Today in History

Today in History July 2nd

1897 Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi patents the radio

Note: On Jan. 18, 1903, Guglielmo Marconi sent a message from his Cape Cod station, the first radio
transmission to cross the Atlantic from the United States.

Note: Nine years later, his Cape Cod wireless station would send a message to the Carpathian, requesting
its help in rescuing survivors of the sinking Titanic.

 

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Marconi Beach Cape Cod, Massachusetts

 

Premiata Forneria Marconi (Italian prog rock group)

 

JULY 2nd: 1937 "Amelia Earhart Goes Missing"

Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick Noonan go missing during their attempt to fly around the world between New Guinea, and Howland Island, an island in the center of the Pacific Ocean. No trace of the aircraft including Earhart or Noonan was ever found.
Amelia Earhart goes Missing | History Today

 

JULY 2nd: 1964 "Civil Rights Act of 1964"
Enacted by the 88th United States Congress
Effective July 2nd, 1964


The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Johnson. The bill had a rough time going through the Senate when the "Southern Bloc" of southern Senators led by Richard Russell launched a filibuster lasting 54 days to prevent its passage. Said Russell "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed segregation in schools, public places, and employment.
The bill also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering both race and gender for the first time in history.
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Wikipedia

 

JULY 2nd: 2013 "Spy couple Jailed"

A Russian spy couple who were code named Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag were jailed in Germany after being found guilty of spying. The couple had reportedly moved to West Germany over twenty years ago and had been spying for Russia.
They were discovered in 2011 after having assisted a Dutch spy.
Russia spy couple jailed in Germany - BBC News

 

JULY 3rd: 1971 "Death of a Poet"

American singer, songwriter and poet, Jim Morrison of The Doors was found dead in a bathtub in Paris, France, the cause of death was given as a heart attack.
He co-wrote some of the group's biggest hits, including ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Love Me Two Times’, and ‘Love Her Madly.’ On the 25th anniversary of his death an estimated 15,000 fans gathered at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France to pay their respects.

Jim Morrison - Wikipedia

 

JULY 3rd: 1969 "Death of a Stone"

Brian Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, aged 27.
His body was found at the bottom of the pool by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin.
The coroner's report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Jones was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and in the early 60’s used the name "Elmo Lewis."
Brian Jones - Wikipedia

 

JULY 3rd: 2008 "Man Gives Birth"

Thomas Beatie has given birth to a baby girl on this day. Beatie, born a female, was legally a male when he became pregnant.
Thomas Beatie - Wikipedia
Despite going through the gender reassignment process, Beatie chose to keep his female reproductive organs in order to still be able to give birth to children.
Trans and pregnant: How one man gave birth to his own baby - BBC News

 

Wow...two Club 27 memberships on the same day of the year!
27 Club - Wikipedia

 

YES: = What a coincidence eh?

 

Word to the wise for all 27 year olds: don't do hard drugs or fly in an airplane today!

 

JULY 4th: 1776 "Declaration of Independence approved by Second Continental Congress"

Declaration of Independence approved by Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence, adopted this day in 1776 by the Second Continental Congress, called for the American colonies to secede from Great Britain, a proclamation now commemorated by a U.S. national holiday.
United States Declaration of Independence - Wikipedia

 

= The British Reply
When Great Britain first received the Declaration of Independence, the country was silent.
To them, this was another annoyance from the colonies.
The colonists had sent previous letters to King George III that had been ignored, but this was the first time that they had declared themselves free from Great Britain. You know how you feel when a little child continues to ask you for the same thing over and over again, and eventually, you stop listening? This was how King George III viewed the colonies. They were a nuisance, but relatively harmless. Or so he thought.
- The government hired John Lind, an English politician and pamphleteer, to write a rebuttal to the declaration. He wrote Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress, a reply that tried to pick apart the Declaration of Independence. Lind focused on the issue of slavery, saying that the colonists were actually angry that King George III had offered freedom to the slaves. Lind even mocked the writers for stating, 'All men are created equal…', yet they allowed slavery. Of course, all of this was just a distraction. The colonists really paid no attention to the pamphlet.
- Following this, King George III officially declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion.
By August of 1776, the King ordered troops to the colonies.
- Once the Revolutionary War began, the citizens of Great Britain became more concerned about the colonies and their fight for independence. In October, King George III addressed Parliament, hoping to ease some of the concerns. He opened the address wishing that he could inform them that the troubles were at an end and that the people had 'recovered from their delusion' and 'returned to their duty.' However, the colonists continued to fight and even 'openly renounced all allegiance to the Crown.' King George III accused the colonists of treason, but reassured the Parliament that England was still united.
- The King ended his address singing his own praises saying, 'No people ever enjoyed more Happiness, or lived under a milder Government, then those now revolted Provinces.' Everything that the colonies have—their land, sea, wealth, and strength—was because of him.
His hope was to return the colonies as a part of the British Empire and end the war - But, "t'was a hope forlorn"

 

JULY 4th: 1999" Wimbledon

Pete Sampras wins in three straight sets beating Andre Agassi for his sixth Men's Wimbledon title in seven years and beating the previous record of Bjorn Borg.
Sampras was the two-time defending champion and he defeated Andre Agassi in the final, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships.
With this win, his sixth at Wimbledon, Sampras broke Björn Borg's then open era record of five Wimbledon titles, and equalled Roy Emerson's then record of twelve Grand Slam titles.
Sampras's victory over Agassi in the final is often cited as one of the greatest performances in a Wimbledon final.
However, despite his victory, Sampras lost his No. 1 ranking when the ATP rankings were updated a day later to Agassi, who in addition to his run to the Wimbledon Final, had recently won the 1999 French Open.
- This tournament is also notable as being the last Grand Slam in which former World No. 1 Boris Becker would compete and the first Wimbledon appearances for future champions Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer.

 

JULY 4th: 1997 "Pathfinder Lands On Mars"
. . . .
NASA's Mars Pathfinder becomes the first U.S. spacecraft after 20 years to land on Mars after traveling 120 million miles in seven months.
Pathfinder lands on Mars

 

On This Day - 4th July

1829Britain's first regular scheduled bus service began running, between Marylebone Road and the Bank of England, in London.


1840The 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.


1862Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known under his pseudonym Lewis Carroll, told Alice Liddell a story as they were rowing on the Isis through Oxford, that, three years later, would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels. Alice's Shop in Oxford is part of the original story and is situated across the road from Alice's childhood home, the Oxford University college of Christ Church. An entire episode in the story takes place in the shop.


1879In the Anglo-Zulu War, the Zululand capital of Ulundi was captured by British troops and burnt to the ground, thus, ending the war.



1903Dorothy Levitt became the first English woman in the world to compete in a 'motor race'. She was the most successful female competitor in Great Britain, also a victorious speedboat driver, holder of the Water Speed record and holder of the Ladies World Land speed record. She even instructed Queen Alexandra and the Royal Princesses on how to drive.


1947The '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.


1968Round-the-world yachtsman Alec Rose received a hero's welcome as he sailed into Portsmouth in his boat Lively Lady, after his 354-day trip.

1969British tennis player Ann Jones won the Wimbledon women's singles title, beating American Billie Jean King in the final.

 

1995John Major emerged as the winner in an unprecedented parliamentary election for leadership of the ruling Conservative Party.


1996Prince Charles, Prince of Wales delivered his terms for a divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales - an offer of £15m reportedly backed by the Queen.


2007BBC correspondent, 45-year-old Alan Johnston, was released by kidnappers in the Gaza Strip after 114 days in captivity. An online petition had been signed by some 200,000 people demanding his release.


2012'The Lock' a work by the English romantic painter John Constable was sold for £22,441,250 - a world record price at auction for the artist.


2014The 84-year-old TV entertainer Rolf Harris was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison after being found guilty of indecently assaulting four girls (including one who was aged 7 or 8) in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.


1977Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty was sacked by the club's directors.


1985Ruth Lawrence achieved the best first-class mathematics degree at the University of Oxford, at the age of 13.


1990Footballer Paul Gascoigne's booking, (that would have excluded him from the World Cup Final, had England got there), resulting in the famous on-pitch crying scenes from Gascoigne.

 

JULY 4th: 1976 " Israeli Commandos Rescue Hostages"

Israeli commandos rescue 100 hostages held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport in Uganda.
. .
Operation Entebbe or Operation Thunderbolt was a successful counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda
Operation Entebbe - Wikipedia

 

JULY 4th: 1826 " Death of Two Presidents"
Two major figures of the American Revolution who became U.S. presidents,
John Adams,

John Adams - Wikipedia
AND
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson - Wikipedia
Both Died—50 years to the day after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.