Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 7
This is a list of selected August 7 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
August 7: Qi Xi in the Chinese lunar calendar (2008); Assyrian Martyrs Day; Independence Day in Côte d'Ivoire
- 1679 – Le Griffon, a brigantine by René-Robert de LaSalle, became the first sailing ship to navigate the Great Lakes.
- 1782 – The Badge of Military Merit (pictured), the original Purple Heart, was established as a military decoration in the Continental Army.
- 1933 – Many of an estimated 3,000 Assyrians were slaughtered by Iraqi troops during the Simele massacre in the Dahuk and Mosul districts.
- 1947 – An expedition led by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on his raft the Kon-Tiki completed a 101–day journey across the Pacific Ocean.
- 1998 – Car bombs simultaneously exploded at the United States embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, killing over 200 people and injuring over 4,500 others.