On This Day In History
4 July 1934. Polish born Radioactivity pioneer, Marie Sklodowska-Curie died (aged 66). She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. pic.twitter.com/1zeKsmXfEQ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
4 July 1938. French tennis legend, Suzanne Lenglen, died (aged 39). She was one of biggest tennis stars in the 1920s, known for her exuberant style of play and her stylish fashion style. She won 8 Grand Slam singles titles: 6 Wimbledon Singles and the French Championship twice. pic.twitter.com/gAxEpZUnhD
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
4 July 1968. Alec Rose sailed into Portsmouth, after his 354-day solo circumnavigation of the world, for which he was knighted. His boat, Lively Lady, is still seaworthy, and is used for sail training by a charity. pic.twitter.com/yUNAYd8MrS
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
4 July 2012. Popular comedy writer and actor, Eric Sykes died (aged 89). He’s best known for the BBC TV comedy series, Sykes, in which he starred with the Carry On star, Hattie Jacques, who played his sister. Many people thought they really were siblings. pic.twitter.com/7EKTijyN5N
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
4 July 2003. Romantic soul legend, Barry White, died (aged 58). He was known for his distinctive bass-baritone voice, beginning many songs with a spoken romantic monologue. He had worldwide record sales in excess of 100 million records. pic.twitter.com/7Akz4EnQt7
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Customers listening to new records, before buying, in a UK record shop (1955). pic.twitter.com/k6L0zYvFrC
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 4, 2022
July 5th
1687 Isaac Newton's great work Principia published by Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation
1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain
1852 Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave, delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemns the celebration as hypocritical sham
1865 US Secret Service begins operating under the Treasury Department
1994 Amazon.com founded in Bellevue, Washington by Jeff Bezos
2004 First Indonesian presidential election by the people - first round (eventually won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)
Did You Know?
Louis Reard's design for a bikini swimsuit debuts at the Paris fashion show
Today in History in 1946
Would You Believe?
Followers of Indian spiritual leader Ashutosh Mahara win a court case, 3 years after his death, to keep his body in a freezer in case he should return to life
Today in History in 2017
This day 192 years ago - 5 July 1828 - Daniel O'Connell was elected Member of Parliament for Clare, the first Roman Catholic returned to the House of Commons since the Williamite revolution of the late 1600s.
However, he was unable to take his seat due to the Oath of Supremacy. pic.twitter.com/6ojG5SDpWQ
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) July 5, 2020
In July 1960, habitual thief and “Queen of the Underworld” Zoe Progl escaped from London's Holloway prison in broad daylight, using a rope ladder thrown to her by friends. An infamous cat burglar, Progl was recaptured five months later. https://t.co/ifZ9PHrJ3o @StoriesHolloway pic.twitter.com/yd3WOeWoU1
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) July 5, 2022
On this day in 2016, police shot and killed Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. Sterling was on the ground with his arms and legs fully restrained when he was shot. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/Om62CSlrNe
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) July 5, 2022
5 July 1811. Venezuela became the first South American country to declare its independence from Spain, by issuing the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence. The day is now celebrated annually as Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/21f3q37vkl
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1841. Thomas Cook founded the first travel agency. The business originally concentrated on one-day rail excursions. Cook believed alcohol was to blame for social problems, and so the first trip was a train carrying 600 temperance supporters to a meeting 12 miles away. pic.twitter.com/CUxo4Ktvhh
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1946. The bikini bathing suit, created by Louis Reard, and worn by the Parisian showgirl, Micheline Bernardini, made its debut at a fashion show at Molitor Pool, Paris. Réard promoted his creation as “smaller than the world’s smallest bathing suit”. pic.twitter.com/2UvmDpVAS4
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1945. Voting in the British General Election began. It resulted (when the results were officially announced on 26 July 1945), in a huge landslide victory for the Labour Party and a shock defeat for the war-time leader Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party. pic.twitter.com/JyUrmPPf7f
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1948. Britain’s National Health Service came into operation. It was led by Aneurin Bevan, Labour’s Health Minister. It offered treatment free at the point of delivery to all citizens irrespective of income. It’s one of the most important social reforms in British history. pic.twitter.com/H4saQp1Ngp
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1954. The BBC broadcast its first daily TV news programme. The 20 minute bulletin was presented by Richard Baker and featured a story on the first day of the end of food rationing. pic.twitter.com/lNKjndcWPd
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
5 July 1975. Arthur Ashe (USA) became the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title by beating No.1 seed and defending champion Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history. pic.twitter.com/TODdNtr0mD
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 5, 2022
July 6th
1348 Papal bull of Pope Clement VI issued during the Black Death stating Jews not to blame and urging their protection
1785 US Congress unanimously resolves the name of US currency to the "dollar" and adopts decimal coinage
1885 Louis Pasteur successfully give an anti-rabies vaccine to 9-year-old Joseph Meister, saving his life
1923 The Central Executive Committee accepts the Treaty of Union, signed in Moscow in December 1922, and the Russian Empire becomes the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1967 Nigerian Civil War erupts as Nigerian forces invade the secessionist state of Biafra
1970 California passes 1st "no fault" divorce law