1012486/print.htm Krugosvet Encyclopaedia. Article on Sturmer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111155448/http://www.krugosvet.ru/articles/124/1012486/print.htm |date=2007-11-11 }} (although some estimates pegged the toll higher at 100,000) and forced tens of thousands to flee into China.{{cite news |author = Bruce Pannier |url = http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/8/3EF70D4C-4B9C-4882-9391-2A878BD691D1.html |title = Kyrgyzstan: Victims Of 1916 'Urkun' Tragedy Commemorated |publisher = RFE/RL |date= 2 August 2006 |access-date = 2006-08-02}}
  • Battle of Delville Wood – British launched new attacks on the western side of Delville Wood but neither side was able to gain control of the area. A moratorium on major attacks was called that lasted five days.{{cite book |last=Miles |first=W. |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |title=Military Operations in France and Belgium: 2 July to the End of the Battles of the Somme |volume=II |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1992 |orig-year=1938 |edition=Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books and Battery Press |isbn=978-0-89839-169-5 |pages=167, 170}}
  • German agents destroyed an ammunition depot, known as the Black Tom explosion, in Jersey City, New Jersey that killed at least seven people.{{cite web |date= January 26, 2005|url = http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/liberty_state_park/liberty_blacktomexplosion.html|title = Black Tom Explosion (1916)|publisher = state.nj.gov| access-date = July 5, 2009 }}
  • A solar eclipse occurred over the Antarctic.{{cite web|title=Annular Solar Eclipse of 1916 Jul 30|url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot1901/SE1916Jul30A.GIF|website=Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC|publisher=NASA|access-date=24 December 2016}}
  • Born: Thyra Thomson, American politician, 16th Secretary of State of Wyoming; as Thyra Godfrey, in Florence, Colorado, United States (d. 2013){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
  • Died: Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser, 61, German physician, discovered the bacteria that causes gonorrhea (b. 1855){{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[July 31]], 1916 (Monday)

References

{{reflist|2}}

{{Events by month links}}

1916

*1916-07