(762) A mighty metropolis is founded on the Tigris River
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Fifty-six miles north of the once mighty and now deserted city of Babylon, a new settlement is begun along the Tigris River in Iraq. Baghdad will become the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and will rapidly grow into a renowned center of learning and the largest city of the High Middle Ages.. |
(1945) USS Indianapolis sinks in shark-infested waters
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Having delivered A-bomb parts to Tinian Island, the USS Indianapolis sinks in the Philippine Sea after a Japanese sub torpedoes her. Only 317 of 1,196 sailors will survive, with many dying from injury, exposure, and shark attacks after drifting in the open ocean for almost four days. . |
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(1966) England wins its first World Cup in front of the home crowd
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More than 90,000 fans fill London’s Wembley Stadium, and 400 million watch on TV, as England and West Germany meet in the final round of football’s World Cup. England’s Geoff Hurst kicks three goals for the first hat trick in World Cup finals history, helping to give his country its first trophy.. |
(1975) Labor leader Jimmy Hoffa vanishes without a trace
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After arriving at a Detroit restaurant at 2:45 in the afternoon to settle a feud with Mafia members, Jimmy Hoffa disappears. The ex-Teamsters Union leader will never be found, nor will any credible clues to his whereabouts be uncovered, despite decades of law enforcement efforts. . |
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