July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 178 days remaining until the end of the year.
- 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place.
- 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England.
- 1253 - Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania.
- 1348 - Papal bull of Pope Clement VI protecting Jews during the Black Death.
- 1415 - Jan Hus is burned at the stake.
- 1483 - Richard III is crowned King of England.
- 1484 - Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.
- 1495 - First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIII defeats the Holy League, but ultimately ends his attempted conquest of Italy.
- 1535 - Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII.
- 1560 - The Treaty of Edinburgh is signed by Scotland and England.
- 1573 - Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- 1609 - Bohemia is granted freedom of religion.
- 1630 - Thirty-Years War: 4,000 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus land in Pomerania, Germany.
- 1751 - Pope Benedict XIV suppresses the Patriarchate of Aquileia and establishes from its territory the archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Ticonderoga: Due to a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreat from Fort Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1785 - The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States.
- 1801 - Battle of Algeciras: The French navy are defeated by the British Royal Navy.
- 1854 - In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held.
- 1885 - Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies. The patient is Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.
- 1887 - David Kalakaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced at gunpoint, at the hands of the Americans, to sign the Bayonet Constitution giving Americans more power in Hawaii while stripping Hawaiian citizens of their rights.
- 1892 - Dadabhai Naoroji elected as first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain.
- 1892 - 3,800 striking steelworkers engage in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving 10 dead and dozens wounded.
- 1893 - The small town of Pomeroy, Iowa, is nearly destroyed by a tornado that kills 71 people and injures 200.
- 1905 - Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the second time.
- 1908 - Robert Peary sets sail for the Arctic on the expedition on which he later reaches the North Pole.
- 1917 - World War I: Arabian troops led by Lawrence of Arabia and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Turks during the Arab Revolt.
- 1919 - The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.
- 1933 - The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. The American League defeats the National League, 4-2.
- 1936 - A major breach of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal in England sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet into the River Irwell.
- 1939 - Holocaust: The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed.
- 1942 - Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
- 1944 - The Hartford Circus Fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut.
- 1947 - The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.
- 1957 - Althea Gibson wins the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so.
- 1957 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney (The Beatles) first meet at St. Peter's Church garden fete in Liverpool, England.
- 1962 - Nuclear test shot Sedan; part of Operation Plowshare.
- 1964 - Malawi declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1966 - Malawi becomes a republic, with Hastings Banda as the first President.
- 1967 - Biafran War: Nigerian forces invade Biafra, beginning the war.
- 1975 - The Comoros declare independence from France.
- 1978 - The Taunton sleeping car fire occurred in Taunton, Somerset killing twelve people.
- 1986 - Davis Phinney became the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France.
- 1988 - The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. 167 oil workers are killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster.
- 1989 - The Israeli 405 Bus slaughter in which 14 bus passengers were killed when an Arab assaulted the bus driver as the bus was driving by the edge of a cliff.
- 1998 - Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport is closed and the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok becomes operational.
- 1999 - U.S. Army private Barry Winchell dies from baseball-bat injuries inflicted in his sleep the previous day by fellow soldiers for his relationship with transgendered showgirl and former Navy combat medic, Calpernia Addams.
- 2003 - The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message Cosmic Call 2 to 5 stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri, HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris that will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, 2044 and 2049 respectively.
- 2006 - The Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.
- 1686 - Antoine de Jussieu, French naturalist (d. 1758)
- 1736 - Daniel Morgan, American battlefield tactician (d. 1802)
- 1747 - John Paul Jones, American naval commander (d. 1792)
- 1766 - Alexander Wilson, Scottish-born naturalist (d. 1813)
- 1782 - Maria Louisa of Spain, queen of Etruria (d. 1824)
- 1785 - William Jackson Hooker, English botanist (d. 1865)
- 1789 - Maria Isabella of Spain, queen of the Two Sicilies (d. 1846)
- 1796 - Tsar Nicholas I of Russia (d. 1855)
- 1817 - Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist (d. 1905)
- 1818 - Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (d. 1879)
- 1837 - Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, Indian scholar (d. 1925)
- 1838 - Vatroslav Jagic, Croatian scholar (d. 1923)
- 1859 - Verner von Heidenstam, Nobel laureate (d. 1940)
- 1865 - Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss musician (d. 1950)
- 1868 - Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1935)
- 1878 - Eino Leino, Finnish poet (d. 1926)
- 1884 - Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1970)
- 1885 - Ernst Busch, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1887 - Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer (d. 1975)
- 1898 - Hanns Eisler, German composer (d. 1962)
- 1903 - Hugo Theorell, Nobel laureate (d. 1982)
- 1900 - Frederica Sagor Maas, American playwright
- 1904 - Erik Wickberg, Salvation Army general (d. 1996)
- 1907 - Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter (d. 1954)
- 1907 - George Stanley, Canadian politician and designer of Canada's Flag (d. 2002)
- 1912 - Heinrich Harrer, Austrian mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach (d. 2004)
- 1918 - Sebastian Cabot, English actor (d. 1977)
- 1919 - Ernst Haefliger, Swiss singer (d. 2007)
- 1921 - Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the United States
- 1923 - Wojciech Jaruzelski, President of Poland
- 1925 - Merv Griffin, American television show host (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Bill Haley, American singer (d. 1981)
- 1927 - Jan Hein Donner, Dutch chess player
- 1927 - Alan Freeman, British DJ known by his nickname 'Fluff' (d. 2006)
- 1927 - Janet Leigh, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Pat Paulsen, American comedian (d. 1997)
- 1927 - Nilo Soruco, Bolivian songwriter (d. 2004)
- 1931 - Jean Campeau, French Canadian businessman and politician
- 1931 - Della Reese, American singer
- 1933 - Frank Austin, English footballer
- 1935 - Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 1936 - Dave Allen, Irish comedian (d. 2005)
- 1937 - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian-born pianist and conductor
- 1937 - Ned Beatty, American actor
- 1937 - Gene Chandler, American singer
- 1939 - Jet Harris, English bass guitarist
- 1940 - Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan
- 1940 - Jeannie Seely, American singer
- 1945 - Burt Ward, American actor
- 1945 - Rodney Matthews, English fantasy artist and illustrator
- 1946 - George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
- 1946 - Peter Singer, Australian philosopher
- 1946 - Fred Dryer, American football player and actor
- 1946 - Sylvester Stallone, American actor
- 1947 - Richard Beckinsale, English actor (d. 1979)
- 1947 - Lance Clemons, baseball player
- 1948 - Nathalie Baye, French actress
- 1948 - Jean-Pierre Blackburn, French Canadian politician
- 1948 - Brad Park, Canadian hockey player
- 1948 - Wadih Saadeh, Lebanese-Australian poet
- 1948 - Tom Curley, American media executive
- 1949 - Phyllis Hyman, American singer (d. 1995)
- 1950 - John Byrne, American comic book author & artist
- 1950 - Hélène Scherrer, Canadian politician
- 1951 - Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor
- 1953 - Nanci Griffith, American singer
- 1954 - Allyce Beasley, American actress
- 1954 - Willie Randolph, former New York Mets manager
- 1955 - Frank Sontag, American radio personality
- 1955 - William Wall, Irish writer
- 1956 - Casey Sander, American actor
- 1957 - Ron Duguay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1958 - Jennifer Saunders, English actress
- 1959 - Richard Dacoury, French basketball player
- 1961 - Rick Price, singer/songwriter
- 1963 - Todd Burns, baseball player
- 1963 - Lance Johnson, American baseball player
- 1966 - Brian Posehn, American actor
- 1967 - James Hannon, Bronx filmmaker
- 1967 - Heather Nova, Bermudian singer
- 1967 - Omar Olivares, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1969 - Brian Van Holt, American actor
- 1969 - Fernando Redondo, Argentine footballer
- 1970 - Inspectah Deck, American rapper
- 1970 - Frank Salvato II, Italian-American Sound Engineer and Composer
- 1970 - Martin Smith, English singer (Delirious?)
- 1971 - Kenya D. Williamson, American actress
- 1972 - Isabelle Boulay, French-Canadian singer
- 1972 - Greg Norton, American baseball player
- 1972 - Mark Gasser, British pianist
- 1974 - Zé Roberto, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 - Amir-Abbas Fakhravar, Iranian journalist and activist
- 1975 - Sebastián Rulli, Argentine actor
- 1975 - 50 Cent, American rapper
- 1977 - Con Blatsis, Australian footballer
- 1977 - Makhaya Ntini, South African cricketer
- 1977 - Craig Handley, British film director
- 1978 - Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry, American actresses
- 1978 - Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 - Nic Cester, Australian musician (Jet)
- 1980 - Pau Gasol, Spanish basketball player
- 1981 - Nnamdi Asomugha, American football player
- 1982 - Tay Zonday, American singer and keyboardist
- 1983 - Gregory Smith, Canadian actor
- 1984 - Lauren Harris, British rock singer
- 1984 - James Henderson, American model
- 1986 - Derrick Williams, American football player
- 1987 - Kate Nash, English singer/songwriter
- 1987 - Matt O'Leary, American actor
- 1987 - Caroline Trentini, Brazilian model
- 1994 - Rebecca Rosso and Camilla Rosso, British actresses
- 1189 - King Henry II of England (b. 1133)
- 1218 - Eudes III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
- 1249 - King Alexander II of Scotland (b. 1198)
- 1415 - Jan Hus, Bohemian reformer (b. 1369)
- 1476 - Regiomantus, German astronomer (b. 1436)
- 1480 - Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer (b. 1416)
- 1533 - Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet (b. 1474)
- 1535 - Sir Thomas More, English philosopher (b. 1478)
- 1553 - King Edward VI of England (b. 1537)
- 1583 - Edmund Grindal, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1585 - Thomas Aufield, English Catholic martyr (b. 1552)
- 1684 - Peter Gunning, English royalist churchman (b. 1614)
- 1758 - George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe, British general
- 1762 - Tsar Peter III of Russia (b. 1728)
- 1768 - Conrad Beissel, German-born religious leader (b. 1690)
- 1802 - Daniel Morgan, American Revolutionary general and politician (b. ~1735)
- 1809 - Antoine Charles Louis Lasalle, French cavalry general (b. 1775)
- 1813 - Granville Sharp, British abolitionist (b. 1735)
- 1835 - John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1755)
- 1854 - Georg Ohm, German physicist (b. 1789)
- 1868 - Sanosuke Harada, Shinsengumi Captain (b. 1840)
- 1893 - Guy de Maupassant, French author (b. 1850)
- 1901 - Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1819)
- 1902 - St. Maria Goretti, Italian saint (b. 1890)
- 1907 - August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German Linguist, Theologian (b. 1826)
- 1916 - Odilon Redon, French painter (b. 1840)
- 1922 - Maria Theresa Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (b. 1863)
- 1932 - Kenneth Grahame, English author (b. 1859)
- 1950 - Fats Navarro, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1923)
- 1952 - Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, French Canadian politician (b. 1867)
- 1960 - Aneurin Bevan, British politician (b. 1897)
- 1961 - Scott LaFaro, American musician (b. 1936)
- 1961 - Woodall Rodgers, American politician (b. 1890)
- 1962 - William Faulkner, American writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1897)
- 1962 - Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (b. 1872)
- 1963 - Georg, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1899)
- 1964 - Claude V. Ricketts, United States naval admiral (b. 1906)
- 1966 - Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player (b. 1892)
- 1968 - Johnny Indrisano, American boxer and actor (b. 1906)
- 1971 - Louis Armstrong, American musician (b. 1901)
- 1972 - Brandon De Wilde, American actor (b. 1942)
- 1973 - Otto Klemperer, German conductor (b. 1885)
- 1975 - Otto Skorzeny, WWII German SS commando (b. 1908)
- 1975 - Ruffian, American racehorse (b. 1972)
- 1976 - Zhu De, Chinese Communist military leader and statesman (b. 1886)
- 1976 - Fritz Lenz, German geneticist (b. 1887)
- 1979 - Van McCoy, American music producer, musician, songwriter and orchestra leader (b. 1940)
- 1982 - Bob Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1905)
- 1986 - Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (b. 1908)
- 1989 - János Kádár, Hungarian politician (b. 1912)
- 1991 - Muda Lawal, Nigerian footballer (b. 1954)
- 1994 - Cameron Mitchell, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1995 - Aziz Nesin, Turkish humorist and author (b. 1915)
- 1996 - Kathy Ahern, American golfer (b. 1949)
- 1998 - Roy Rogers, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1999 - Carl Gunter Jr, American politician (b. 1938)
- 1999 - Joaquin Rodrigo, Spanish composer (b. 1901)
- 1999 - Barry Winchell, American soldier (b. 1977)
- 2000 - Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist and memoirist (b. 1911), whose story is told in the movie The Pianist
- 2002 - Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (b. 1932)
- 2002 - John Frankenheimer, American film director (b. 1930)
- 2003 - Buddy Ebsen, American actor (b. 1908)
- 2004 - Thomas Klestil, President of Austria (b. 1932)
- 2004 - Syreeta Wright, American singer (b. 1946)
- 2005 - Bruno Augenstein, German-born mathematician (b. 1923)
- 2005 - L. Patrick Gray III, American FBI director (b. 1916)
- 2005 - Evan Hunter, American novelist (b. 1926)
- 2005 - Claude Simon, French writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1913)
- 2005 - Richard Verreau, Canadian tenor (b. 1926)
- 2006 - Kasey Rogers, American actress (b. 1926)
- 2006 - Tom Weir, Scottish climber, author and broadcaster (b. 1914)
- 2008 - Bobby Durham, American jazz drummer (b. 1937)
