On this day: July 23
1967 Detroit Riot: A Turning Point in Urban Unrest
From July 23, 1967, what began as a police raid on an unlicensed Detroit bar escalated into five days of intense rioting, arson, and clashes that left 43 people dead, thousands injured, and large parts of the city heavily damaged.
NASA Loses Contact with Mars Climate Orbiter
On July 23, 1999, NASA lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter during its approach to Mars, ending attempts to confirm the spacecraft’s status after an apparent navigation failure tied to a metric-imperial units mix-up.
WHO Declares AIDS a Global Emergency
On July 23, 1987, the World Health Organization formally declared AIDS a global emergency, recognizing the disease’s rapid international spread and urging coordinated public-health responses, surveillance, and increased funding for prevention and care.