What Happened on July 7?

July 7 is World Chocolate Day — sweet history in every bite — on the same date sliced bread first sold in 1928, Hoover Dam construction began in 1930, Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated in 1981, and fighting erupted at the Marco Polo Bridge in 1937.

• 1865 — Four Lincoln assassination conspirators are executed

  On July 7, 1865, Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were hanged for roles in Abraham Lincoln's murder. Read the full story →

• 1928 — Pre-sliced bread goes on sale for the first time

  On July 7, 1928, the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri sold the first loaves sliced by Otto Rohwedder's machine. Read the full story →

• 1930 — Construction begins on Hoover Dam

  On July 7, 1930, crews broke ground on Hoover Dam in the Colorado River's Black Canyon — a Depression-era engineering marvel. Read the full story →

• 1937 — Fighting at the Marco Polo Bridge escalates into war between China and Japan

  On July 7, 1937, a clash near Beijing's Marco Polo Bridge sparked the Second Sino-Japanese War — a major front of World War II in Asia. Read the full story →

• 1954 — Elvis Presley records 'That's All Right' at Sun Studio

  On July 5–7, 1954, Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black cut 'That's All Right' in Memphis — launching rock-and-roll stardom. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Ringo Starr (1940) · Marc Chagall (1887–1985) · Michelle Kwan (1980) · Jim Gaffigan (1966)

Days & observances

World Chocolate Day · National Strawberry Sundae Day · National Macaroni Day · Global Forgiveness Day