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6th July 1978 : A fire on the Penzance to Paddington sleeper leaves 11 dead who had been in sleeping compartments and many more injured
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6th July 1988 : An explosion on the Piper Alpha oil rig 120 miles off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea caused a fireball 350 feet high and engulfed the platform killing 167 workers.
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6th July 2005 : The International Olympic Committee announces that London has won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games following a vote at the IOC meeting in Singapore
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7th July 2007 : An official declaration of the new Seven Wonders of the Modern World was made determined from a worldwide poll organized by the New7Wonders Foundation.
The New Wonders of the World Are
1. The Great Wall of China ( It is the largest man made monument ever to have been built and is visible from space. )
2. Petra, Jordan ( Petra On the edge of the Desert, was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV )
3. Christ Redeemer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ( Statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro )
4. Machu Picchu, Peru ( Ancient Inca City built by the Incan Emperor Pachacútec halfway up the Andes Plateau, and deep in the Amazon jungle )
5. Pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Mexico ( the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization )
6. The Roman Colosseum, Italy ( This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire )
7. The Taj Mahal, India ( This immen'se mausoleum by the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. )
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7th July 1983 : Samantha Smith, an 11 year old after Earlier in the year sending a letter to Soviet President Yuri V. Andropov asking why the Soviet Union wants to conquer the world. She was invited to Russia to meet the Soviet President and set off on her visit as the youngest Ambassador in US History on a two week trip to the Soviet Union.
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7th July 1985 : Boris Becker wins the men's Wimbledon championships breaking multiple records in the process.
1. The youngest ever player to win the men's title at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
2. The first German ever to win the men's title.
3. The first unseeded player to ever win the championship
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7th July 1987 : A petrol tanker truck crashes into an ice cream parlor in Herborn, Germany causing a massive explosion and fire which caused the death of 50 people who were trapped in the ice cream parlor.
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7th July 1998 : Riots have broken out in Lagos, Nigeria following the death of the opposition leader "Chief Moshood Abiola".
The riots continued for 4 days leaving over 50 dead.
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7th July 2005 : Terrorists bombs are detonated in three crowded London subways on Londons Underground System and one bus during peak rush hour travel in a synchronized attack by suicide bombers thought to be members of al-Qaida, killing 56 people including the bombers and injuring another 700.
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7th July 2007 : The small town of Amirli in Northern Iraq is attacked with a truck bomb in a busy market. A total of 105 people are killed by the blast in Amirli, while another 51 people are killed in separate attacks in the country on this day.
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7th July 2008 : On the opening day of the bull run in Pamplona Spain the six bulls and some tame steers plough into spectators leaving 13 injured including tourists who were watching the famous run .
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7th July 2008 : On this day a suicide bomber attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul, killing 41 people and injuring 141. This was the deadliest attack in Kabul since the Taleban was overthrown in 2001.
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7th July 2009 : A public memorial service is held for musician Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California broadcast live around the world. The service included many of the best known entertainers in the world today and is to big to list but included Larry King, Barbara Walters, Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey, Magic Johnson, Lionel Richie, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Stevie Wonder.
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7th July, 2011 : The world's first synthetic organ transplant was successfully completed by surgeons in Sweden. The operation took place in June when surgeons transplanted a completely synthetic trachea and covered it in the patient's stem cells. The thirty-six year old patient was reportedly recovering well a month after the actual operation.
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7th July, 2012 : Fourteen Russian pilgrims died after a bus crash in Ukraine. The bus was carrying over forty people and rolled over killing fourteen. Many others were injured in the crash.
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8th July 2000 : The latest Harry Potter book has been released and for the first time a Harry Potter book is released simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic. This is the forth book in the Harry Potter series and the initial run is over 5 million books with many book sellers opened at midnight for devoted followers to get their copy.
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8th July 1987 : Following Sikh terrorist attacks on Hindu bus passengers which left 72 dead, the Indian army has banned public meetings hoping to stop the backlash by Hindu's on Sikh's in the city of Chandigarh.
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8th July 1996 : A man wielding a machete attacks 3 very young children ( 3 and 4 yrs old ) and 4 parents and staff at a kindergarten in Wolverhampton.
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8th July 2007 : After 42 years, direct passenger train journeys are resumed between Bangladesh and India. The train carried government officials from India for the first time since 1965 when the train link was closed after the Indo-Pakistan war began.
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8th July, 2012 : Ernest Borgnine, an Oscar-winning film and television actor died of renal failure at the age of ninety-five. Borgnine won an Academy Award for the 1955 film Marty and was known for appearing in The Poseidon Adventure and The Wild Bunch.