In History, Today on August 1

The Swiss Confederation was founded with the signing of the Federal Charter, marking the beginning of Switzerland as a nation.

Christopher Columbus landed on the mainland of South America, near present-day Venezuela, during his third voyage.

The Elector of Hanover became King George I of Great Britain, marking the beginning of the Georgian era.

Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen by isolating it in its gaseous state, although Carl Wilhelm Scheele had independently discovered it earlier.

The Battle of the Nile began, a major naval battle between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into effect.

Colorado was admitted as the 38th state of the United States of America.

Germany declared war on Russia, marking the beginning of World War I.

The Warsaw Uprising began as the Polish resistance Home Army attempted to liberate Warsaw from German occupation during World War II.

Dahomey (now Benin) gained independence from France.

Charles Whitman kills 16 people in a shooting rampage at the University of Texas at Austin.

MTV launched its first broadcast, marking a significant moment in music and television history.

The Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore had a Ten Commandments monument installed in the rotunda of the judiciary building, sparking a legal battle over the separation of church and state.

The I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed during evening rush hour, resulting in 13 deaths and 145 injuries.

The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway, the first high-speed rail service in China, began operations, marking a significant advancement in China's transportation infrastructure.

The United Nations declared the flooding in Pakistan as the worst humanitarian disaster in recent history, affecting over 20 million people.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover, Curiosity, successfully landed on Mars, beginning its exploration of the Gale Crater to assess past and present habitability.

The West African Ebola virus epidemic was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization.

The Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics officially began, marking the first time the Olympic Games were held in South America.

The United States imposes new sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea, targeting their defense and energy sectors, in response to various geopolitical tensions.

Apple Inc. became the world's first public company to achieve a market capitalization of $1 trillion.