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Today in History, July 9th

On July 9, 1762, Catherine the Great was proclaimed sole ruler of Russia. Plus Zachary Taylor's death and South Sudan's independence.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published July 9, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

July 9 is best known for 1762, when Catherine the Great pushed her husband, Peter III, off the throne and was proclaimed sole ruler of Russia. The date also saw President Zachary Taylor die in office in 1850 and South Sudan declare independence in 2011.

The big story: Catherine the Great takes Russia’s throne (1762)

The woman who ran Russia for 34 years was not Russian. She was born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst in 1729, in what is now Poland, the daughter of a minor Prussian prince. At 15 she was invited to Russia by Empress Elizabeth, who wanted a bride for her nephew, Grand Duke Peter. Sophie married him, joined the Orthodox Church and took the name Catherine. The match was miserable on both sides. Peter became emperor in early 1762, and soon his enemies were scheming to replace him with his 7-year-old son, Paul. Catherine moved first. Backed by her lover Gregory Orlov and, crucially, the army, she forced Peter to abdicate and was proclaimed Empress Catherine II on July 9, 1762. Eight days later Peter was killed by her supporters, which left a shadow over her claim. She ruled until 1796, pushing Russia toward the West and expanding its borders to take in Crimea and much of Poland.

More events on July 9

Year	What happened
1540	Henry VIII’s marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was annulled.
1755	General Edward Braddock’s British army was routed at the Battle of the Monongahela during the French and Indian War.
1816	The Congress of Tucumán declared Argentina independent from Spain.
1846	A U.S. Navy captain took over Yerba Buena, the California settlement later renamed San Francisco.
1850	President Zachary Taylor died about 16 months into his term.
1877	The first Wimbledon tennis tournament began.
1948	Satchel Paige made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians, the oldest rookie in big-league history.
1955	Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” became the first rock-and-roll record to top Billboard’s pop chart.
1962	Bob Dylan recorded “Blowin’ in the Wind” in a studio.
1993	British scientists used mitochondrial DNA to identify the remains of Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family.
2011	South Sudan declared independence from Sudan after voters overwhelmingly backed secession in a referendum.
2020	In McGirt v. Oklahoma, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s 1833 treaty was still in effect.

Born on July 9

1911: John Archibald Wheeler, physicist who popularized the term “black hole,” born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1911: Mervyn Peake, English novelist and illustrator known for the Titus Groan books, born in Guling, China.
1956: Tom Hanks, actor, born in Concord, California.