The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad opened in Athens on this day. The city had hosted the first modern Summer Games in 1896, and Greece had originated the Olympic Games during ancient times. Although Athens lost its bid to host the centennial of the athletic event in 1996 (it was held in Atlanta, Georgia), the International Olympic Committee awarded the Greek capital the 2004 Games.
| 1995: | | New York Yankees baseball player Mickey Mantle died in Dallas, Texas. |
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| 1919: | | Famed racehorse Man o' War suffered the only defeat of his career. |
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| 1898: | | | The U.S. Army took control of the Philippine port of Manila during the Spanish-American War. |
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| 1521: | | | Hernán Cortés completed his capture of Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City), marking the fall of the Aztec empire. |
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