On July 1, 1870, the US Congress's "Act to Establish the Department of Justice" took effect, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) was officially founded. The Act took the existing office of the Attorney General and made it the head of the new executive department. Congress created the department due to the ongoing legal difficulties surrounding Reconstruction following the US Civil War, the process where the states in rebellion were formally readmitted to the Union and emancipated slaves gained citizenship for the first time. Learn more from the Department Of Justice.

On July 1, 1862, the Tax Act of 1862 was passed and signed by President Lincoln, establishing a 3% federal tax on income above $600 and a 5% tax on income above $10,000. Compliance with the act was poor, even though there were needs for the Civil War. After the war, the act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Review a brief history of the US income tax from the Library of Congress.

On July 1, 1997, the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to China at the conclusion of a 99-year lease. The foundation for the transfer of power was set in December of 1984 when China and the UK signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. The Declaration affirmed the handover of Hong Kong along with governing principles. Most significantly, the Chinese agreed not to impose their socialist system on Hong Kong.