This Day in History: July 7

1520: Battle of Otumba, Mexico

In this battle, Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeated a numerically superior Aztec force during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

1937: Second Sino-Japanese War Begins

Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at the Marco Polo Bridge, which marked the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

1947: Alleged and Disputed Roswell UFO Incident

An object crashed into a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico raising speculations that the object was an extraterrestrial spacecraft containing alien life forms.

1958: Alaska Becomes the 49th State of the United States

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into law, which made Alaska the 49th state of the United States of America on January 3, 1959.

1981: Sandra Day O'Connor Becomes the First Woman Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to be appointed to the highest court in the United States.

1985: Boris Becker Becomes the Youngest Person to Win Wimbledon

At age 17, the German tennis player beat American Kevin Curren.

1991: Brioni Declaration is Signed

The agreement was signed by Slovenia, Croatia, and Yugoslavia on the Brioni islands in Croatia. The agreement marked the end of hostilities that began with the Slovenian War of Independence, also known as the Ten Day War, which began after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia.

2005: London Terrorist Bombings and G8 Summit

Coordinated terrorist bomb blasts struck London's public transport system during the morning rush hour killing 52 and injuring 700. In the same year, influenced by global Live 8 concerts, G8 leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to Africa from US$25 to US$50 billion by the year 2010.