| July 8, 1777 Vermont became the first British colony in America to abolish slavery when adopting its first constitution following its breaking away from New York. Read more on slavery in Vermont More on slavery in the northern states |
| July 8, 1917 The Women’s Peace Crusade organized a protest against the first world war in Glasgow, Scotland. Processions from two sides of the city, accompanied by bands and banners, wound their way toward the Glasgow Green where they merged into one demonstration of some 14,000 people. Read about the Women’s Peace Crusade |
July 8, 1958![]() “Omaha Action” protestors march from Lincoln, Nebraska to the Mead ICBM construction site in 1959. Source — NSHS. In an effort called “Omaha Action,” by the Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA), anti-nuclear activist Don Fortenberry was arrested after climbing a fence to protest against the building of ICBM sites in Nebraska. Also arrested during this series of actions was internationally known peace activist A. J. Muste. More about Omaha Action |
| July 8, 1959 Vietnamese guerillas ambushed two U.S. advisors, Major Dale Buis and Sgt. Chester Ovnand, are killed by Viet Minh guerrillas at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, making them the first U.S. casualties in Vietnam since 1946. |
| July 8, 1965 Roy Wilkins became the executive director of NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He had edited the organization’s magazine, Crisis, for fifteen years, and was one of the most articulate of civil rights leaders. ![]() Roy Wilkins ![]() the Roy Wilkins Memorial in Minneapolis |
| July 8, 1996 The International Court Of Justice declared that, in almost all circumstances, use of nuclear weapons is illegal. |
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