Earth is the third planet from the Sun. The planet formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within a billion years. Home to millions of species including humans, Earth is currently the only astronomical body where life is known to exist.

Law is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people.

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia.

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. On average, it is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Bacteria are a large group of single-celled, prokaryote microorganisms. Bacteria are ubiquitous in every habitat on Earth, including the live bodies of plants and animals. In all, there are approximately five nonillion (5×10³⁰) bacteria on Earth, forming much of the world's biomass.

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China founded by the Li (李) family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire. The Tang Dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an, the most populous city in the world at the time, is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization—a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning. Poetry may occur in conjunction with other arts, as in poetic drama, hymns, lyrics, or prose poetry.

The Olympic Games are a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Games are currently held every two years, alternating between the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Games have grown in scale to the point that nearly every nation is represented. Every two years, the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national, and in particular cases, international fame.

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. He is generally considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all time. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an explanation of the principle of the lever.

Ismail Haniyeh

• Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (pictured) is assassinated in Tehran, Iran.
• Landslides in Wayanad, India, kill more than 180 people.
• In Gaelic football, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship concludes with Armagh defeating Galway in the final.
• Typhoon Gaemi leaves more than 70 people dead in the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

July 31: Lā Hae Hawaiʻi (Flag Day) and Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day) in Hawaii ( 1843)

The lunar surface as photographed by Ranger 7 approximately 17 minutes before impact

• 1874 – Patrick Francis Healy was inaugurated as president of Georgetown University, becoming the first African-American president of a predominantly white university in the United States.
• 1924 – A private senator's bill by Herbert Payne to introduce compulsory voting in Australia became law.
• 1954 – A team of Italian climbers became the first to reach the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain.
• 1964 – The space probe Ranger 7 captured thousands of close-up photographs of the Moon (example pictured) over its final minutes of flight and transmitted them to Earth before crashing on the lunar surface.
• 2014 – Gas explosions in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, killed 32 people and injured 321 others.