On this day in history.

[giradman]

Many Varied Events on July 16 - List Below w/ Pics!

Much occurred today - just a selection listed from the History Website along w/ a single pic of each item. Dave

1790 - Washington, D.C. declared the new capital by Congress.
1918 - Romanov family executed by gunfire.
1945 - Atom bomb tested successfully in New Mexico.
1951 - Catcher in the Rye is published - 65 million copies and counting.
1969 - Apollo 11 departs Earth at 9:32 AM from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1999 - JFK Jr. & wife killed in plane crash near Martha's Vineyard.

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[scifan57]

July 17, 1955;

Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California at a cost of 17 million dollars.
Disneyland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first ticket

Dedication program

Dedication plaque

 

[giradman]

July 18 - Selected List of Interesting Events over nearly a Two Millennial Span!

... 64 - Nero’s Rome burns
1792 - Revolutionary naval hero John Paul Jones dies in Paris.
1863 - Assault of Battery Wagner & death of Robert Gould Shaw.
1925 - Hitler publishes Mein Kampf.
1936 - Spanish Civil War breaks out.
1940 - FDR nominated for unprecedented third term.

Rome burns for over a week destroying two-thirds of the city - apparently, Nero used the fire for a reason to rebuild the Roman capital in a more Greek style.

John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was an American Revolutionary naval hero - he is buried at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and is honored as the Father of the American Navy - his most famous battle is shown below; in 1959, a movie was made starring Robert Stack (probably a poor choice) as Jones - not a great film but the sea battle scenes are well done and the music is by Max Steiner.

"On this day, Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) and 272 of his troops are killed in an assault on Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina. Shaw was commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, perhaps the most famous regiment of African-American troops during the war (Source)." In Gould's home town, Boston, there is a wonderful bronze memorial at the edge of Boston Common. Also, don't miss the film Glory!

"Seven months after being released from Landsberg jail, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler publishes the first volume of his personal manifesto, Mein Kampf. Dictated by Hitler during his nine-month stay in prison, Mein Kampf, or “My Struggle,” was a bitter and turgid narrative filled with anti-Semitic outpourings, disdain for morality, worship of power, and the blueprints for his plan of Nazi world domination. The autobiographical work soon became the bible of Germany’s Nazi Party (Source)." I read this book as a teenager decades ago but have little memory of its contents except for the general ideas in the quote - do I want to re-read 'My Struggle'? No, not really -

Spanish Civl War, prelude to WW II and emergence of fascist Francisco Franco - Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bells Toll was published in 1940, and the movie of the same name made in 1943 starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman; I own that film on DVD - not sure if a BD has been released?

"On this day in 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who first took office in 1933 as America’s 32nd president, is nominated for an unprecedentedthird term. Roosevelt, a Democrat, would eventually be elected to a record four terms in office, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms. On March 21, 1947, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which stated that no person could be elected to the office of president more than twice (Source)." Dave

 

[giradman]

Armstrong Walks on Moon This Day in 1969!

Boy, nearly a half century ago! I was still in medical school in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was at a friend's apartment watching on TV - exciting event. Dave

At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon (Source).

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[scifan57]

July 20, 1976;

On the seventh anniversary of the first manned Moon landing, Viking 1 lands on Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to successfully land on the surface.
Viking 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

Marni Nixon Dies on July 24 at 86 years old -

For those who love American movie musicals from the 1950s & 1960s, Marni Nixon's name will be familiar - she dubbed the voices of the leading ladies in many of the classic musicals from the era - first quote below from here Wiki article; second quote, a list of her 'dubbing' performances - I own nearly all of those films, many in blu-ray where the audio restorations are excellent. Dave

Marni Nixon (1930 – July 24, 2016) was an American soprano and playback singer for featured actresses in movie musicals. She is best known for having dubbed the singing voices of the leading actresses in films, including The King and I, West Side Story and My Fair Lady.

Nixon's varied career included, besides her voice work in films, some film roles of her own, television, opera, concerts with major symphony orchestras around the world, musicals on stage throughout the United States and recordings (Source).

1948 - Big City (Margaret O’Brien)
1949 - The Secret Garden (Margaret O’Brien)
1953 - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Marilyn Monroe's high notes)
1956 - The King and I (Deborah Kerr)
1957 - An Affair to Remember (Deborah Kerr)
1957 - Boy on a Dolphin (Sophia Loren)
1961 - West Side Story (Natalie Wood)
1962 - Gypsy (Natalie Wood’s high notes)
1964 - My Fair Lady (Audrey Hepburn)
1965 - The Sound of Music (played Sister Sophia)*
* Margery McKay dubbed Peggy Wood’s voice

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[giradman]

US Postal Service Established Today in 1775 - Benjamin Franklin First Postmaster!

Despite losing billions of dollars in recent years, the US Postal Service keeps showing up at my door 6 days a week and occasionally on a Sunday - one recent story of 'present woes' of the USPS HERE. Dave

On this day in 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today’s mail system. During early colonial times in the 1600s, few American colonists needed to send mail to each other; it was more likely that their correspondence was with letter writers in Britain. Mail deliveries from across the Atlantic were sporadic and could take many months to arrive. There were no post offices in the colonies, so mail was typically left at inns and taverns....(Source)

Today, the United States has over 40,000 post offices and the postal service delivers 212 billion pieces of mail each year to over 144 million homes and businesses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The postal service is the nation’s largest civilian employer, with over 700,000 career workers, who handle more than 44 percent of the world’s cards and letters. (Source)

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[giradman]

John Quincy Adams Marries Louisa Johnson in 1797 - Only Foreign-born First Lady of the US

Well, that could change in November if Donald Trump is elected President of the United States - his current wife was born in Slovenia (formerly Yugoslavia) - will be an interesting election - Dave

On this day in 1797, future President John Quincy Adams, the son of second President John Adams, marries Louisa Johnson in London, England. Louisa was–and remains– the only foreign-born first lady of the United States. Louisa’s parents were English colonists living in Maryland before the Revolutionary War. In 1771, her father moved the family back to England. Louisa was intelligent and a skilled writer and musician. Her family moved back to England in 1784 and, in 1795, she met a young American diplomat named John Quincy Adams. The couple was engaged a year later. (Source)

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[scifan57]

US Postal Service Established Today in 1775 - Benjamin Franklin First Postmaster!

Despite losing billions of dollars in recent years, the US Postal Service keeps showing up at my door 6 days a week and occasionally on a Sunday - one recent story of 'present woes' of the USPS HERE. Dave




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When I was in Philadelphia in 2001, I visited the Franklin Post Office. It's the only post office in the United States that doesn't fly the American flag and is the only post office in the nation without a Zip Code. Franklin Post Office

 

[giradman]

When I was in Philadelphia in 2001, I visited the Franklin Post Office. It's the only post office in the United States that doesn't fly the American flag and is the only post office in the nation without a Zip Code. Franklin Post Office
View attachment 73186

Boy, I was there years ago but did not remember the details - a little history quoted below from a 1991 LA Times Article; Franklin was the postmaster of Philadelphia before the American Revolution, hence the reason the US flag is not flown - did not remember the use of the quill pens and the period costumes - I'd like to go back for a visit! Dave

PHILADELPHIA — It is the only post office in the nation that does not fly an American flag, the only one that does not have a ZIP code. The B. Free Franklin Post Office also is the only one named after a signature and with clerks who wear Colonial-style clothing. No ballpoint pens are allowed. Use a quill in an inkwell. Philatelists from around the globe come to Philadelphia to have envelopes hand-canceled with the B. Free Franklin postmark. "In Benjamin Franklin's day there were no stamps," clerk Susan Livesay explained. "People wrote their names in the top corners of envelopes. Those receiving mail--not the senders--paid the postage." Franklin signed his envelopes B. Free Franklin as a protest against British rule.

 

[scifan57]

Boy, I was there years ago but did not remember the details - a little history quoted below from a 1991 LA Times Article; Franklin was the postmaster of Philadelphia before the American Revolution, hence the reason the US flag is not flown - did not remember the use of the quill pens and the period costumes - I'd like to go back for a visit! Dave

I heard that this post office was on a list of those scheduled for closure a few years ago. I hope it's not closed.

 

[giradman]

I heard that this post office was on a list of those scheduled for closure a few years ago. I hope it's not closed.

Just did a google and the info below 'popped up' on the right side of the listings - still open! Dave
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[giradman]

Spanish Armada Defeated in 1588 & NASA Created in 1958!

There were many interesting events that happened on July 29 (check HERE)- I'll just cover the two above. Dave

Spanish Armada Defeated in 1588

Off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain’s so-called “Invincible Armada” is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. After eight hours of furious fighting, a change in wind direction prompted the Spanish to break off from the battle and retreat toward the North Sea. Its hopes of invasion crushed, the remnants of the Spanish Armada began a long and difficult journey back to Spain (Source).

The fleet was under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia and consisted of 130 ships carrying 2,500 guns, 8,000 seamen, and almost 20,000 soldiers. Battered by storms and suffering from a dire lack of supplies, the Armada sailed on a hard journey back to Spain around Scotland and Ireland. Some of the damaged ships foundered in the sea while others were driven onto the coast of Ireland and wrecked. By the time the last of the surviving fleet reached Spain in October, half of the original Armada was lost and some 15,000 men had perished (Source).

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NASA Created in 1958

NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union’s October 4, 1957 launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I, followed by Sputnik II, a month later - amazing that in just over 10 years, NASA succeeded in placing the first man on the moon - few quotes below from HERE.

If visiting Florida, a trip to the Cape Kennedy Space Center should be put on your agenda - over the decades, I've been there three times - a LOT to see and a number of tours are available. The Center is on the coast (see pic below) and global warming w/ rising sea levels will certainly impact on this location.

On this day in 1958, the U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the solar system and universe. It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites that have been instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to navigation to global communications.

In May 1961, President John F. Kennedydeclared thatAmerica should put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On July 20, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 11 mission achieved that goal and made history when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon, saying “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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[scifan57]

July 29, 1967;

"Light My Fire" becomes the Doors first number one hit. The Doors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[KevinJS]

Born on this day in 1953, Garry Weinrib, better known to the world as Geddy Lee, bass player and vocalist with the Canadian power trio, Rush.

Photo credit: www.rollingstone.com