July 2: 1964 - The Civil Rights Act is signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson

1823 - Bahia Independence Day: the end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia

July 4: 1776 - The United States Declaration of Independence is signed.1946 - The Philippines became a self-governing nation after 48 years of U.S. sovereignty

1959 - A 49th star is added to the American flag to represent the new state of Alaska

1960 - A 50th star is added to the American flag to represent the new state of Hawaii.July 5: Independence Day for Venezuela

July 5-15: Los Sanfermines, or the San Fermin Festival or the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

July 6, 1942: Anne Frank and her family take refuge in a secret sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse to escape being sent to Nazi concentration camps.July 9: Independence Day for Argentina

1868 - Tennessee and South Carolina are 1st to ratify the 14th Amendment to the US constitution, guaranteeing civil rights

2002 - The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa

July 16, 1809: La Paz, Bolivia declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva. The first independent government in Spanish America, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo

July 19: Revolution Day (Nicaragua). Anniversary of the day the National Liberation army declared victory over the Somoza dictatorshipJuly 20: Independence Day for Colombia

July 24: Birth of Simon Bolivar and national holiday. Known as The Liberator, El Libertador, he led the rebellion against Spanish rule that established the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia

July 24, 1911: American explorer Hiram Bingham discovers Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas

July 25: St. James or Santiago Apostol (Spain). Celebration of the patron saint of Spain1952 - Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States

July 26, 1990: Anniversary of the Signing of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a law enacted by the U.S. Congress “to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability." It was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009

July 28: Independence Day for Peru

1917: Silent Parade organized by James Weldon Johnson of 10,000 African-Americans who march on 5th Ave in NYC to protest against lynching