1776 Continental Congress creates committee (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston) to draft a Declaration of Independence
1770 Captain James Cook (1728-1779) discovers Great Barrier Reef off Australia
1988 The British Anti-Apartheid Movement (BAAM) holds an 11-hour rock concert at Wembley Stadium in London to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthda (18 July)
