The events happened on 1st July are :



1997 : Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule : At midnight on June 30/July 1, the crown colony of Hong Kong officially reverted to Chinese sovereignty, ending 156 years of British rule. After a formal handover ceremony on July 1 that culminated a 13-year transition period, the colony became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China. The Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong (1984) stipulated that under Chinese rule the HKSAR would enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in matters of foreign relations and defense, and that the social and economic systems as well as the lifestyle in Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years after 1997.



2004 : Iconic American motion-picture and stage actor Marlon Brando died in Los Angeles.



1968 : The United States, the United Kingdom, the U.S.S.R., and 59 other states signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in an attempt to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.



1963 : The U.S. Postal Service instituted the Zone Improvement Plan Code, commonly known as the ZIP Code.



1916 : Coca-Cola introduced its famous contoured bottle, which was not registered until 1960, to distinguish the soft drink now known as Coca-Cola classic from imitators.



1903 : The first Tour de France bicycle race took place.



1867 : Established by statute in 1879 as Dominion Day and renamed in 1982, Canada Day commemorates the formation of the Dominion of Canada this day.



1863 : The Battle of Gettysburg, thought by many to be the turning point of the American Civil War, began.



1535 : Sir Thomas More went on trial for treason for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He was beheaded five days later.



30th June | 2nd July