21st July - On this Day

What does the 21st July have to offer, well on this day...

Today Belgium has a Public Holiday and marks the accession of the first Belgian king, Leopold I, in 1831, after independence from the Netherlands was achieved.

Guam also celebrates on the 21st of July. In addition, they celebrate Liberation day, which commemorates US forces' return to Guam in 1944 and freeing the island from the Japanese.

Today marks the first killing of a human by a robot. On this day in 1984, a robot turned and caught a 34-year-old worker between it and a safety bar, crushing him. He died of the injuries on July the 26th, 1984. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, it was "the first documented case of a robot-related fatality in the US."

We may be used to the fact that July is associated with hot weather. However, in 1983 at the USSR's Vostok Station in Antarctica, a temperature of 128.6 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (89.2 degrees below zero Celsius) was recorded and the coldest ever recorded officially.

To see this month's events, please visit 1st July.