July 09

On July 9, 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery in the United States at Provident Hospital in Chicago. Without modern anesthesia or antibiotics, Williams sutured the pericardium of a patient who had suffered a severe chest wound. His groundbreaking operation demonstrated that complex cardiac procedures could be conducted safely. The patient recovered fully, marking a milestone in surgical history and paving the way for future innovations in cardiac medicine. Williams’s achievement was remarkable not only for its medical significance but also because it took place at a hospital founded by and for African Americans during the era of racial segregation. This operation challenged prevailing medical assumptions and expanded opportunities for African American physicians. Williams’s legacy endures in the ongoing advancement of heart surgery and equality in medicine.

On July 9, 1962, the United States conducted the Starfish Prime test, detonating a 1.4-megaton nuclear warhead 400 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean. The explosion created unexpected radiation belts that damaged several satellites and disrupted communication systems. An intense electromagnetic pulse knocked out part of Hawaii’s power grid and set off alarms across the Pacific. The test revealed the far-reaching consequences of high-altitude detonations and informed future arms control and space policy debates. Starfish Prime remains one of the most significant experiments in space-era nuclear testing.