Tag: July

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2024

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2024

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Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in July 2024 (listed six months in advance so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for ‘On This Day in History’ features, articles, biographies and other anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with newspaper and magazine readers and radio stations, and editors, producers and presenters love them. They’re easy to research too. You can also turn them into movies, documentaries, novels, use them to plan events and exhibitions, and much more. (Find out more at the end of this article.)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2024, which lists more than 3,000 anniversaries (an average of eight newsworthy anniversaries for every day of the year).

1 Jul 1874 – 150 years ago
The first kidnapping for ransom in the USA.
Charley Ross, aged 4 and his brother Walter, aged 6, were kidnapped outside their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by two men in a horse-drawn carriage. They went to a store and Walter was sent inside to buy fireworks. The carriage drove away while he was inside, taking Charley, who was never seen again. His father received several ransom demands for $20,000, but whenever it was offered the kidnappers failed to collect it.

2 Jul 1964 – 60 years ago
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 came into effect in the USA. The landmark act outlawed racial and sexual discrimination.

3 Jul 1924 – 100 years ago
The General Seafoods Company was founded by American inventor and entrepreneur Clarence Birdseye.
It specialised in frozen foods and the equipment for producing, transporting, storing and displaying it. The company was later renamed General Foods. It was acquired by the Postum Cereal Company in 1929, which adopted the name General Foods for its own business. It merged with Kraft in 1990.

4 Jul 1774 – 250 years ago
American Revolution: the Orangetown Resolutions were adopted in New York. The resolutions called for the Intolerable Acts (also called the Coercive Acts) passed by the British Parliament to be repealed. This led to the First Continental Congress in September 1774, the American Revolutionary War in April 1775, and the American Declaration of Independence in July 1776.

5 to 27 Jul 1924 – 100 years ago
The 1924 Summer Olympic Games were held in Paris, France.

6 Jul 1974 – 50 years ago
The BBC broadcast its first experimental quadraphonic radio programme BBC in Quad.
Listeners required two stereo radios: the sound for the front speakers was broadcast on Radio 2 and the rear speakers on Radio 3.

7 Jul 1954 – 70 years ago
Elvis Presley’s radio debut. Disc jockey Dewey Phillips played Presley’s first single That’s All Right on WHBQ in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It proved popular, and Phillips called Presley into the studio for an interview later that day.

8 Jul 1949 – 75 years ago
The first piece of apartheid legislation came into effect in South Africa: the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, 1949.
It was repealed in 1985.

9 Jul 1984 – 40 years ago
York Minster in England was struck by lightning, which set fire to the roof and destroyed the south transept.

10 Jul 1949 – 75 years ago
The first television with a rectangular screen was introduced in Ohio, USA. The screen measured 16 x 12 inches.

11 Jul 1274 – 750 years ago
Birth of Robert I (‘Robert the Bruce’), King of Scotland (1306–29).

12 Jul 1984 – 40 years ago
Czech-born British media magnate Robert Maxwell bought the Daily Mirror newspaper.
(He died in 1991. Subsequent investigations found that he had misappropriated the company’s pension fund.)

13 Jul 1024 – 1000 years ago
Death of Henry II, (‘Saint Henry the Exuberant’), Holy Roman Emperor (1014–24). (Urinary infection, aged 51.)
Succeeded by Conrad II (from March 1027).

14 Jul 1999 – 25 years ago
U.S. limited release of the supernatural horror film The Blair Witch Project.
(Full release: 30th July. UK première: 8th October, released: 22nd October.)

15 Jul 1274 – 750 years ago
Death of Saint Bonaventure, Italian Franciscan theologian, philosopher and Doctor of the Church. (Canonised in 1482.)

16 to 22 Jul 1994 – 30 years ago
21 fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter.

17 Jul 1984 – 40 years ago
The national minimum drinking age in the USA was raised from 18 to 21.

18 Jul 1994 – 30 years ago
The Rwandan Civil War ended. Rwandan Patriotic Front victory.

19 Jul 1954 – 70 years ago
Elvis Presley’s first single That’s All Right was released.

20 Jul 1944 – 80 years ago
World War II: the 20th July plot.
The German Resistance movement attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in Berlin and remove the Nazi Party from power in a coup. The attempt failed. The movement’s central figure, Claus von Stauffenberg, and his fellow conspirators were executed the following day. The Gestapo also arrested at least 7,000 members of the resistance movement, of whom 4,980 are known to have been executed. This effectively ended the German Resistance movement.

21 Jul 1899 – 125 years ago
Birth of Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. His best-known novels include The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, To Have and Have Not, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. Winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.

22 Jul 1959 – 65 years ago
The science fiction horror film Plan 9 From Outer Space was released in the USA. It has been named the worst film ever made, and has gained a huge cult following. (U.S. preview: March 1957 as Grave Robbers From Outer Space. UK release: March 1960).

23 Jul 1984 – 40 years ago
Vanessa Williams became the first Miss America to resign her title, after nude photographs of her were published in Penthouse magazine. Suzette Charles replaced her.

24 Jul 1824 – 200 years ago
The results of the world’s first public opinion poll were published in the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper in the USA. The poll asked voters in Wilmington, Delaware how they would vote in the 1824 U.S. presidential election. 70 percent favoured Andrew Jackson. (Jackson narrowly won the popular vote, but John Quincy Adams was elected president.)

25 Jul 1959 – 65 years ago
The first hovercraft to cross the English Channel: the SRN-1, designed by British inventor Christopher Cockerell.

26 Jul 1984 – 40 years ago
Death of George Gallup, American statistician and public-opinion surveyor who established the Gallup Poll.

27 Jul 1824 – 200 years ago
Birth of Alexandre Dumas fils, French novelist and playwright. Best known for his romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the Camellias). It was adapted by Giuseppe Verdi into his opera La Traviata, and into numerous plays and films called Camille.
Son of Alexandre Dumas père, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

28 Jul 1964 – 60 years ago
NASA launched its Ranger 7 space probe on a mission to the Moon.
On 31st July it sent back the first close-up images of the lunar surface.

29 Jul 1949 – 75 years ago
The BBC began broadcasting regular weather forecasts on television.

30 Jul 1954 – 70 years ago
The Television Act was passed in the UK. This led to the establishment of the commercial TV network.
The Independent Television Authority (ITA) began operating on 4th August.
ITV began broadcasting in the London area in September 1955 and was available nationally by September 1962.

31 Jul 1954 – 70 years ago
The first successful ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, by Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli. (Ardito Desio, who is often credited with the first ascent, led the expedition but did not go to the summit.)

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2024. The 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The anniversaries are available as PDF ebooks, Excel spreadsheets, and printed paperback books.

How to use the anniversaries:

If you’d like to know more about how to turn the anniversaries listed here and in The Date-A-Base Books into articles for magazines and newspapers, take a look at our free 68-page guide, Ditch Your Day Job: the easiest way to make a living (or earn some extra cash) as a writer.

It has some terrific bonuses too, including a complete month of anniversaries from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, hundreds of article-writing tips and ideas, plus a 25 percent discount when you buy two or more editions of The Date-A-Base Book.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2023

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2023

Posted on by admin

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in July 2023
(listed six months in advance so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features, articles, biographies and other anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with newspaper and magazine readers and radio stations, and editors, producers and presenters love them. They’re easy to research too. You can also turn them into films, documentaries, novels, use them to plan events and exhibitions, and much more. (Find out more at the end of this article.)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, which lists more than 3,000 anniversaries.

1 Jul 1948 – 75 years ago
New York International Airport (originally Idlewild Airport) was officially opened.
(It was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963.)

2 Jul 1973 – 50 years ago
The National Black Network (NBN) launched in the USA. It was the first national radio network wholly owned by African Americans.

3 Jul 1423 – 600 years ago
Birth of Louis XI, King of France (1461–83).

4 Jul 1623 – 400 years ago
Death of William Byrd, English Renaissance composer. Regarded as one of the greatest British composers. Best known for his sacred music.

5 Jul 1948 – 75 years ago
Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) began operating.

6 Jul 1933 – 90 years ago
The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played, at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

7 Jul 1948 – 75 years ago
The first six enlisted women were sworn into the regular U.S. Navy.

8 Jul 1933 – 90 years ago
Great Depression: the Public Works Administration (PWA) began operating in the USA. Its purpose was to build large-scale public projects including dams, bridges, schools, hospitals and warships to provide employment and stimulate the economy.

9 Jul 1958 – 65 years ago
Lituya Bay megatsunami, Alaska, USA.
An earthquake caused 90 million tons of rock to fall several hundred metres into the bay. The resulting tsunami destroyed vegetation up to 1,722 feet (525 metres) above the bay and sent a 98- foot (30-metre) wave across the bay.
It remains the largest and most significant megatsunami of modern times.

10 Jul 1973 – 50 years ago
John Paul Getty III, the 16-year-old grandson of the American oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, was kidnapped in Rome, Italy.
In November the kidnappers cut off one of his ears and sent it to a newspaper.
He was released in December after a ransom was paid.
(The kidnapping scarred him for life and he became addicted to drugs and alcohol, leading to an overdose, stroke, and severe disability. He died in 2011, aged 54.)

11 Jul 1848 – 175 years ago
Waterloo railway station in London opened.

12 Jul 1963 – 60 years ago
The Moors Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, killed their first victim, 16-year-old Pauline Reade, on Saddleworth Moor, north-west England.

13 Jul 1923 – 100 years ago
The Hollywood Sign was officially dedicated in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
(It was originally erected as a temporary advertisement for a housing development, and read ‘Hollywoodland’.)

14 Jul 1983 – 40 years ago
Nintendo released the arcade video game Mario Bros in Japan. (USA: 20th July.)

15 Jul 1948 – 75 years ago
The British branch of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in London.
(Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in the USA in 1935.)

16 Jul 1723 – 300 years ago
Birth of Sir Joshua Reynolds, English portrait artist.

17 Jul 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of John Cooper, British racing car designer. Co-founder of the Cooper Car Company (with his father, Charles). He also designed the Mini Cooper. (Died 2000.)

18 Jul 1948 – 75 years ago
Argentine racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio made his Formula One debut in the 1948 French Grand Prix.
He went on to win the F1 Driver’s Championship five times (1951, 1954–57).

19 to 20 Jul 1848 – 175 years ago
The Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in the USA, was held in Seneca Falls, New York.

20 Jul or 20 Jun 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary and guerrilla leader. (Assassinated).

21 Jul 1873 – 150 years ago
American outlaw Jesse James and the James-Younger gang staged their first train robbery. They derailed a Rock Island Line express train near Adair, Iowa, and stole $3,000 (equivalent to $64,000 today).

22 Jul 1933 – 90 years ago
American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world.
He flew 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes.

23 Jul 1773 – 250 years ago
Birth of Thomas Brisbane, British Army officer, colonial administrator, and astronomer. Governor of New South Wales (1821–25).
The city of Brisbane, Australia was named in his honour.

24 Jul 1923 – 100 years ago
The Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Switzerland. It was the final treaty of WWI and defined the boundaries of modern Turkey.

25 Jul 1943 – 80 years ago
World War II: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was forced out of office. He was succeeded by Pietro Badoglio (as Prime Minister).
This marked the end of Italy’s alliance with Germany.

26 Jul 1958 – 65 years ago
Debutantes were presented at the British royal court for the last time.

27 Jul 1953 – 70 years ago
The Korean War ended. The Korean Armistice Treaty was signed at Panmunjom and the 38th parallel became the official boundary between communist North Korea and anti-communist South Korea. (Tensions continued unabated.)

28 Jul 1933 – 90 years ago
Western Union delivered the first singing telegram – to American singer Rudy Vallee in New York on his 32nd birthday.

29 Jul 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Jim Marshall, British electrical engineer and businessman. Founder of Marshall Amplification. (Died 2012.)

30 Jul 1898 – 125 years ago
The world’s first advertisement for a motor car appeared in newspapers in the USA.
The ad for the Winton Motor Carriage Company in Cleveland, Ohio invited readers to ‘Dispense with a horse’.

31 Jul 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-born American record company executive. Co-founder and President of Atlantic Records.
He was one of the most significant and influential figures in American popular music, and discovered many leading musicians. (Died 2006.)

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2028 edition will be available from April 2023. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

How to use the anniversaries:

If you’d like to know more about how to turn the anniversaries listed here and in The Date-A-Base Books into articles for magazines and newspapers, take a look at our free 68-page guide, Ditch Your Day Job: the easiest way to make a living (or earn some extra cash) as a writer.

It has some terrific bonuses too, including a complete month of anniversaries from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, 301 article-writing ideas and tips, plus a 25 percent discount when you buy two or more editions of The Date-A-Base Book.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2022

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2022

Posted on by admin

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in July 2022 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2022. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 edition will also be available in a week or two.

1 Jul 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Louis Blériot, French inventor and aviation pioneer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars, used the money to build the first successful powered monoplane, developed the modern aircraft control system, and became the first person to fly across the English Channel.

2 Jul 1922 – 100 years ago
Water skiing was invented by Ralph Samuelson at Lake Pepin, Minnesota, USA.

3 Jul 1997 – 25 years ago
The U.S. state of Mississippi settled a landmark $3.4 billion health care lawsuit against the tobacco industry. It was the first state to do so.

4 Jul 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923–29).

5 Jul 1962 – 60 years ago
Algeria gained its independence from France

6 Jul 1942 – 80 years ago
Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in a secret annex at her father’s workplace in Amsterdam.

7 Jul 1952 – 70 years ago
The U.S. ocean liner SS United States became the fastest passenger ship to cross the Atlantic. The record of 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes still stands.

8 Jul 1822 – 200 years ago
Death of Percy Bysshe Shelley, British poet. (Drowned, aged 29.)

9 Jul 1947 – 75 years ago
Florence Blanchfield was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, becoming the first woman in the USA to hold a permanent military rank.

10 Jul 1962 – 60 years ago
The American communications satellite Telstar was launched. It transmitted the first transatlantic TV signal to Europe later that day. The first official broadcast was on 23rd July. It could only relay a signal for 20 minutes per orbit.

11 Jul 1922 – 100 years ago
The Hollywood Bowl amphitheatre/music venue opened in Los Angeles, California, USA.

12 Jul 1962 – 60 years ago
The British rock band the Rolling Stones played their first live performance, at the Marquee Club in London.

13 Jul 1897 – 125 years ago
Italian inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi was granted a U.S. patent for his wireless telegraph system. (He was also granted a UK patent on 2nd July.)

14 Jul 1992 – 30 years ago
The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA was destroyed by fire.

15 Jul 1897 – 125 years ago
The Klondike gold rush began when prospectors from San Francisco, California, USA set off en masse for the Yukon in north-western Canada.

16 Jul 622 – 1400 years ago
The beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution (an event known as the Hegira), and established the first Muslim community.

17 Jul 1997 – 25 years ago
The internet broke down when a system operator at Network Solutions in Virginia, USA accidentally uploaded a corrupt database to the root domain servers. On the same day, a construction company sliced through a fibre optic cable, affecting millions of users in the eastern states. These incidents proved that the internet was not as robust as had been claimed.

18 Jul 1947 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act into law. It defined the line of succession in the event that neither the President nor the Vice-President could fulfill their duties. Next in line would be the Speaker of the House, then the President pro tempore, followed by the Presidential Cabinet Secretaries and Officers in the order in which their respective departments were created.

19 Jul 1947 – 75 years ago
Death of Aung San, Burmese nationalist leader. Considered the father of modern Burma (now Myanmar). Father of politician Aung San Suu Kyi. (Assassinated along with six of his cabinet ministers.)

20 Jul 1822 – 200 years ago
Birth of Gregor Mendel, Austrian/Czech friar, botanist and geneticist who discovered the laws of heredity and created the science of genetics.

21 Jul 1897 – 125 years ago
The Tate Britain art museum opened in London, England.

22 Jul 1932 – 90 years ago
Death of Florenz (‘Flo’) Ziegfeld, American theatrical producer and impresario. Best known for his Ziegfeld Follies revue shows, and stage shows such as Show Boat.

23 Jul 1962 – 60 years ago
The first live transatlantic television broadcast. It was hosted by Walter Cronkite in the USA and broadcast to the UK and France via the Telstar 1 satellite.

24 Jul 1847 – 175 years ago
Salt Lake City in Utah, USA was founded. Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young arrived there after a 17-month journey and established a settlement where they would be free from religious persecution. At the time, the area was part of Mexico.

25 Jul 1952 – 70 years ago
The current Constitution of Puerto Rico came into effect. It established Puerto Rico as a commonwealth in union with the United States.

26 Jul 1947 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act into law. It led to the creation of the Department of Defense, the National Military Establishment, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It also separated the Army Air Forces into its own service – the Department of the Air Force. (Effective from 18th September 1947.)

27 Jul 2002 – 20 years ago
Ukraine air show disaster. A military jet crashed into the crowd at an air show in Lviv, western Ukraine, killing more than 80 people and injuring over 100. It was the world’s worst air show disaster.

28 Jul 1922 – 100 years ago
Birth of Jacques Piccard, Belgian-born Swiss oceanographer and engineer. Best known for developing deep-sea submarines including the Challenger Deep in which he and Don Walsh became the first people to reach the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. (Died 2008.)

29 Jul 1957 – 65 years ago
The International Atomic Energy Agency was established. It promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

30 Jul 1942 – 80 years ago
The song White Christmas by Bing Crosby was released. It became the bestselling single of all time, selling more than 50 million copies worldwide.

31 Jul 1942 – 80 years ago
The charity Oxfam was founded in the UK (as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief).

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2022. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 edition will be released in the next week or two, with the 2026 and 2027 editions following in March and June 2022. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2022 (U.S. Edition)

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2022 (U.S. Edition)

Posted on by admin

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in July 2022 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2022. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 edition will also be available in a week or two.

Jul 1, 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Louis Blériot, French inventor and aviation pioneer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars, used the money to build the first successful powered monoplane, developed the modern aircraft control system, and became the first person to fly across the English Channel.

Jul 2, 1922 – 100 years ago
Water skiing was invented by Ralph Samuelson at Lake Pepin, Minnesota, USA.

Jul 3, 1997 – 25 years ago
The U.S. state of Mississippi settled a landmark $3.4 billion health care lawsuit against the tobacco industry. It was the first state to do so.

Jul 4, 1872 – 150 years ago
Birth of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923–29).

Jul 5, 1962 – 60 years ago
Algeria gained its independence from France

Jul 6, 1942 – 80 years ago
Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in a secret annex at her father’s workplace in Amsterdam.

Jul 7, 1952 – 70 years ago
The U.S. ocean liner SS United States became the fastest passenger ship to cross the Atlantic. The record of 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes still stands.

Jul 8, 1822 – 200 years ago
Death of Percy Bysshe Shelley, British poet. (Drowned, aged 29.)

Jul 9, 1947 – 75 years ago
Florence Blanchfield was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, becoming the first woman in the USA to hold a permanent military rank.

Jul 10, 1962 – 60 years ago
The American communications satellite Telstar was launched. It transmitted the first transatlantic TV signal to Europe later that day. The first official broadcast was on July 23rd. It could only relay a signal for 20 minutes per orbit.

Jul 11, 1922 – 100 years ago
The Hollywood Bowl amphitheater/music venue opened in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Jul 12, 1962 – 60 years ago
The British rock band the Rolling Stones played their first live performance, at the Marquee Club in London.

Jul 13, 1897 – 125 years ago
Italian inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi was granted a U.S. patent for his wireless telegraph system. (He was also granted a UK patent on July 2nd.)

Jul 14, 1992 – 30 years ago
The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA was destroyed by fire.

Jul 15, 1897 – 125 years ago
The Klondike gold rush began when prospectors from San Francisco, California, USA set off en masse for the Yukon in northwestern Canada.

Jul 16, 622 – 1400 years ago
The beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution (an event known as the Hegira), and established the first Muslim community.

Jul 17, 1997 – 25 years ago
The internet broke down when a system operator at Network Solutions in Virginia, USA accidentally uploaded a corrupt database to the root domain servers. On the same day, a construction company sliced through a fiber optic cable, affecting millions of users in the eastern states. These incidents proved that the internet was not as robust as had been claimed.

Jul 18, 1947 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act into law. It defined the line of succession in the event that neither the President nor the Vice-President could fulfill their duties. Next in line would be the Speaker of the House, then the President pro tempore, followed by the Presidential Cabinet Secretaries and Officers in the order in which their respective departments were created.

Jul 19, 1947 – 75 years ago
Death of Aung San, Burmese nationalist leader. Considered the father of modern Burma (now Myanmar). Father of politician Aung San Suu Kyi. (Assassinated along with six of his cabinet ministers.)

Jul 20, 1822 – 200 years ago
Birth of Gregor Mendel, Austrian/Czech friar, botanist and geneticist who discovered the laws of heredity and created the science of genetics.

Jul 21, 1897 – 125 years ago
The Tate Britain art museum opened in London, England.

Jul 22, 1932 – 90 years ago
Death of Florenz (‘Flo’) Ziegfeld, American theatrical producer and impresario. Best known for his Ziegfeld Follies revue shows, and stage shows such as Show Boat.

Jul 23, 1962 – 60 years ago
The first live transatlantic television broadcast. It was hosted by Walter Cronkite in the USA and broadcast to the UK and France via the Telstar 1 satellite.

Jul 24, 1847 – 175 years ago
Salt Lake City in Utah, USA was founded. Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young arrived there after a 17-month journey and established a settlement where they would be free from religious persecution. At the time, the area was part of Mexico.

Jul 25, 1952 – 70 years ago
The current Constitution of Puerto Rico came into effect. It established Puerto Rico as a commonwealth in union with the United States.

Jul 26, 1947 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act into law. It led to the creation of the Department of Defense, the National Military Establishment, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It also separated the Army Air Forces into its own service – the Department of the Air Force. (Effective from September 18, 1947.)

Jul 27, 2002 – 20 years ago
Ukraine air show disaster. A military jet crashed into the crowd at an air show in Lviv, western Ukraine, killing more than 80 people and injuring over 100. It was the world’s worst air show disaster.

Jul 28, 1922 – 100 years ago
Birth of Jacques Piccard, Belgian-born Swiss oceanographer and engineer. Best known for developing deep-sea submarines including the Challenger Deep in which he and Don Walsh became the first people to reach the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. (Died 2008.)

Jul 29, 1957 – 65 years ago
The International Atomic Energy Agency was established. It promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Jul 30, 1942 – 80 years ago
The song White Christmas by Bing Crosby was released. It became the bestselling single of all time, selling more than 50 million copies worldwide.

Jul 31, 1942 – 80 years ago
The charity Oxfam was founded in the UK (as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief).

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2022. The 2023 and 2024 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2025 edition will be released in the next week or two, with the 2026 and 2027 editions following in March and June 2022. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2021

Posted on by admin

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in July 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

1 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
West Virginia became the first U.S. state to impose a sales tax on purchases.

2 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
The world heavyweight boxing championship fight between Jack Dempsey (USA) and George Carpentier (France) was held in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Named one of the “fights of the century”. It was the first world title fight to be broadcast on the radio (by RCA’s temporary station WJY and Pennsylvania’s KDKA), and the first to generate over $1 million in revenue.

3 Jul 1971 – 50 years ago
Death of Jim Morrison, American rock singer and songwriter (The Doors).

4 or 5 Jul 1951 – 70 years ago
American engineer William Shockley announced that he had invented the junction transistor.

5 Jul 1946 – 75 years ago
The first bikini two-piece swimsuit was unveiled at a fashion show in Paris, France. It was created by French designer Louis Réard.

6 Jul to 5 Aug 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II – Operation Barbarossa – the Battle of Smolensk. The first major battle during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. German victory which proved costly later as Hitler assumed the operation would end quickly and had not prepared for a winter war.

7 Jul 1981 – 40 years ago
The first solar-powered plane, Solar Challenger, successfully flew 160 miles (258 km) from Paris, France to Kent, England.

8 Jul 1721 – 300 years ago
Death of Elihu Yale, British-American merchant, slave trader, Governor of the British East India Company, and philanthropist. Yale University was named in his honour.

9 Jul 1981 – 40 years ago
The arcade video game Donkey Kong was released by Nintendo in Japan. (USA: 31st July.)

10 and 17 Jul 1821 – 200 years ago
The USA took possession of East Florida and West Florida from Spain. They were merged into Florida Territory in 1822. Florida was admitted as a US state in 1845.

11 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
Former U.S. President William Howard Taft took office as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the only person to hold both offices.

12 Jul 1971 – 50 years ago
The Australian Aboriginal Flag was flown for the first time, on National Aborigines Day in Adelaide. It was adopted as one of the official flags of Australia in 1995.

13 Jul 1871 – 150 years ago
Britain’s first cat show was held at the Crystal Palace in London.

14 Jul 1946 – 75 years ago
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Benjamin Spock was published. It became one of the bestselling books in history.

15 Jul 1996 – 25 years ago
MSNBC, the 24-hour TV news channel, was launched in the USA.

16 Jul 1821 – 200 years ago
Birth of Mary Baker Eddy, American founder of Christian Science.

17 Jul 1981 – 40 years ago
The Humber Bridge, linking Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, was officially opened. It was the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge at that time. (Opened to traffic on 14th June.)

18 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
Birth of John Glenn, American astronaut and politician. The first American to orbit the Earth. He later became a U.S. Senator (D, Ohio). (Died 2016.)

19 Jul 1821 – 200 years ago
The coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

20 Jul 1871 – 150 years ago
British Columbia became a province of Canada.

21 Jul 1931 – 90 years ago
The first regularly scheduled television broadcasts in the USA began, from CBS’s experimental station W2XAB in New York City.

22 Jul 1991 – 30 years ago
The Citizen’s Charter was launched by British Prime Minister John Major. The initiative aimed to measure, improve and maintain public services.

23 Jul 1961 – 60 years ago
The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was founded in Nicaragua.

24 Jul 1946 – 75 years ago
American comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed together for the first time, at Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (They were not well received, so on the second night they threw out their scripts and ad-libbed their performance with great success. Their final show was on 24th July 1956 – exactly 10 years after they started.)

25 Jul 1961 – 60 years ago
British electronics engineer Clive Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics. The company initially produced radios and hi-fi equipment, but later developed pocket calculators, digital watches, portable televisions and scientific equipment. Clive Sinclair left the company in 1979. It is now known as Aim & Thurlby Thandar Instruments.

26 Jul 1971 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 15 on a manned mission to the Moon. This was the first mission in which a lunar rover was used.

27 Jul 1996 – 25 years ago
Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Two people were killed and over 100 injured.

28 Jul 1896 – 125 years ago
The city of Miami, Florida, USA was incorporated.

29 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
Adolf Hitler became leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party).

30 Jul 1921 – 100 years ago
The hormone insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto, Canada.

31 Jul 1941 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: Nazi leader Hermann Goering instructed SS leader Reinhard Heydrich to submit an administrative and financial plan for “the final solution of the Jewish question”.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in July 2021 (U.S. edition)

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Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in July 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Jul 1, 1921 – 100 years ago
West Virginia became the first U.S. state to impose a sales tax on purchases.

Jul 2, 1921 – 100 years ago
The world heavyweight boxing championship fight between Jack Dempsey (USA) and George Carpentier (France) was held in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Named one of the “fights of the century.” It was the first world title fight to be broadcast on the radio (by RCA’s temporary station WJY and Pennsylvania’s KDKA), and the first to generate over $1 million in revenue.

Jul 3, 1971 – 50 years ago
Death of Jim Morrison, American rock singer and songwriter (The Doors).

Jul 4 or 5, 1951 – 70 years ago
American engineer William Shockley announced that he had invented the junction transistor.

Jul 5, 1946 – 75 years ago
The first bikini two-piece swimsuit was unveiled at a fashion show in Paris, France. It was created by French designer Louis Réard.

Jul 6 to Aug 5, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II – Operation Barbarossa – the Battle of Smolensk. The first major battle during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. German victory which proved costly later as Hitler assumed the operation would end quickly and had not prepared for a winter war.

Jul 7, 1981 – 40 years ago
The first solar-powered airplane, Solar Challenger, successfully flew 160 miles (258 km) from Paris, France to Kent, England.

Jul 8, 1721 – 300 years ago
Death of Elihu Yale, British-American merchant, slave trader, Governor of the British East India Company, and philanthropist. Yale University was named in his honor.

Jul 9, 1981 – 40 years ago
The arcade video game Donkey Kong was released by Nintendo in Japan. (USA: July 31st.)

Jul 10 and 17, 1821 – 200 years ago
The USA took possession of East Florida and West Florida from Spain. They were merged into Florida Territory in 1822. Florida was admitted as a U.S. state in 1845.

Jul 11, 1921 – 100 years ago
Former U.S. President William Howard Taft took office as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the only person to hold both offices.

Jul 12, 1971 – 50 years ago
The Australian Aboriginal Flag was flown for the first time, on National Aborigines Day in Adelaide. It was adopted as one of the official flags of Australia in 1995.

Jul 13, 1871 – 150 years ago
Britain’s first cat show was held at the Crystal Palace in London.

Jul 14, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Benjamin Spock was published. It became one of the best-selling books in history.

Jul 15, 1996 – 25 years ago
MSNBC, the 24-hour TV news channel, was launched in the USA.

Jul 16, 1821 – 200 years ago
Birth of Mary Baker Eddy, American founder of Christian Science.

Jul 17, 1981 – 40 years ago
The Humber Bridge, linking Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, was officially opened. It was the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge at that time. (Opened to traffic on June 14th.)

Jul 18, 1921 – 100 years ago
Birth of John Glenn, American astronaut and politician. The first American to orbit the Earth. He later became a U.S. Senator (D, Ohio). (Died 2016.)

Jul 19, 1821 – 200 years ago
The coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

Jul 20, 1871 – 150 years ago
British Columbia became a province of Canada.

Jul 21, 1931 – 90 years ago
The first regularly scheduled television broadcasts in the USA began, from CBS’s experimental station W2XAB in New York City.

Jul 22, 1991 – 30 years ago
The Citizen’s Charter was launched by British Prime Minister John Major. The initiative aimed to measure, improve and maintain public services.

Jul 23, 1961 – 60 years ago
The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was founded in Nicaragua.

Jul 24, 1946 – 75 years ago
American comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed together for the first time, at Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (They were not well received, so on the second night they threw out their scripts and ad-libbed their performance with great success. Their final show was on July 24, 1956 – exactly 10 years after they started.)

Jul 25, 1961 – 60 years ago
British electronics engineer Clive Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics. The company initially produced radios and hi-fi equipment, but later developed pocket calculators, digital watches, portable televisions and scientific equipment. Clive Sinclair left the company in 1979. It is now known as Aim & Thurlby Thandar Instruments.

Jul 26, 1971 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 15 on a manned mission to the Moon. This was the first mission in which a lunar rover was used.

Jul 27, 1996 – 25 years ago
Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Two people were killed and over 100 injured.

Jul 28, 1896 – 125 years ago
The city of Miami, Florida, USA was incorporated.

Jul 29, 1921 – 100 years ago
Adolf Hitler became leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party).

Jul 30, 1921 – 100 years ago
The hormone insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Jul 31, 1941 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: Nazi leader Hermann Goering instructed SS leader Reinhard Heydrich to submit an administrative and financial plan for “the final solution of the Jewish question.”

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2021. The 2022 edition is also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this: