On July 5

The Shard (pictured) in London was inaugurated as the tallest building in Europe, with a height of 310 m (1,020 ft), but was surpassed by Moscow's Mercury City Tower four months later.

The Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items (examples pictured), was found near Hammerwich in Staffordshire.

A series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, the capital city of Xinjiang in China.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting hours after North Korea reportedly tested at least seven ballistic missiles.

Indonesia held its first direct presidential elections, which resulted in the election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as President of Indonesia after the second round on September 20.

An explosion at a petrochemical plant in Channelview, Texas, killed 17 people and injured five others.

United States National Security Council member Oliver North was given a suspended sentence, probation, and community service for his part in the Iran–Contra affair.

Juvénal Habyarimana (pictured) orchestrated a bloodless coup d'état of the Rwandan government and began a totalitarian dictatorship.

Two days after the death of their founder Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones performed at a free festival in Hyde Park, London, in front of more than a quarter of a million fans.

Elvis Presley recorded his first single, "That's All Right", at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.

Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and American forces, an unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force was routed at the Battle of Osan.

Named after Bikini Atoll, the site of the nuclear-weapons test Operation Crossroads in the Marshall Islands, the modern bikini was introduced at a fashion show in Paris.

Second World War: Canadian troops defeated the last German counterattacks against Carpiquet, Normandy, France.

The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend.

Brazilian Army rebels took over Fort Copacabana and launched a rebellion in Rio de Janeiro against President Epitácio Pessoa and President-elect Artur Bernardes.

Thomas Cook, the founder of the British travel company Thomas Cook & Son, organised his first excursion, escorting about 500 people from Leicester to Loughborough.

Algiers surrendered to French invaders, ending the Regency of Algiers (coat of arms pictured).