On This Day In History
23 July 1903. The Ford Motor Company, created by Henry Ford, delivered its first car, the two-cylinder Model A Ford (pictured). The first owner was Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist for $850 (worth $19,000 today). pic.twitter.com/dIi8YSYJd6
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 1955. Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record on Ullswater in the UK Lake District, reaching 202:32 MPH in his craft, Bluebird. He broke the water speed record a total of 7 times, including 4 times on Coniston Water in the Lake District. pic.twitter.com/e82VguijCk
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 1962. The Telstar satellite relayed the first live trans-Atlantic TV programme. It featured a press conference by the US President John F. Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/dRxnXB8zaX
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 2012. Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut to engage in space travel, died (aged 61), after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Her trip into space made Ride a household name and a symbol of the ability of women to break the glass ceiling. pic.twitter.com/QRZpmbzIu3
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 1966. Hollywood legend, Montgomery Clift, died (aged 45). He’s regarded as one of the most original method actors of all time. His films include: A Place in the Sun, I Confess, From Here to Eternity, Judgment at Nuremberg and The Misfits. pic.twitter.com/9RpHuOyrEQ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 1999. The 26th launch of the Space Shuttle Colombia occurred, with Eileen Collins becoming the first female space shuttle commander. pic.twitter.com/kdmaUbObYc
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
23 July 1972. Eddie Merckx of Belgium won his 4th consecutive Tour de France. He’s widely seen as the most successful male cycle rider. His victories include an unequalled 11 Grand Tours (five Tours of France, five Tours of Italy, and a Tour of Spain pic.twitter.com/2fKQDKIbI0
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
Singing legend, Amy Winehouse, died #OTD in 2011 (aged 27). pic.twitter.com/TQahdoxiOh
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 23, 2022
July 24th
1534 Jacques Cartier lands in Canada, claims it for France
1567 Mary Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate; her 1-year-old son becomes King James VI of Scots
1911 American explorer Hiram Bingham discovers Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas
1943 Operation Gomorrah: RAF begins bombing Hamburg (till 3rd August), creating a firestorm and killing 42,600 people
1982 Single “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor from “Rocky III” soundtrack starts 6-week run at No. 1 on US charts (Grammy for Best Rock Performance)
2019 Global warming is the fastest in 2,000 years and scientific consensus that humans are the cause is at 99%, according to three major reports published in journals “Nature” and “Nature Geoscience”
Did You Know?
Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper publishes results of 1st public opinion poll, with a clear lead for Andrew Jackson
Today in History in 1824
Would You Believe?
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office.
Today in History in 2001
This day 30 years ago - 24 July 1990 - Sr Catherine Dunne, a nun from Dublin, was killed, along with three RUC constables, in a roadside IRA bomb in Armagh.
She was the only nun killed in the Troubles.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said, “Our sorrow at these deaths is genuine.” pic.twitter.com/VCmTZJ5IIZ
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) July 24, 2020
#OTD in 1987, 91-year old mountaineer Hulda Crooks reached the summit of Mount Fuji. She had already climbed Mount Whitney (the highest US peak outside Alaska) 23 times since her 65th birthday. The 4326m Crooks Peak is named after her. https://t.co/m5jGwfwE4K pic.twitter.com/0Fs13449Su
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) July 24, 2022
On this day in 1972, a D.C. newspaper exposed an ongoing 40-year syphilis experiment that withheld diagnosis information and treatment from Black men in Alabama to study the disease's effects. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/26SRjRAHSM
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) July 24, 2022
24 July 1851. The Window Tax in Britain was abolished. It was introduced in 1695 and was a progressive tax so that houses with fewer than ten windows were subject to a flat rate house tax, but those with over 10 windows paid more. To reduce the burden owners bricked up windows. pic.twitter.com/tkuGp7nqgw
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 1883. Legendary swimmer, Captain Matthew Webb, died (aged 35) by drowning while trying to swim the rapids below Niagara Falls in Canada. He was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel on 25 August 1875 which made him a huge worldwide celebrity. pic.twitter.com/rjB4mzeQow
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 1915. 844 people were killed when the passenger ship, SS Eastland, rolled over onto its side while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. It’s the largest loss of life from a single ship sinking on the Great Lakes. pic.twitter.com/5ZEQinWBEF
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 1936. The GPO (General Post Office), introduced TIM, the automated speaking clock. It used voice of telephonist, Ethel Cain (pictured). It was said Cain, with her distinctly posh accent “made the Queen sound common”. pic.twitter.com/wQrkCWyiyv
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 1969. The Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins & Buzz Aldrin, returned safely to planet Earth, and underwent a 21-day quarantine in an isolation chamber to assess their health and monitor unexpected after effects. US President Richard Nixon greeted them. pic.twitter.com/NsZor4ztD6
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 1980. Comedy legend, Peter Sellers, died (aged 54). He starred in the 1950s cult BBC Radio series, The Goon Show, and became known worldwide through his film roles, notably, in Dr Strangelove, and as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series of films. pic.twitter.com/xoHnqPTFoM
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022
24 July 2010. Belfast born Snooker legend, Alex Higgins, died (aged 61). He was nicknamed “Hurricane” due to his fast play. He was World Champion in 1972 and 1982, and runner-up in 1976 and 1980. His drink, gambling and marital problems featured heavily in the tabloid press. pic.twitter.com/oAjvt58ON3
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 24, 2022