Fun On this date in history...

If I may...

ON JULY 27th:

In 1694, a Royal Charter was granted to the Bank of England.

In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.

In 1919, the Chicago Race Riot erupted after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period.

In 1921, Canadian researcher Frederick Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, succeeded in isolating the hormone insulin at the University of Toronto.

In 1940, Bugs Bunny made his official debut when Warner Brothers released the animated short "A Wild Hare."

Also in 1940,Billboard magazine published its first "music popularity chart" listing best-selling retail records (in first place was "I'll Never Smile Again" recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with featured vocalist Frank Sinatra).

In addition in 1940, producer Gary Kurtz was born in Los Angeles.

In 1949, the adventure movie “Mighty Joe Young”, featuring stop-motion effects by Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen, premiered in New York City.

In 1950, actor Simon Jones was born in Charlton Park, Wiltshire, England. The hitchhiking would come later on.

In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.

In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president on the first ballot at the Republican national convention in Chicago.

In 1965, Shirley Ann Lawson of Auckland gave birth to four girls and a boy, the first quintuplets born in New Zealand.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day black militant H. Rap Brown said in Washington that violence was "as American as cherry pie."

Also in 1967, the sale of Desilu Studios to Gulf + Western was finalized.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

In 1976, John Lennon was granted permanent U.S. residency following a lengthy battle with immigration officials.

In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1981, Adam Walsh, 6-year-old son of John Walsh, was kidnapped in Hollywood, FL and was found murdered two weeks later.

In 1986,Greg LeMond of the U.S. became the first non-European to capture the Tour de France cycling race.

In 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington by President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.

In 1996, at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, a pipe bomb exploded at the public Centennial Olympic Park. One person was killed and more than 100 were injured.

In 2003, actor/comedian/singer Bob Hope died in Toluca Lake, CA at age 100.

In 2012, the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place at the Olympic Stadium in London. Reports of a dark-haired man wearing a long coat unexpectedly picking up the Olympic torch and carrying it the last few yards remain unconfirmed.

 

Sorry, the board won't let me put this up directly...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zerm8

Zip forward to about 2:30 on this one...

 

If I may...

ON JULY 28th:

In 1540, King Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

In 1655, French dramatist and novelist Cyrano de Bergerac, the inspiration for a play by Edmond Rostand, died in Paris at age 36.

In 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine.

In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain.

In 1866, author/illustrator Beatrix Potter was born in Kensington, London, England.

In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law.

In 1901, singer/actor/band leader Rudy Vallee was born in Island Pond, VT.

In 1914, World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

In 1915, more than 300 American sailors and Marines arrived in Haiti to restore order following the killing of Haitian President Vibrun Guillaume Sam by rebels, beginning a 19-year U.S. occupation.

In 1929, journalist/editor Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 37th First Lady of the U.S., was born in Southampton, NY.

In 1932, federal troops forcibly dispersed the so-called "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington to demand payments they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945.

In 1935, the first flight of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress took place.

In 1945, a U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York's Empire State Building, killing 14 people.

Also in 1945, the U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.

In addition in 1945, cartoonist Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, was born in Marion, IN.

In 1954, the drama film “On the Waterfront”, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, premiered in New York City.

In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis made his television debut on "The Steve Allen Show."

In 1959, in preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Republican Hiram L. Fong, to the U.S. Senate and the first Japanese-American, Democrat Daniel K. Inouye, to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 "almost immediately."

In 1976, an earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.

In 1984, the Los Angeles Summer Olympics opened.

In 1993, the Mel Brooks comedy “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” was released in the U.S.

In 1995, a jury in Union, South Carolina, rejected the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her to life in prison for drowning her two young sons (Smith will be eligible for parole in 2024).

In 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford made her final appearance as co-host of the ABC talk show "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee."

 

Should've posted this yesterday...

 

If I may...

ON JULY 29th:

In 1588, the English attacked the Spanish Armada in the Battle of Gravelines, resulting in an English victory.

In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, age 37, died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

In 1905, actress Clara Bow, “The ‘It’ Girl”, was born in Brooklyn.

In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in the U.S. became operational with the first test conversation between New York and San Francisco.

Also in 1914, Massachusetts' Cape Cod Canal, offering a shortcut across the base of the peninsula, was officially opened to shipping traffic.

In addition in 1914, comedian/actor/activist “Professor” Irwin Corey was born in Brooklyn.

In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader ("fuehrer") of the National Socialist German Workers Party.

In 1933, wrestler/manager/actor “Captain” Lou Albano was born in Rome, Italy.

In 1938, journalist Peter Jennings was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In 1941, actor David Warner was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.

In 1948, Britain's King George VI opened the Olympic Games in London.

In 1953, producer/director Ken Burns was born in Brooklyn.

In 1957, Jack Paar made his debut as host of NBC's "Tonight" show.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA.

In 1959, the horror movie “The Tingler”, produced & directed by William Castle and starring Vincent Price, was released in the U.S. And you’d better start screaming, just in case the Tingler gets loose in this website.

In 1965, The Beatles' second feature film, "Help!," had its world premiere at the London Pavilion.

In 1966, Bob Dylan was involved in a motorcycle accident near Woodstock, New York. He suffered critical injuries and took months to recover.

In 1972, actor/writer Wil Wheaton was born in Burbank, CA. Saving the Enterprise-D several times would come later.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford became the first U.S. president to visit the site of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland.

In 1981, Britain's Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. (However, the couple divorced in 1996.)

In 1983, the comedy “National Lampoon’s ‘Vacation’”, starring Chevy Chase, was released in the U.S.

In 1994, abortion opponent Paul Hill shot and killed Dr. John Bayard Britton and Britton's bodyguard, James H. Barrett, outside the Ladies Center clinic in Pensacola, Florida. (Hill was executed in September 2003.)

In 2004, Sen. John Kerry accepted the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in Boston.

In 2005, The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a U.S.-sponsored resolution expanding U.N. sanctions against al-Qaida terrorists and Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers to affiliates and splinter groups.

 

- passed away on July 29, 2003

 

If I may...

ON JULY 30th:

In 1729, Baltimore, MD was founded.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, VA by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.

In 1916, the Black Tom Island explosion occurred near Jersey City, NJ, when German saboteurs destroyed 1 kiloton of munitions stored on the island. The explosion resulted in $20 million in damages and seven reported deaths.

In 1918, poet Joyce Kilmer, a sergeant in the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment, was killed during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. (Kilmer is remembered for his poem "Trees.")

In 1930, in Montevideo, Uruguay won the first FIFA World Cup.

In 1932, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Los Angeles.

Also in 1932, the Disney cartoon “Flowers and Trees” premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. It was the first animated short, and was later the first to win an Academy Award.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill creating a women's auxiliary agency in the Navy known as "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" — WAVES for short.

In 1943, the East Side Kids comedy “Ghosts on the Loose”, also starring Bela Lugosi, was released in the U.S.

In 1945, the Portland class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, having just delivered components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Mariana Islands, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 317 out of nearly 1,200 men survived.

In 1947, actor/producer/bodybuilder/politician Arnold Schwarzeneggar was born in Thal, Austria.

In 1953, the Small Business Administration was founded.

In 1954, Elvis Presley made his professional debut in Memphis. It was his first concert to be advertised.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure making "In God We Trust" the national motto, replacing "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one").

In 1958, the horror/sci-fi “War of the Colossal Beast” opened in Brooklyn; it had been in release elsewhere in the U.S. since June. The sequel to “The Amazing Colossal Man”, it was also produced & directed by Bert I. Gordon.

In 1961, the Toho kaiju movie “Mosura” opened in Japan. It would be re-titled “Mothra” when it reached the U.S.

In 1963, the Soviet Union announced it had granted political asylum to Harold "Kim" Philby, the "third man" of a British spy ring.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure creating Medicare, which began operating the following year.

In 1970, The Beatles closed their Apple Boutique.

In 1971, during the Apollo 15 mission, David Scott and James Irwin landed on the Moon in the LM Falcon, while Alfred Worden remained in Lunar orbit in the CSM Endevour.

In 1974,U.S. President Richard Nixon released subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1975, former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit; although presumed dead, his remains have never been found.

In 1980, Israel's Knesset passed a law reaffirming all of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

In 1990, British Conservative Party lawmaker Ian Gow was killed in a bombing claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 2006, the world's longest running music show “Top of the Pops” was broadcast for the last time on BBC 2. The show had aired for 42 years.

 

- born July 30th, 1964

 

If I may...

ON JULY 31st:

In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during a hurricane off the east Florida coast, scattering most of their treasure along the ocean floor. Of some 2,500 crew members, more than 1,000 died.

In 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army.

In 1875, Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the U.S., died in Carter County, TN at age 66.

In 1919, Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted by the republic's National Assembly.

Also in 1919, sportscaster Curt Gowdy was born in Green River, WY.

In 1928, Leo the Lion roared for the first time at the beginning of MGM's first talking picture, "White Shadows in the South Seas."

In 1930, the radio character The Shadow made his debut as narrator of the "Detective Story Hour" on CBS Radio. The character would be retooled into a crime fighter the following year.

In 1932, actor Ted Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, PA, long before he started working at the Addams home.

In 1933, the radio series "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy," made its debut on CBS radio station WBBM in Chicago. (It would run until 1950, and be heard over three different networks, respectively.)

In 1942, Oxfam International had its beginnings as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief was founded in England.

In 1954, Pakistan's K2 was conquered as two members of an Italian expedition, Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, reached the summit.

In 1963, the BBC formally announced the regular cast of the upcoming series “Doctor Who”.

In 1964, the American space probe Ranger 7 reached the moon, transmitting pictures back to Earth before impacting the lunar surface.

In 1965, author J.K. Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. Sometime later, I’d check out her books to library patrons over and over and over again.

In 1966, the kaiju movie “Furankenshutain no kaiju: Sanda tai Gaira” was released in Japan, where it was made. Retitled “The War of the Gargantuas”, it would reach the U.S. in 1970.

In 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts Scott and Irwin become the first to ride in a Lunar Rover.

In 1972, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment.

In 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 723, a DC-9, crashed while trying to land at Boston's Logan International Airport, killing all 89 people on board.

In 1989, a pro-Iranian group in Lebanon released a grisly videotape showing the body of American hostage William R. Higgins, a Marine lieutenant-colonel, dangling from a rope.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow.

Also in 1991, the comedy “Hot Shots!” was released in the U.S.

In 1999, the animated sci-fi movie “The Iron Giant”, directed by Brad Bird, premiered in the U.S.

In 2006, in Cuba, Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raul Castro.

 

- passed away on July 31, 2012

 

The world needs more real men like Clark Nelson.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 1st:

In 1800, The Acts of Union of 1800 was passed in which the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1834, slavery was abolished in the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into force.

In 1876, Colorado was admitted as the 38th state.

In 1907, the U.S. Army Signal Corps established an aeronautical division, the forerunner of the U.S. Air Force.

In 1913, the Joyce Kilmer poem "Trees" was first published in "Poetry: A Magazine of Verse."

In 1936, the Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler.

In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi occupation; the revolt lasted two months before collapsing.

Also in 1944, the Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Pearl of Death”, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, was released in the U.S.

In 1953, the comedy “Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, featuring Boris Karloff as Jekyll & Hyde, was released in the U.S.

In 1957, the United States and Canada agreed to create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).

In 1958, the Tom & Jerry cartoon “Tot Watchers” was released in the U.S. It was the last Tom & Jerry theatrical short produced or directed by Hanna & Barbera.

In 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman, age 25, went on a shooting rampage at the University of Texas in Austin, killing 14 people. Whitman, who had also slain his wife and mother hours earlier, was gunned down by police.

In 1968, the monster movie “Kaiju soshingeki”, featuring an all-star Toho cast, was released in Japan. Nearly a year later, it would be released in the U.S. as “Destroy All Monsters”.

In 1971, the Concert for Bangladesh, organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, took place at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Also in 1971, the post-apocalypse thriller “The Omega Man”, starring Charlton Heston, was released in the U.S.

In 1973, the comedy/drama “American Graffiti” had its U.S. premiere. It featured a soon-to-be-famous cast and a soon-to-be-famous director.

In 1975, a 35-nation summit in Finland concluded with the signing of a declaration known as the Helsinki Accords dealing with European security, human rights and East-West contacts.

In 1981, the rock music video channel MTV made its debut. The first video played was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles.

In 1986, the sci-fi adventure “Howard the Duck” was released in the U.S. It would develop a somewhat notorious reputation, which has eased a bit in recent years.

In 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley confirmed they'd been secretly married 11 weeks earlier. (Presley filed for divorce from Jackson in January 1996, citing irreconcilable differences.)

In 1997, the family comedy “Air Bud” was released in the U.S.

In 2007, the eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.


And one I heard today that should be added to July 31st:

June S. Morgan passed away in Scranton, PA at age 86 after a long illness. Her family misses her, and one of her grandnephews thought her passing was noteworthy.

 

My sincere condolences for your loss Kenneth Morgan

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 2nd:

In 1776, members of the Continental Congress began attaching their signatures to the Declaration of Independence.

In 1790, the first United States Census was conducted.

In 1873, inventor Andrew S. Hallidie successfully tested a cable car he had designed for the city of San Francisco.

In 1876, frontiersman "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, by Jack McCall, who was later hanged.

In 1892, film executive Jack L. Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, was born in London, Ontario, Canada.

In 1905, actress Myrna Loy was born in Helena, MT. Nick and Asta came along later.

In 1909, the original Lincoln "wheat" penny first went into circulation, replacing the "Indian Head" cent.

In 1917, artist/animator/designer Wah Chang was born in Honolulu. He’s best-known for his work on the original series “Star Trek” and producer George Pal.

In 1920, writer/producer/voice actor Bill Scott was born. He’s best-known for his work on cartoons from UPA and producer Jay Ward.

In 1921, eight White Sox players were acquitted of throwing the 1919 World Series.

In 1923, Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the U.S., died in San Francisco at age 57; Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president.

In 1934, German President Paul von Hindenburg died in East Prussia at age 86, paving the way for Adolf Hitler's complete takeover.

In 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed in the U.S., the effect of which was to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal.

In 1939, Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program.

Also in 1939, President Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act, which prohibited civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns.

In 1943, during World War II, U.S. Navy boat PT-109, commanded by Lt. (jg) John F. Kennedy, sank after being rammed in the middle of the night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands. Two crew members were killed.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin and Britain's new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, concluded the Potsdam conference.

In 1961, The Beatles began an engagement as the regular headliners at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The band performed more than 300 times in the course of two years.

In 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox suffered light damage during a skirmish with North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. (This and an alleged second incident two days later led to congressional approval of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that propelled America deep into war.)

In 1967, the mystery drama “In the Heat of the Night”, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, premiered in New York City.

In 1969, Badfinger recorded “Come and Get It”, written & produced by Paul McCartney.

In 1970, actor/filmmaker Kevin Smith was born in Red Bank, NJ.

In 1974, former White House counsel John W. Dean III was sentenced to one to four years in prison for obstruction of justice in the Watergate coverup. (Dean ended up serving four months.)

In 1979, Yankee catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash in Akron, OH at age 32.

In 1985, 137 people were killed when Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed while attempting to land at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later driven out in Operation Desert Storm.)

In 2005, an Air France jetliner from Paris skidded off a runway while landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport during a storm and burst into flames; all 309 people aboard survived.

 

Bill Scott as Dudley:

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 3rd:

In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on a voyage that took him to the present-day Americas.

In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr went on trial before a federal court in Richmond, VA, charged with treason. (He was acquitted less than a month later.)

In 1852, Harvard University won the first Boat Race between Yale University and Harvard. The race was also the first American intercollegiate athletic event

In 1863, the first thoroughbred horse races took place at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY.

In 1900, journalist Ernie Pyle was born near Dana, IN.

In 1914, Germany declared war on France at the onset of World War I.

In 1921, the day after being acquitted of charges they threw the 1919 World Series, Baseball Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned eight White Sox players from organized baseball for life.

In 1926, singer Tony Bennett was born in Astoria, Queens, NY.

In 1933, the Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced.

In 1934, wrestler Haystacks Calhoun was born in McKinney, TX.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint.

In 1943, Gen. George S. Patton slapped a private at an army hospital in Sicily, accusing him of cowardice. (Patton was later ordered by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to apologize for this and a second, similar episode.)

In 1949, The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League.

In 1955, voice actor Corey Burton was born in Los Angeles. I really don’t have room to list his credits here.

In 1958, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

In 1963, The Beatles appeared at the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the last time.

In 1966, comedian Lenny Bruce was found dead in his Los Angeles home at age 40.

In 1968, the Western “Hang ‘Em High”, starring Clint Eastwood, went into wide release in the U.S.

In 1971, Pal McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings, featuring his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine.

In 1972, the U.S. Senate ratified the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. (The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the treaty in 2002.)

In 1977, Tandy Corporation announced the TRS-80, one of the world's first mass-produced personal computers. And your humble correspondent would later use one in his high school computer class.

In 1981, U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike, despite a warning from President Ronald Reagan they would be fired, which they were.

 

- born August 3rd, 1977