On July 30th 1966, "Wild Thing," the three-chord masterpiece, became a #1 hit for The Troggs, and instantly took its rightful place in the rock-and-roll canon. If there is one song that has been played more times by more bands in more garages than any ever written, "Wild Thing" would probably warrant a mention as … Continue reading July 30 1966 The Troggs take their signature hit, “Wild Thing,” to #1
Category: Daily History
On This Day In History
July 29 1900 Italian American assassinates Italian king
On July 29th 1900, in Monza, Italy, King Umberto I was shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in America before returning to his homeland to murder the king. Crowned in 1878, King Umberto became increasingly authoritarian in the late 19th century. He enacted a program of suppression against the radical … Continue reading July 29 1900 Italian American assassinates Italian king
July 28 1976 Worst modern earthquake hits Tangshan, China
On July 28th 1976, at 3:42 a.m., an earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale flattened Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people. As almost everyone was asleep in their beds, instead of outside in the relative safety of the streets, the quake was especially … Continue reading July 28 1976 Worst modern earthquake hits Tangshan, China
July 27 1980 Ousted shah of Iran dies in exile
On July 27th 1980, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former shah of Iran, died of cancer while in exile in Egypt. Mohammad Reza was enthroned as shah of Iran in 1941, after his father was forced to abdicate by British and Soviet troops. The new shah promised to act as a constitutional monarch but often meddled … Continue reading July 27 1980 Ousted shah of Iran dies in exile
July 26 1847 Liberian independence proclaimed
On July 26th 1847, the Republic of Liberia, formerly a colony of the American Colonisation Society, declared its independence. Under pressure from Britain, the United States hesitantly accepted Liberian sovereignty, making the West African nation the first democratic republic in African history. A constitution modelled after the U.S. Constitution was approved, and in 1848 Joseph … Continue reading July 26 1847 Liberian independence proclaimed
July 25 1978 World’s first “test tube baby” born
On this day in 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world's first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is born at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, to parents Lesley and Peter Brown. The healthy baby was delivered shortly before midnight by caesarean section and weighed in at five pounds, 12 … Continue reading July 25 1978 World’s first “test tube baby” born
July 24 1915 Hundreds drown in Eastland disaster
On July 24th 1915, the steamer Eastland overturned in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers who were heading to a picnic. The disaster was caused by serious problems with the boat's design, which were known but never remedied. The Eastland was owned by the St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company and made … Continue reading July 24 1915 Hundreds drown in Eastland disaster
July 23 1982 Vic Morrow and two children killed on Twilight Zone set
On July 23rd 1982, Vic Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shin Chen and Myca Dinh Le, are killed in an accident involving a helicopter during filming on the California set of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Morrow, age 53, and the children, ages six and seven, were shooting a Vietnam War battle scene in which … Continue reading July 23 1982 Vic Morrow and two children killed on Twilight Zone set
July 22 2003 Jessica Lynch gets hero’s welcome
On July 22nd 2003, U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch, a prisoner-of-war who was rescued from an Iraqi hospital, received a hero's welcome when she returns to her hometown of Palestine, West Virginia. The story of the 19-year-old supply clerk, who was captured by Iraqi forces in March 2003, gripped America; however, it was later revealed … Continue reading July 22 2003 Jessica Lynch gets hero’s welcome
July 21 365 Tsunami hits Alexandria, Egypt
On July 21st 365, a powerful earthquake off the coast of Greece caused a tsunami that devastated the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Although there were no measuring tools at the time, scientists now estimate that the quake was actually two tremors in succession, the largest of which is thought to have had a magnitude of … Continue reading July 21 365 Tsunami hits Alexandria, Egypt
July 20 1969 Neil Armstrong walks on moon
On July 20th 1969, at 10:56 p.m. American EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, spoke 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 … Continue reading July 20 1969 Neil Armstrong walks on moon
July 19 1799 Rosetta Stone found
On July 19th 1799, during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign, a French soldier discovered a black basalt slab inscribed with ancient writing near the town of Rosetta, about 35 miles north of Alexandria. The irregularly shaped stone contained fragments of passages written in three different scripts: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Egyptian demotic. The ancient Greek on … Continue reading July 19 1799 Rosetta Stone found
July 18 2008 The Dark Knight opens with highest-grossing weekend
On July 18th 2008, The Dark Knight, the sixth film in the big-screen Batman series, opened in theatres around the United States, six months after the death of one of its stars, Heath Ledger, who played the Joker. The Dark Knight beat out the previous record-holder, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, to score the highest-grossing opening weekend of … Continue reading July 18 2008 The Dark Knight opens with highest-grossing weekend
July 17 1996 Flight 800 explodes over Long Island
On July 17th 1996, shortly after takeoff from New York's Kennedy International Airport, a TWA Boeing 747 jetliner bound for Paris explodes over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 230 people aboard. Flight 800 had just received clearance to initiate a climb to cruise altitude when it exploded without warning.Because the plane was loaded with fuel … Continue reading July 17 1996 Flight 800 explodes over Long Island
July 16 1990 Earthquake wreaks havoc in the Philippines
On July 16th 1990, more than 1,000 people were killed when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Luzon Island in the Philippines. The massive tremor wreaked havoc across a sizeable portion of Luzon, the country's largest island, with Baguio City suffering the most devastating effects. The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 4:26 p.m., was north … Continue reading July 16 1990 Earthquake wreaks havoc in the Philippines
July 15 1988 Die Hard debuts, makes Bruce Willis a star
On July 15th 1988, Die Hard, an action film starring Bruce Willis as wisecracking New York City cop John McClane, opened in theatres across the United States. A huge box-office hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned three sequels. Die Hard also became Hollywood shorthand for describing the plot of other … Continue reading July 15 1988 Die Hard debuts, makes Bruce Willis a star
July 14 1963 Rupture between USSR and China grows worse
On June 14th 1963, according to a public statement made by the Chinese government, a much more militant and aggressive policy was needed in order to spread the communist revolution worldwide. There could be no "peaceful coexistence" with the forces of capitalism, and the statement chided the Russians for trying to reach a diplomatic understanding … Continue reading July 14 1963 Rupture between USSR and China grows worse
July 13 1985 Live Aid concert
On July 13th 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially opened Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organised to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. Continued at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at other arenas around the world, the 16-hour "superconcert" was globally linked by satellite to more … Continue reading July 13 1985 Live Aid concert
July 12 1389 Geoffrey Chaucer named chief clerk by Richard II
On July 12th 1389, King Richard II appointed Geoffrey Chaucer to the position of chief clerk of the king's works in Westminster. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London sometime around 1343, the middle-class son of a wine merchant. He served as a page in an aristocratic household during his teens and was associated with the … Continue reading July 12 1389 Geoffrey Chaucer named chief clerk by Richard II
July 11 1979 Skylab crashes to Earth
On July 11th 1979, parts of Skylab, America's first space station, come crashing down on Australia and into the Indian Ocean five years after the last manned Skylab mission ended. No one was injured. Launched in 1973, Skylab was the world's first successful space station. The first manned Skylab mission came two years after the … Continue reading July 11 1979 Skylab crashes to Earth
July 10 1985 Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
On July 10th 1985, in Auckland harbour in New Zealand, Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior sank after French agents in diving gear planted a bomb on the hull of the vessel. One person, Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira, was killed. The Rainbow Warrior, the flagship of international conservation group Greenpeace, had been preparing for a protest voyage to … Continue reading July 10 1985 Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
July 9 1962 Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind”
On July 9th 1962, Bob Dylan walked into a studio and recorded the song that would make him a star. A few weeks earlier, in the spring of his first full year in New York, he was onstage at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, talking about a song he claims to have written in … Continue reading July 9 1962 Bob Dylan records “Blowin’ In The Wind”
July 8 1951 Paris celebrates 2,000th birthday
On July 8th 1951, Paris, the capital city of France, celebrated turning 2,000 years old. In fact, a few more candles would've technically been required on the birthday cake, as the City of Lights was most likely founded around 250 B.C. The history of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic tribe known as the … Continue reading July 8 1951 Paris celebrates 2,000th birthday
July 7 2005 Terrorists attack London transit system at rush hour
On July 7th 2005, bombs were detonated in three crowded London subways and one bus during the peak of the city's morning rush hour. The synchronised suicide bombings, which were thought to be the work of Al-Qaeda, killed 56 people including the bombers and injured another 700. It was the largest attack on Great Britain … Continue reading July 7 2005 Terrorists attack London transit system at rush hour
July 6 1971 Louis Armstrong dies
On July 6th 1971, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, died in New York City at the age of 69. A world-renowned jazz trumpeter and vocalist, he pioneered jazz improvisation and the style known as swing. Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4th 1901 in New Orleans, … Continue reading July 6 1971 Louis Armstrong dies
Craig Hill 