Today in History

This day in History July 31st

1920 U.S.A. Illegal Booze Seized
A total of 2,000,000 quarts of Whisky have been seized in New York and Chicago this week in two raids on illegal drinking establishments.

1931 Australia Tasmanian Tigers
An expedition has left to find if any Tasmanian Tigers (Tasmanian Marsupial Wolf) are left, it is believed they have retreated to rugged western and southwestern parts of Australia as a last stand for the species but many believe they are already extinct.

1962 UK Sir Oswald Mosley
A rally of supporters of Sir Oswald Mosley and his anti-Semitic Blackshirt group in London's east end ends when missiles including rotten fruit, pennies, and stones are thrown at him and police are forced to end the rally when he knocked to the ground by protesters.

1964 U.S.A. Ranger 7
Ranger 7 an unmanned lunar probe is sent to the moon its main purpose is to discover what the moon's surface would be like for the planned moon landing later in the decade, its cameras start filming the surface 17 minutes before impact, and the photos are beamed back to earth. The pictures showed that the lunar surface was not excessively dusty or otherwise treacherous to a potential spacecraft landing.
 

31st July

1703 English novelist Daniel Defoe was made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and the church with his satire 'The Shortest Way With Dissenters'. Bystanders pelted him with flowers instead of the customary harmful and noxious objects and drank to his health.

1910 Dr Crippen was arrested aboard the SS Montrose as it was docking at Quebec. He was charged with the murder of his wife and was the first criminal to be caught by the use of radio.

1942 The Oxford Committee for Famine Relieft (later called Oxfam) was founded.

1969 The halfpenny ceased being legal tender. It had been a regular feature of British coinage since the 13th century.

1970 Black Tot Day occurred on this day. It was the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the British Royal Navy that dated back to 1665. It was poured as usual at 6 bells in the forenoon watch (11 am) after the pipe of 'up spirits' . Some sailors wore black arm bands, tots were 'buried at sea' and in one training camp there was a mock funeral procession complete with black coffin and accompanying drummers and pipers.
 
1948
Pres. Harry Truman dedicates Idlewild Field in NYC,named later changed to Kennedy Airport
1965
cigarette advertising is banned on British TV
1971
The 1st electric car ride ever on the moon happened with Apollo 15 astronauts, James Scott,James Irwin.They were riding in the Lunar Rover Vehicle, lasted 6 1/2 hrs
2018
in interview on CBS'This Morning' actor Alan Alda reveals he has been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for 3 yrs
 

1793
France becomes 1st country to use the metric system
1932
George Washington quarter goes into circulation
1957
United States&Canada create North American Air Defense Command{NORAD} HQ's in Colorado Springs,Colorado. It response to unauthorized/unknown air activity involving both countries home land defense,security&law partners
1981
MTV{Music Television} began broadcasting for the 1st time orignally only seen in New Jersey households.The channel would change music industry forever becoming a pop culture&entertainment force through out the U.S,Europe,Asia&Latin America. The 1st video shown was"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
 
1790
The 1st U.S. census conducted population was 3,939,214 including 697,624 slaves
1870
Tower Subway,world's 1st underground railway opens in London,England
1964
N.Vietnam fires on a U. S. destroyer in Gulf of Tonkin which eventually esculates the U.S. involvement in Vietnam War
2018
Tik Tok the video sharing network becomes available worldwide after merging with Musical.ly
 
This day in History August 3rd

3 Aug 1914 World War I Declaration of War
Germany and France Declare war on the other signaling the beginning of the first World War.

3 Aug 1923 Calvin Coolidge Sworn In As President
Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president of the United States after learning that President Warren Harding had collapsed and died while visiting California the day before. He was sworn in by his father, Colonel John C. Coolidge at his father's farmhouse in Plymouth, Vermont.

3 Aug 1940 England World War II
British troops hammered the Germans with air raids which the former claimed as “a smashing success”. Supplies, harbors, and airplane hangers were targeted in over 100 German cities. The British hoped to smash the Nazi blitzkrieg at its source. However, in retaliation, German warplanes retaliated by bombing northwestern England.

3 Aug, 1957 Cuba Fidel Castro
Rebel resistance and strikes were plaguing President Fulgencio Batista’s government in Cuba. Fidel Castro’s forces poured down from their secret mountain hideout to fight with Batista’s troops. A news blackout was in effect. The revolutionary stronghold in Santiago De Cuba had armed men demand gas from a gas station and then set fire to it.

3 Aug 1958 North Pole Nautilus
The US Nuclear Submarine Nautilus is the first undersea vessel to reach the Geographic North Pole.
 
1852
America's 1st intercollegiate sports event took place on Lake Winnipesaukee,NH ,Harvard Univ heavy rowing crew defeated Yale Univ by 2 lengths over 2 miles
1963
Allan Sherman's novelty song'Hello Muddah,Hello Fadduh' was released,it was # 2 on the music charts for 3 weeks Sherman was inspired to write the lyrics of fictious'Camp Grananda' after getting letters from his son,Robert who was at a summer camp in Westport,NY
1981
13,000 air traffic controllers began their strike.Pres Ronald Reagan gave them an ultimantium,return within 48 hrs or they will lose their job&be terminated
 
1821
The 1st issue of U.S. magazine, 'Saturday Evening Post' was published
1892
Lizzie Borden was arrested,charged&tried for killing her father&step mother with an axe in Fall River, Mass.She was aquitted on all charges
1958
Billboard Hot 100 was published with Ricky Nelson's song'Poor Little Fool' debuting at # 1 It would stay there for 2 weeks. Nelson was 17 at the time
2020
huge explosions happened at the port of Beruit,Lebanon 6,000 people were injured,200 people died. The cause was not storing ammonium nitrate in a safe location
 
4th August

1704 Gibraltar was captured for the British by Amiral Sir George Rooke.

1870 The British Red Cross Society was founded by Lord Wantage.

1914 Britain declared war on Germany after the Germans had violated the Treaty of London by invading Belgium.

2000 Celebrations took place all over the United Kingdom to mark the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She was the first ever member of the Royal Family to reach her centenary.

2012 The annual stinging nettle eating competition, started in 1986, was held a The Bottle Inn pub at Marshwood in Dorset. The current record at the event for the most amount of nettles eaten in one hour is 76 ft.
 
Pam said:
2012 The annual stinging nettle eating competition, started in 1986, was held a The Bottle Inn pub at Marshwood in Dorset. The current record at the event for the most amount of nettles eaten in one hour is 76 ft.
Click to expand...
I had no idea something like this existed, but apparently it does:

Idiots hold Annual Stinging-Nettle Eating Championship​

 
This day in History August 5th

1934 Dust Bowl Drought Continues In Mid West

1957 "American Bandstand" makes its network debut on ABC

1962 Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bedroom

1975 Dutch Elm Disease Kills 3 million trees in Britain

1983 At&T Broken Up
 
1891
world's 1st traveler cheques were issued by American Express
1926
magician,Harry Houdini stays in a coffin under water for 1 hr 1/2 than escapes
1967
Bobby Gentry releases her only hit single'Ode to Billy Joe',she won 3 Grammys,songwriter,Best Female Vocal,Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance
1992
4 Los Angeles police officers who were acquitted of beating motorist, Rodney King are indicted on civil rights charges
2015
A fishing boat carrying 600 migrants sinks off the coast of Libya,373 are rescued
 
1819
The 1st U. S. private military school,Norwich Univ was founded in Vermont
1890
At Auburn,NY prison, murderer,William Kemmler was 1st person to be executed by the electric chair
1945
The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Japanese city of Hiroshma by U. S. B-29 'Superfortress," Enola Gay'. The pilot was Paul Tibbets,Jr, plane was named for his mother
1964
"Prometheus', the world's oldest living tree, around 5,000 yrs old a bristlecone pine was accidentally cut down by a grad student, Donald Currey,&U. S. Forest Service personnel They did it for research purposes not realizing at the time how old the tree was. Its location was at Wheeler's Peak in Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada
1991
World Wide Web{WWW} debuts as a publicly available service on the Internet
 
1782
Pres. George Washington creates the Purple Heart medal,original name was Badge of Military Merit as Commander of Continental Army
1927
Peace Bridge which connects United States{Buffalo,NY} to Canada{Fort Erie,Ont} is dedicated
1947
explorer/archelogist, Thor Heyerdal and crew crash into reef in Tuamotu Islands,French Polynesia 101 days after crossing Pacific Ocean
 
This day in History August 8th

1963 "The Great Train Robbery" UK

1974 Richard Nixon Announces his resignation following the Watergate Scandal During a nationally televised broadcast

1976 First Legionnaire’s Disease Harrisburg, Philadelphia

1988 The Burmese 8888 Uprising
 
1786
Jacques Balmat,Michel Paccard are the 1st to climb to top of Mount Blanc,the highest mountain in Western Europe. Its located in the Alps between France, Italy,Switzerland
1854
Smith&Wesson patent metal bullet cartridges
1898
Will Kellogg invents 'corn flakes'
1963
band,Kingsmen release single'Louie,Louie' banned by radio stations calling it obscene
2000
a confererate submarine,HL Hunley is raised to the surface after sitting on ocean floor for 136 yrs
It was the 1st combat sub to sink a war ship USS Houstanic. Hunley didn't survive,it sank as well Its on display in museum in N. Charleston,South Carolina
 
Tish said:
1974 Richard Nixon Announces his resignation following the Watergate Scandal During a nationally televised broadcast
Click to expand...
And the Rocky Horror Picture show takes place. In a rarely noticed scene early in the movie when Brad and Janet are still in their car you can hear the Nixon speech on the radio in the background. He announced his resignation on the 8th, it became official on the 9th, so either date works as the anniversary.

http://www.rockyhorrorwiki.org/wiki2/index.php?title=Richard_Nixon
 
1173
construction for Tower of Piza begins,2 centuries later it was completed
1859
Otis Tufts patents 1st U. S. passenger elevator
1930
animated character'Betty Boop' debuts in Max Fleischer's cartoon'Dizzy Dishes'
1944
"Smokey the Bear' debuts as spokesman for fire prevention for U. S. Forest Service
1974
Richard Nixon resigns as Pres of United States, Vice Pres, Gerald Ford sworn into office as 38th Pres replacing Nixon
 


Back
Top