JULY 30

762: Baghdad, capital of Iraq, is founded by Caliph Al-Mansur 1818: English novelist Emily Bronte is born 1859: First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps 1893: Madr-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah, sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is born 1930: Uruguay wins the first Football World Cup in Montevideo 1932: Premiere of Walt Disney’s Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor 1947: Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is born 1956: The phrase “In God We Trust” is adopted as the US national motto 1973: Indian singer Sonu Nigam is born 1974: American actress Hilary Swank is born 2003: The last ‘old style’ Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line in Mexico 2006: The world’s longest running music show Top of the Pops is broadcast for the last time, bringing an end to a 42-year run

JULY 31

1498: Christopher Columbus arrives at the island of Trinidad 1658: Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal Emperor of India 1954: Mount Godwin-Austen (K2), the world’s second-highest peak, is climbed for the first time by an Italian team led by Ardito Desio 1962: American actor Wesley Snipes is born 1965: British writer J. K. Rowling is born 1976: Kahuta Engineering Research Laboratories (KRL) is founded by Dr. A.Q Khan 1980: Indian playback singer Mohd. Rafi dies 2006: Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro

AUGUST 1

1790: The first US census is completed, showing a population of 3,929,214 people 1498: Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now called Venezuela 1914: Germany declares war on Russia at the opening of World War I 1936: Adolf Hitler presides over the opening of the Berlin Olympic Games 1981: Music Television (MTV) makes its debut at 12:01am 1960: Islamabad is declared as the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan 1996: Michael Johnson breaks the 200m world record by 0.30 seconds with a time of 19.32 seconds at the Atlanta Olympics 1932: Indian actress Meena Kumari is born 2005: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies 1972: Pakistani cricketer Maqsood Rana is born

AUGUST 2

1776: The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence takes place 1870: Tower Subway, the world’s first underground tube railway, opens in London 1932: British actor Peter O’Toole is born 1934: Adolf Hitler becomes Fuhrer of Germany 1976: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Zahid is born 1989: Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations for the first time since 1972 1990: The Persian Gulf War breaks out when Iraq invaded Kuwait

AUGUST 3

1783: Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing 35,000 people 1914: Germany declares war on France 1916: Indian poet and lyricist Shakeel Badayuni is born 1940: American actor Martin Sheen is born 1958: The nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater 2004: The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11 attacks

AUGUST 4

1884: Thomas Stevens becomes the first person to bicycle across the United States 1929: Indian playback singer Kishore Kumar is born 1954: The Government of Pakistan approves the National Anthem, written by Hafeez Jalindhari and composed by Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla, as the national anthem. 1955: American actor Billy Bob Thornton is born 1961: US President Barack Obama is born 2007: NASA’s Phoenix spaceship is launched

AUGUST 5

1930: American astronaut Neil Armstrong is born 1962: Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe dies 1962: South African leader Nelson Mandela is jailed by the government 1969: Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad is born 1969: The US space probe Mariner 7 transmitted pictures of Mars 1972: Pakistani cricketer Aaqib Javed is born 1975: Indian actress Kajol is born 1999: The Kohat Tunnel (1886 metres) project starts 2010: Copiapo mining accident occurs, trapping 33 Chilean miners approximately 2,300 ft below the ground — OA