Fun On this date in history...

I'm still driving (or waiting to drive ) my old Ford. Right now, the repair bill stands at $1670.00

 

Ouch! What's wrong with it?

 

If I may...

ON JULY 23rd:

In 1840, The Province of Canada was created by the Act of Union.

In 1885, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the U.S., died in Mount McGregor, NY at age 63.

In 1886, a legend was born as Steve Brodie claimed to have made a daredevil plunge from the Brooklyn Bridge into New York's East River. (However, there are doubts about whether the dive actually took place.)

In 1888, author/screenwriter Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago.

In 1914, Austria-Hungary presented a list of demands to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb assassin; Serbia's refusal to agree to the entire ultimatum led to the outbreak of World War I.

In 1942, the Treblinka extermination camp was opened in occupied Poland.

In 1945, French Marshal Henri Petain, who had headed the pro-Axis Vichy government during World War II, went on trial, charged with treason. (He was convicted and condemned to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison.)

In 1951, Henri Petain died in prison at age 95.

In 1952, Egyptian military officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser launched a successful coup against King Farouk I.

In 1962, Telstar relayed the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite.

In 1967, a week of deadly race-related rioting that claimed 43 lives erupted in Detroit.

In 1968, in Cleveland, a violent shootout between a Black Militant organization and the Cleveland Police Dept. occurred. During the shootout, a riot began and lasted for five days.

In 1969, James Brown walked out of Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty's office when the mayor failed to show up on time to present the singer with a proclamation for "James Brown Day."

In 1977, a jury in Washington D.C. convicted 12 Hanafi Muslims of charges stemming from the hostage siege at three buildings the previous March.

In 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen, were killed when a helicopter crashed on top of them during filming of a Vietnam War scene for "Twilight Zone: The Movie." (Director John Landis and four associates were later acquitted of manslaughter.)

In 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 ran out of fuel and safely made a deadstick landing at Gimli, Manitoba. There were no fatalities or serious injuries, and the plane was later nicknamed the “Gimli Glider”.

In 1984, Vanessa Williams became the first Miss America to resign her title, after nude photographs of her taken in 1982 were published in Penthouse magazine.

In 1986, In London, England, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.

In 1995, Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered independently by observers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp; it became visible to the naked eye on Earth nearly a year later.

In 1999, Woodstock '99 began in Rome, NY. The three-day festival started off peacefully but ended in fires, looting and accusations of rape.

In 2004, a sneak preview of Pixar animated movie “The Incredibles” was shown at Comic-Con in San Diego.

In 2012, physicist/astronaut Sally Ride died in La Jolla, CA at age 61.

In 2014, the graphic novel The Star Wars, based on George Lucas’ original story treatment for the original “Star Wars” movie, was published.

 

If I may...

ON JULY 24th:

In 1725, sailor/clergyman/hymnwriter John Newton was born in Wapping, London.

In 1783, Latin American revolutionary Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela.

In 1847, after 17 months of travel, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City.

In 1862, Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the U.S., and the first to have been born a U.S. citizen, died at age 79 in Kinderhook, NY, the town where he was born in 1782.

In 1866, Tennessee became the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War.

In 1897, aviatrix/author Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, KS.

In 1915, the SS Eastland, a passenger ship carrying more than 2,500 people, rolled onto its side while docked at the Clark Street Bridge on the Chicago River; an estimated 844 people died in the disaster.

In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne, which settled the boundaries of modern Turkey, was concluded in Switzerland.

In 1935, the Dust Bowl heat wave reached its peak, sending temperatures to 109 °F (43 °C) in Chicago and 104 °F (40 °C) in Milwaukee.

In 1937, the state of Alabama dropped charges against four of the nine young black men accused of raping two white women in the "Scottsboro Case."

In 1943, during World War II, British and Canadian airplanes bombed Hamburg by night, and American planes by day during Operation Gomorrah. By the end of the operation in November, 9,000 tons of explosives will have killed more than 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings.

In 1950, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station began operations with the launch of a Bumper rocket.

In 1951, actress/singer Lynda Carter was born in Phoenix, AZ. Piloting the invisible plane would come later.

In 1952, the Western "High Noon," starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, premiered in New York City.

In 1959, during a visit to Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon engaged in his famous "Kitchen Debate" with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

In 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, the kaiju movie “Gojira tai Hedora” (re-titled “Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster” in the U.S.) was released in Japan, its country of origin.

In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon had to turn over subpoenaed White House tape recordings to the Watergate special prosecutor.

In 1975, the Apollo CSM-111 spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific, completing the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission, which included the first-ever docking with a Soyuz capsule (Soyuz 19) from the Soviet Union.

In 1978, Billy Martin was fired for the first of three times as the manager of the New York Yankees baseball team.

In 1980, actor/comedian Peter Sellers, CBE died in London at age 54.

In 1981, the horror movie “Wolfen”, starring Albert Finney, was released in the U.S.

In 1983, George Brett, batting for the Kansas City Royals against the New York Yankees, had a game-winning home run nullified in the "Pine Tar Incident".

In 1985, the Disney animated fantasy “The Black Cauldron” was released in the U.S.

In 1996, Trace Beaulieu announced that he would not be rejoining the cast of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” when the series moved to the Sci-Fi Channel.

In 1998, a gunman burst into the U.S. Capitol, killing two police officers before being shot and captured. (The shooter, Russell Eugene Weston Jr., is being held in a federal mental facility.)

In 1998, the World War II drama “Saving Private Ryan”, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, was released in the U.S.

In 2002, nine coal miners became trapped in a flooded tunnel of the Quecreek Mine in western Pennsylvania; the story ended happily 77 hours later with the rescue of all nine.

In 2014, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice received a two-game suspension from the NFL following his offseason arrest for domestic violence after an altercation with then-fiancee (later wife) Janay Palmer in Atlantic City, NJ.

 

Needed a complete rebuild of the brake system (gotta love manual drum brakes; on all four corners no less!) with replacement of wheel bearings and racers, axle bearing and seals, brake lines and hoses.

 

Ouch. I haven't had to face that sort of load since I near-totaled my first car back in 1986. You have my sympathies.

 

If I may...

ON JULY 25th:

In 1554, Queen Mary I of England married Philip II, future King of Spain.

In 1814, the Battle of Lundy's Lane, one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812, took place in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario, with no clear victor.

In 1868, Wyoming became a United States territory.

In 1920, chemist/X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin was born in Notting Hill, London, England. Her work has become regarded as central to the understanding of DNA’s role in biology, and the discovery of its double helical structure.

In 1934, Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by pro-Nazi Austrians in a failed coup attempt.

In 1941, cinematographer Peter Suschitzsky was born in London, England. He’s known for his work on several films for director David Cronenberg, and on “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back”.

In 1943, Benito Mussolini was dismissed as premier of Italy by King Victor Emmanuel III, and placed under arrest. (However, Mussolini was later rescued by the Nazis, and re-asserted his authority.)

In 1946, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis began their partnership as a nightclub song and comedy act with a performance at Club 500 in Atlantic City.

Also in 1946, as part of Operation Crossroads, an atomic bomb was detonated underwater in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll. Rumors that the detonation was part of a secret action against Godzilla persist.

In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.

In 1953, the Merrie Melodies cartoon “Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½ Century” was released in the U.S.

In 1956, the Italian liner Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish passenger ship Stockholm off the New England coast late at night and began sinking; at least 51 people were killed.

In 1965, Bob Dylan drew boos from some spectators at the Newport Folk Festival as he performed with a rock band.

In 1968, in the encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) Pope Paul VI restates the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to artificial birth control.

In 1969, voice actor James Arnold Taylor was born in Santa Barbara, CA. He’s known to “Star Wars” fans for providing the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in several animated projects and video games.

In 1975, the musical "A Chorus Line" opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, beginning a run of 6,137 performances.

In 1978, Louise Brown, the world's first "test tube baby" was born.

In 1985, a spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirmed that the actor, hospitalized in Paris, was suffering from AIDS.

In 1990, comedian Roseanne Barr sang the National Anthem in San Diego before a major league baseball game, spit, then scratched herself. The crowd booed, and she later apologized.

In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein signed a declaration at the White House ending their countries' 46-year-old formal state of war.

In 1999, fires began burning out of control during the Red Hot Chili Peppers' set at Woodstock '99. Fans began looting the vendors and pelting police with bottles and fruit.

In 2000, a New York-bound Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground; it was the first-ever crash of the supersonic jet.

In 2010, WikiLeaks published classified documents about the War in Afghanistan, one of the largest information leaks in U.S. military history.

 

If I may...

ON JULY 26th:

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin became America's first Postmaster-General.

In 1788, New York became the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1861, George B. McClellan assumed command of the Army of the Potomac following a disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run (a.k.a. First Manassas).

In 1863, Morgan’s Raid ended at Salineville, OH, when Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and 360 of his volunteers were captured by Union forces.

In 1882, the Richard Wagner opera "Parsifal" premiered in Bayreuth, Germany.

In 1895, actress/comedienne Gracie Allen was born in San Francisco, CA.

In 1908, U.S. Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte ordered creation of a force of special agents that was a forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 1909, actress/singer Vivian Vance was born in Cherryvale, KS.

In 1921, author/humorist/radio host Jean Shepherd was born in Chicago, IL. Both Orange Nehi and Blatz Beer are acceptable for a celebratory toast.

In 1922, producer/director/screenwriter Blake Edwards was born in Tulsa, OK.

In 1923, author/illustrator Jan Berenstain, co-creator of the Berenstain Bears, was born in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1925, five days after the end of the Scopes Trial in Dayton, TN, prosecutor William Jennings Bryan died at age 65. (Although Bryan had won a conviction against John T. Scopes for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the verdict was later overturned.)

In 1928, filmmaker Stanley Kubrick was born in the Bronx.

In 1943, singer/songwriter/actor Mick Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent, England.

In 1944, the Soviet Army entered Lviv, a major city in western Ukraine, capturing it from the Nazis. Only 300 Jews survived out of 160,000 living in Lviv prior to occupation.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek issued the Potsdam Declaration, which called upon Imperial Japan to unconditionally surrender, or face "prompt and utter destruction."

Also in 1945, Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister after his Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Labour Party; Clement Attlee succeeded him.

In 1947, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, creating the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Dept. of Defense, U.S. Air Force, the Joint Cheifs of Staff, and the U.S. National Security Council.

In 1948, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military of the United States.

Also In 1948, the biographical movie “The Babe Ruth Story”, starring William Bendix in the title role, premiered in New York City. The real Babe Ruth attended the premiere, his last public appearance before his death.

In 1951, the full-length Disney cartoon “Alice in Wonderland” premiered in London.

In 1952, Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires at age 33.

Also in 1952, King Farouk I of Egypt abdicated in the wake of a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In 1956, the Italian liner Andrea Doria sank off New England, some 11 hours after colliding with the Swedish liner Stockholm; at least 51 people died.

Also in 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.

In 1957, actress Nana Visitor was born in New York City. The hostility against the Cardassians would come later.

In 1961, the thriller “Homicidal”, produced and directed by William Castle, premiered in New York City (though it had been in release in other U.S. locations since June).

In 1965, the Maldives became independent of Britain.

In 1966, the sci-fi movie “Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.”, starring Peter Cushing as Dr. Who, was released in the U.K. Please note that some sources list it as not being released until August, and that just one of the many disputes Whovians have over the movie.

In 1971, Apollo 15 was launched from Cape Kennedy on America's fourth successful manned mission to the moon.

In 1973, the martial arts movie “Enter the Dragon”, starring Bruce Lee, was released in Hong Kong. It would premiere in the U.S. the following month.

In 1989, Mark Wellman, a 29-year-old paraplegic, reached the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park after hauling himself up the granite cliff six inches at a time over nine days.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 2005, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Discovery, the first manned mission following the destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia 2 ½ years earlier.

In 2010, a U.N.-backed tribunal sentenced the Khmer Rouge's chief jailer, Kaing Guek Eav, to 35 years for overseeing the deaths of up to 16,000 people in Cambodia, with 16 years shaved off for time already served, reducing his sentence to 19 years.

In 2012, actress Mary Tamm, best known for playing the first incarnation of Romana on “Doctor Who”, died in London at age 62.

In 2016, two men armed with knives took a priest, two nuns and two parishioners hostage in a church near Rouen in the French region of Normandy. French police killed the hostage takers after the 86 year old priest was killed.

Also in 2016, at least 19 people were killed and 26 others were injured in a knife attack at a care center for disabled people in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

In addition in 2016, Hillary Clinton was nominated as the Democratic Party candidate for the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first woman ever to be nominated for president by a major party in the U.S.

 

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 1978, the comedy “National Lampoon’s ‘Animal House’”, starring John Belushi, premiered in New York City.

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.

 

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 1896, the city of Miami, FL was incorporated.

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."

Also in 1965, filming was completed on “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, the second pilot episode for the original “Star Trek” series.

In 1973, the Skylab 3 mission, crewed by Alan L. Bean (Mission Commander), Owen P. Garriott (Science Pilot), and Jack R. Lousma (Pilot), was launched.

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."

 

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 1775, General George Washington appointed William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army.

In 1848, In Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule was put down by police.

In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh died at age 37 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 1945, The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.

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

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

Also in 1953, the sci-fi movie “War of the Worlds” premiered in Atlantic City. It was produced by George Pal, and starred Gene Barry as the original Dr. Clayton Forrester.

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

Also in 1957, The International Atomic Energy Agency was established.

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, NY. 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 1981, the animated sci-fi anthology “Heavy Metal” premiered in the U.S.

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

Also in 1983, actor/author David Niven died in Switzerland at age 73.

In 1987, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France Francois Mitterand signed the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel, later known as the Eurotunnel.

In 1993, The Supreme Court of Israel acquitted alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he was set free.

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.

 

Sorry, folks. Running late. Anyway...

If I may...

ON JULY 30th:

In 1619, in Jamestown, VA, the first representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convened for the first time.

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.

In 1929, producer/puppeteer Sid Krofft was born in Montreal. He’d later create and produce a lot of kids’ shows watched by your humble correspondent.

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 in full color, 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 1966, the movie “Batman”, based on the TV series, premiered in Austin, TX.

In 1969, during the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon made an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam and met with President Nguyen Van Thieu and U.S. military commanders.

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.

Also in 1990, George Steinbrenner was forced by Commissioner Fay Vincent to resign as principal partner of New York Yankees for hiring Howie Spira to "get dirt" on Dave Winfield.

In 1992, artist Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman, died in Los Angeles at age 78.

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.

 

August 1, 1911. Harriet Quimby becomes the first American woman to get a pilot's license. She received license #37 from the Aero Club of America. She was also the first woman to solo across the English Channel and was known as America's First Lady of the Air. Of flying she wrote:

It is easier than walking, driving, or automobiling, easier than golf or tennis. Flying is a fine, dignified sport for women, and there is no reason to be afraid so long as one is careful.

 

When I was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I voted for Jimmy Hoffa's son to be the Teamster's president.