On July 11

An explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 13 people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy.

Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time to win their first FIFA World Cup title (pictured lifting the trophy).

The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.

Shortly after taking off from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 caught fire and crashed, killing all 261 people on board.

Italy defeated West Germany 3–1 to win their third FIFA World Cup title.

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee featuring themes of racial injustice and the loss of innocence in the Deep South of America, was published.

New York City's Triborough Bridge, the "biggest traffic machine ever built", opened to traffic.

Archaeologist Ivan Borkovský discovered a medieval skeleton at Prague Castle; competing factions claimed the skeleton as Germanic or Slavic in origin.

The US Navy launched the USS Nevada (BB-36) as its first Standard-type battleship.

A riot broke out in Leicester, England, at the failed launching of a gas balloon (pictured).

American Civil War: Confederate forces under Jubal Early began an unsuccessful attempt to capture Washington, D.C..

Waterloo Bridge Station, which later became Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage, was opened by the London and South Western Railway.

British soldier Frederick John White died after a flogging, leading to a campaign to end the practice in the British Army.

Yagan, a Noongar warrior wanted for leading attacks on British colonists in Western Australia, was killed, becoming a symbol of the unjust and sometimes brutal treatment of indigenous Australians by colonial settlers.

French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons co-discovered the first of his 37 comets, more than any other person in history.

The Belfast Harp Festival, an early event in the Gaelic revival, began at the Assembly Rooms.

French Revolution: Jacques Necker was dismissed as Director-General of Finances of France, sparking public demonstrations in Paris that led to the storming of the Bastille.

Marking the start of the Ming treasure voyages, a Chinese expeditionary fleet led by Zheng He set sail for foreign regions of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Franco-Flemish War: Flemish infantry defeated a large French army near Kortrijk at the Battle of the Golden Spurs.

Byzantine emperor Michael I Rangabe (depicted), under threat by conspiracies, abdicated in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and became a monk.