Today in History

1964
The Civil Rights Act is passed after a 83 day filibuster in U.S. Senate
1994
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is reopened to process refugees
2009
U.S. financier,Bernard Madoff is sentenced to 150 yrs in prison for conducting a massive Ponzi scheme
 

30th June

1837 - Punishment by pillory was finally abolished in Britain.

1937 - The world's first emergency telephone number, 999, was introduced in London. 999 was chosen was because it could be dialled on the old rotary dial telephones by placing a finger against the dial stop and rotating the dial to the full extent three times, even in the dark or in dense smoke. This enabled all users, including the visually impaired, to easily dial the emergency number.

1997- Britain handed Hong Kong back to China at midnight, when the 99 year lease expired.

2012 - Rufus, the hawk that patrolled Wimbledon's tennis courts to frighten away pigeons, was stolen from a car parked outside his owner's home. Three days later he was returned, to a national animal charity in London.
 
1859
French acrobat,Charles Blondon becomes the 1st person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope
1896
WS Hadaway patents the electric stove
1938
Superman 1st appears in DC Action Comics Series issue #1
 

July 1st
1904
The Modern Day Summer Olympics opened in St.Louis,Missouri,1st time U.S. hosted the games
1941
Bulova Watch Company pays $9 for the 1st ever TV network commerical
1963
ZIP{Zone Improvement Plan} Codes introduced for U.S. mail
 
1916 - World War I: Almost 20,000 British soldiers were killed and a further 57,500 were injured on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It was the greatest number of British casualties in a single day's fighting in modern history. British casualties on day one were greater than the total combined British casualties in the Crimean, Boer, and Korean wars.

1967 - Colour television came to Europe with a seven hour transmission on BBC 2 from the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships.

1969 - Prince Charles was invested Prince of Wales by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales.

1977 - British tennis player Virginia Wade won the Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon in its Centenary Year and during Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee year.
 
July 2nd
1850
Benjamin Lane patents gas mask with breathing appartus
1962
Sam Walton opens his 1st Walmart in Rogers,Ark
1979
The U.S.Mint releases Susan B.Anthony dollar coin.The 1st to honor a woman
2005
10 Live 8 concerts are held around the world to raise awareness of poverty, organized by singer/songwriter/political activist,Bob Geldof
 
1819 - The first Factory Act was passed in Britain. This banned the employment of children younger than 9 from working in textile factories, whilst those under 16 were allowed to work for 'only' 12 hours a day.

1940 - World War II: Adolf Hitler ordered German military commanders to draw up plans for the invasion of England.

2018 - British divers, John Volanthen, (an IT consultant based in Bristol) and Rick Stanton, (a former Midlands fire fighter), discovered 12 young Thai footballers and their coach, after nine days trapped in caves in northern Thailand. More than 1,000 people were involved in the global operation. All 13 were rescued after 17 days underground. It was the most challenging underground rescue in history.
 
July 3rd
1819
Bank of Savings opens in NYC,1st savings bank in U.S.
1863
Battle of Gettysburg,largest battle on American soil ends in major victory for Union during U.S. Civil War
1930
U. S. Veterans Adminstration is created
 
1928 - A policeman's helmet and a bunch of roses were among the pictures shown on John Logie Baird's first colour television test transmission at Baird Studios, in London.

1952 - The SS United States set sail on her maiden voyage to Southampton. During the voyage, the ship took the coveted Blue Riband away from the RMS Queen Mary, until that date the fastest passenger liner to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

1954 - The end of food rationing in Britain - almost 9 years after the end of World War II. Smithfield Meat Market in London opened at midnight instead of 6am to cope with the demand for beef.
 
July 4th
The amended Declaration of Independence was approved by U.S. Congress,signed by John Hancock
1826
former U.S. Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died 4 hrs of each other on the 50th anniv of Declaration of Independence
1966
Pres.Lyndon Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act
 
1840 - The Cunard Shipping Line began its first Atlantic crossing when the paddle steamer Britannia sailed from Liverpool en route to Halifax. The voyage took 14 days.

1947 - The 'Indian Independence Bill' was presented before the House of Commons, proposing the partition of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries – India and Pakistan.
 
1865 - The Locomotives and Highways Act in Britain introduced a speed limit for road vehicles of 4 mph in rural areas and 2 mph in urban areas.

1945 - Churchill lost the General Election after leading Britain throughout World War II. Attlee’s Labour Party won 393 seats to the Tories’ 213.

1948 - Britain's National Health Service came into operation when Aneurin Bevan, the health secretary, launched the NHS at Park Hospital in Davyhulme (today known as Trafford General Hospital). It was the climax of a hugely ambitious plan to bring good healthcare to all.
 
July 6th
1858
Lyman Blake patents shoe manufacturing machine
1945
Pres Harry Truman established the Medal of Freedom Award
1957
The 1st meeting between John Lennon{age 16} Paul McCartney{15} when Lennon's group,'Quarrymen" were performing at a church dinner
 
1924 - The first photo was sent experimentally across Atlantic by radio, from the US to England.

1978 - Three bags of horse manure were hurled from the public gallery in the House of Commons during a debate on Scottish Home Rule. Yana Mintoff, daughter of the Prime Minister of Malta, was later arrested and fined.
 
July 7th
1928
sliced bread was first sold by the Chillclothe Baking Co in Missouri using a bread machine invented by Otto Rohwedder
1946
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini became the 1st American Saint.She was canonized by Pope Pius X11 in recognition of her holiness and service to mankind
1985
German tennis player,Boris Becker became the youngest male age 17 to win Wimbledon Men's Final defeating South African,Kevin Curran
 
July 8th
1870
U.S. Congress authorizes registration of trademarks
1889
Wall St.Journal begins publishing
1913
Alfred Gibert's patent for the Erector set is issued,becomes one of the most popular toys of all time
2011
Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched,the final mission of U.S. Space Shuttle program
 
July 9th
1868
Louisana,S.Carolina are the last states to ratify the 14th Amendment to U.S. Constitution guaranteeing civil rights
1955
Bill Haley&The Comet's record'Rock Around the Clock' becomes the 1st rock n roll song to top Billboard Chart and others around the world.It would stay #1 for 8 weeks in U.S..Its one of the best selling singles ever
1956
Dick Clark makes his debut as host of 'Bandstand' on a Philadelphia TV station.The name of the show would be changed to'American Bandstand'
 
10th July.

138 - The death of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who ordered the building of a wall across northern England to keep out the 'barbarian Scottish tribes'.

1040 - Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry to force her husband, the Earl of Mercia, to lower taxes.

1947 - The Government announced that Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) would get extra clothing coupons for her wedding dress.
 
1938
Aviator/businessman,Howard Hughes flies around the world in 91 hrs
1962
Telstar Communications Satellite is launched which relayed TV/phone signals between Europe&U.S.
2012
The American Episcopal Church becomes the 1st to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages
 
July 11th
1804
Vice President,Aaron Burr mortally wounds 1st Sec of Treasury,Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel
1955
Congress authorizes all United States currency to say'In God We Trust'
1969
singer/songwriter,David Bowie releases single'Space Oddity' 9 days before Apollo 11 lands on the moon
 
July 13th
1832
American geographer,Henry Schoolcraft discovers the source of the Mississippi River
1923
The'Hollywood' sign is officially dedicated in hills above Hollywood,Calif.It originally read'Hollywoodland' but after renovation in 1949,the last 4 letters were dropped
 
July 14th
1868
Alvin Fellows patents tape measure
1953
The 1st U.S. monument dedicated to a black American,George Washington Carver at his childhood home in Newton County,Missouri
1972
A baseball game with Detriot Tigers vs Kansas City Royals ,2 brothers participated.The home plate umpire was Bill Haller,his brother,Tom was the Tigers catcher
2014
Church of England votes to allow women to become bishops
 
1789 - The Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie finally completed his journey to the mouth of the great river he hoped would take him to the Pacific, but which turns out to flow into the Arctic Ocean. Later named after him, the Mackenzie is the second-longest river system in North America.

1867 - Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel demonstrated dynamite for the first time, at a quarry in Redhill, Surrey.

1940 - World War II: Britain tackled the threat of a German invasion by forming the Home Guard - a part-time volunteer army, generally comprising men too old for national service.
 


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