July 30

The Abbasid caliph al-Mansur laid the first foundations of his Round City of Baghdad, which grew into a great center of learning and translation.

Swami Vivekananda arrived in Chicago ahead of the World's Parliament of Religions, where his September addresses would bring Vedanta to a wide Western audience.

Swami Premananda (Baburam Maharaj), a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna long entrusted with the worship at Belur Math, died in Kolkata.