July 13th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

On this day in 574, John III ended his reign as Christian Pope. In 1174 on this day, William I of Scotland, the key rebel in Revolt of 1173-1174, was captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. On this day in 1657, Oliver Cromwell constrained the English army leader John Lambert. In 1772 on this day, British Captain James Cook began his second trip to the South Seas on the Resolution. The Battle of Trippstadt, sometimes also referred to as the Battle of the Vosges, between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria, was fought on this day in 1794, during the French Revolution. The Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, was fought on this day in 1854, as General Jose Maria Yanez halted the French invasion led by Count Gaston de Raousset Boulbon. The Congress of Berlin, where the division of African colonies was discussed, ended on this day in 1878. In 1930 on this day, the first ever soccer World Cup tournament began in Uruguay. the host nation would ultimately win the tournament to become the first ever World Cup champion. Frank Sinatra made his recording debut on this day in 1939. On this day in 1943 during World War II, the greatest tank battle in history ended with the Soviet forces defeating Nazi Germany at Kursk. Almost 6,000 tanks in all took part, 2,900 were lost by Germany. In 1976 on this day, court martial proceedings began in the USSR for Valeri Sablin (events portrayed in the film "The Hunt for Red October"). In 1985 on this day, the "Live Aid" concert raised over $70 million for African famine relief.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• On this day in 574, John III ended his reign as Christian Pope.

In 1174 on this day, William I of Scotland, the key rebel in Revolt of 1173-1174, was captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. 

1522 - Hunger appeal by women of Utrecht 

1558 - Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines. 

1568 - Dean of St Paul's Cathedral perfects a way to bottle beer 

1573 - Haarlem surrenders after 7 months to Spanish army 

1643 - Battle at Roundway Down: Royalists beat parliamentary armies 

1645 - Aleksei Romanov succeeds his father Michael as czar of Russia 

English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell

• On this day in 1657, Oliver Cromwell constrained the English army leader John Lambert.

1668 - Van Marco Cesti's opera "Il Pomo d'Oro," premieres in Vienna 

1700 - Russian-Turkish peace 

Picture of a statue of British explorer Captain James Cook

In 1772 on this day, British Captain James Cook began his second trip to the South Seas on the Resolution.

1787 - Congress establishes Northwest Territory (excludes slavery) 

1787 - Ord of 1787-a territory can become 3 to 5 states at 60,000 pop 

Le Drapeau Tricolore (Tricour Flag) which was a product of the French Revolution, and which remains the national flag of France to this day.

• The Battle of Trippstadt, sometimes also referred to as the Battle of the Vosges, between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria, was fought on this day in 1794, during the French Revolution.

1832 - Source of Mississippi River discovered (Henry R Schoolcraft) 

1836 - US patent #1 (after 9,957 unnumbered patents), for locomotive wheels 

1837 - Queen Victoria is 1st monarch to live in present Buckingham Palace 

1851 - John F Loudon discovers tin on East Indian Island of Billiton Captain/Explorer James CookCaptain/Explorer James Cook 

1854 - US forces shell & burn San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua 

Flag of Mexico

The Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, was fought on this day in 1854, as General Jose Maria Yanez halted the French invasion led by Count Gaston de Raousset Boulbon. 

1861 - Battle of Corrick's Ford, VA (Carrick's Ford) - Union army takes total control of western Virginia CS20 US53 

1862 - Battle of Murfreesboro, TN (Forrest's Raid) US895 CS150 

1863 - Anti-draft mobs lynch blacks in NYC; about 1,000 die 

1863 - Battle of Bayou La Fourche, LA 

1863 - Battle of Tupelo, MS (Harrisburg) [->JUL 15] US648 CS700 

A statue in Flemington, New Jersey, honoring veterans of the American Civil War.

1863 - Rebellion at Morgan's, Ohio [->JUL 26] 

1864 - Early retreats from Washington City back to Shenandoah Valley 

1865 - Horace Greeley advises his readers to "Go west young man" 

1865 - P T Barnum's museum burns down 

1868 - Oscar J Dunn, former slave, installed as lt governor of Louisiana 

1870 - King Wilhelm of Prussia sends "Emser Depeche" on Bismarck 

1876 - 29th Postmaster General: James N Tyner of Ind takes office 

The Congress of Berlin, where the division of African colonies was discussed, ended on this day in 1878. 

1878 - Treaty of Berlin amended terms of Treaty of San Stefano 

1882 - 200 die as train derails near Tcherny, Russia 

1898 - SF Ferry Building at foot of Market St opens 

Jul 13, 1914: Austrian investigation into archduke's assassination concludes

On July 13, 1914, Friedrich von Wiesner, an official of the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office, reports back to Foreign Minister Leopold von Berchtold the findings of an investigation into the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife Sophie the previous June 28, in Sarajevo, Bosnia.  

The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary had long feared its waning influence in early 20th-century Europe, and was particularly threatened after the two Balkan Wars of 1912-13 confirmed the growing influence and ambition of Serbia, backed by its mighty Slavic ally, Russia. In fact, even before Franz Ferdinand’s death, Berchtold’s office had been preparing a memorandum for the archduke, as well as for Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, proposing an alliance with Bulgaria to shore up Austrian influence and isolate Serbia in the tumultuous Balkans region. When Gavrilo Princip, a young Bosnian Serb nationalist, shot Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point-blank range in their car in Sarajevo on June 28, Berchtold—along with most in Vienna and the rest of the world—assumed the Serbian government had some complicity in the plot. Two days after the assassination, Berchtold proposed a “final and fundamental reckoning with Serbia” to the Austrian emperor, 84-year-old Franz Josef, who agreed to send a personal note to Kaiser Wilhelm, along with a revised and more aggressive version of the memorandum. On July 5, the kaiser gave Berchtold’s ambassador what has become known as carte blanche or “blank check” assurance that Germany would back Austria-Hungary in any punitive action it chose to take against Serbia.  

By July 8, both Berchtold and Conrad von Hotzendorff, the bellicose chief of staff of the Austrian army, had come to believe that a military invasion of Serbia was both desirable and necessary to capitalize on the situation and crush the upstart rival. Even as Austrian investigators worked to sort through the evidence in Sarajevo, then, Austria-Hungary, with German encouragement (in fact, Berlin was pressing Vienna to act more quickly) plotted the next step: the presentation of an ultimatum to Serbia that would be worded in such a way as to make it practically impossible for the other country to accept.  

On July 13, Wiesner reported the findings of the Austrian investigation: “There is nothing to prove or even suppose that the Serbian government is accessory to the inducement for the crime, its preparation, or the furnishing of weapons. On the contrary, there are reasons to believe that this is altogether out of the question.” The only evidence that could be found, it seemed, was that Princip and his cohorts had been aided by individuals with ties to the government, most likely members of a shadowy organization within the army, the Black Hand. Realizing he would have to go ahead without evidence of Serbian guilt, Berchtold declined to share these findings with Franz Josef, while his office continued the drafting of the Serbian ultimatum, which was to be delivered on July 23 in Belgrade.

1917 - Vision of Virgin Mary appeared to children of Fatima, Portugal 

1919 - Race riots in Longview & Gregg counties Texas 

1923 - Draft law passes 

1923 - The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads "Hollywoodland " but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949. 

1925 - French occupation force begins evacuating country 

Picture of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which presented to the champions of the World Cup tournament

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Flag of Uruguay

In 1930 on this day, the first ever soccer World Cup tournament began in Uruguay. the host nation would ultimately win the tournament to become the first ever World Cup champion.

Jul 13, 1930: First World Cup   

On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event.  

After football (soccer, to Americans) was dropped from the program for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, FIFA President Jules Rimet helped to organize an international tournament in 1930. Much to the dismay of European footballers, Uruguay, winner of back-to-back gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, was chosen to host the inaugural World Cup.  

Due to depression in Europe, many European players, afraid their day jobs would not exist when they returned, were either unable or unwilling to attend the tournament. As a result, some of the most accomplished European teams, including three-time Olympic gold medalist England and football enthusiasts Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland did not make an appearance at the first World Cup. However, when Uruguay agreed to help pay traveling expenses, Rimet was able to convince Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In Romania, King Carol selected the team members himself, gave them a three-month vacation from their jobs and guaranteed the players would be employed when they returned.  

Going into the tournament, Uruguay and Argentina were the overwhelming favorites, while France and the United States also fielded competitive sides. In the first round, France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first-ever World Cup goal. In its second game, France lost to Argentina 1-0 amid controversy over the referees ending the game six minutes early. Once the problem was discovered, the referees had to bring the Argentine players back onto the field to play the final minutes. After beating Belgium, the United States beat Paraguay to set up a semi-final match with Argentina, which they lost 6-1. Still, the semi-final placement was the best U.S. World Cup finish to date.  

In the first World Cup final, held on July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators looked on as Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game. Uruguay went on to win its second World Cup in 1950 with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. 

1930 - Sarnoff reports in NY Times "TV would be a theater in every home" 

1935 - Richard Strauss resigns as chairman of Reichskulturkammer 

1935 - US-Russian commerce treaty takes effect 

1936 - 112°F (44°C), Mio, Michigan (state record) 1936 - 114°F (46°C), Wisconsin Dells, Wisc (state record) 

1938 - Kroller-Muller museum opens in Holland 

Frank Sinatra made his recording debut on this day in 1939.

1941 - Eddie Mayo (LA-Pacific Coast League), spits in face of ump Ray Snyder 

1941 - World War II: Montenegrins start popular uprising against the Axis Powers (Trinaestojulski ustanak). 

1942 - 5,000 Jews of Rovno Polish Ukraine, executed by nazis 

1942 - German occupiers imprison 800 prominent Dutch as hostages 

1942 - SS shoots 1,500 Jews in Josefov Poland

On this day in 1943 during World War II, the greatest tank battle in history ended with the Soviet forces defeating Nazi Germany at Kursk. Almost 6,000 tanks in all took part, 2,900 were lost by Germany.

The flag of the USSR (Soviet Union)

July 13, 1944: Soviet General Konev establishes a new western border for the USSR  

On this day in 1944, General Ivan Konev, one of the Soviet Union's most outstanding officers, pursues an offensive against 40,000 German soldiers to capture the East Galician city of Lvov. When the battle was over, 30,000 Germans were dead, and the USSR had a new western border.  

Joseph Stalin had declared that he wanted the western border of the Soviet Union to be pushed back across the River Bug, territory that was part of prewar Poland, but was now occupied German territory. General Konev, who had led the first offensive against the Germans when they invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 (and who had created the "Konev ambush," a strategy by which troops retreat from the center of a battle area, only to allow troops from the flanks to close into the breach, used to defeat German General Heinz Guderian's tank offensive against Moscow), led the Red Army's new attack westward. He encircled 40,000 German soldiers in the town of Brody. After seven days, 30,000 German soldiers were dead, and Lvov was Soviet-occupied territory and would remain a part of the new postwar Soviet map.  

General Konev would go on to cross Poland into Germany and, meeting up with U.S. and other Soviet forces, enter Berlin to see the final downfall of the Axis power. 

1944 - Vilnius, Lithuania, liberated 

 1949 - Pope Pius XII excommunicates communist catholics 1950 - Doctors remove 7 bone fragments from Ted Williams elbow 

1950 - René Pleven forms French government

1960 - US Democratic convention nominates JFK as presidential candidate

1962 - 500 Indonesian parachutist land on New-Guinea

1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1963 - Early Wynn, wins his 300th & last game at 43

1965 - 36th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 6-5 at Metropolitan Stadium, Minn

1965 - All star MVP: Juan Marichal (SF Giant)

1966 - Richard Speck, murders 8 nurses in Chicago

1967 - Race riots break out in Newark, 27 die

1968 - French government-Couve de Murville forms

1969 - Russia launches unmanned Luna 15 to Moon

1970 - Building begins of Amsterdam metro

1971 - 42nd All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 6-4 at Tiger Stadium, Detroit

1971 - All star MVP: Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles)

1972 - LA Rams (Irsay) & Baltimore Colts (Rosenbloom) swap owners

1973 - Bobby Murcer's 3 homers accounted for all RBIs, beating KC 5-0

Flag of Argentina

1973 - Hector de Campora resigns as pres of Argentina

1975 - 8.5" (21.6 cm) of rainfall, Dover, Delaware (state record)

\1976 - 47th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-1 at Veterans Stadium, Phila

1976 - All star MVP: George Foster (Cin Reds)

In 1976 on this day, court martial proceedings began in the USSR for Valeri Sablin (events portrayed in the film "The Hunt for Red October")

1977 - NYC experiences 25 hr black-out

1978 - Albania drops diplomatic relations with China PR

1978 - Alexander Ginzburg sentenced by Soviet court to 8 years

1978 - BBC bans Sex Pistols "No One is Innocent"

1978 - Lee Iacocca fired as Ford Motor Pres by chairman Henry Ford II

1978 - Russian dissident Ginsburg/Piatkus/Sjtsjaranki sentence to work camp

1978 - Walter Poenisch completes swim of 207 km from Cuba to Florida

1979 - George Harrison releases "Faster"

1980 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1982 - Train crash at Aalter Belgium, 5 killed 

1984 - Eddie Van Halen joins in, in a Jacksons concert

1984 - Jeff Beck quits Rod Stewart's tour after 7 shows

1984 - Sergei Bubka of USSR pole vaults a record 5.89 m

In 1985 on this day, the "Live Aid" concert raised over $70 million for African famine relief.

July 13, 1985: Live Aid concert

On July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially open Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organized 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 than a billion viewers in 110 nations. In a triumph of technology and good will, the event raised more than $125 million in famine relief for Africa.  

Live Aid was the brainchild of Bob Geldof, the singer of an Irish rock group called the Boomtown Rats. In 1984, Geldof traveled to Ethiopia after hearing news reports of a horrific famine that had killed hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and threatened to kill millions more. After returning to London, he called Britain's and Ireland's top pop artists together to record a single to benefit Ethiopian famine relief. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written by Geldof and Ultravox singer Midge Ure and performed by "Band Aid," an ensemble that featured Culture Club, Duran Duran, Phil Collins, U2, Wham!, and others. It was the best-selling single in Britain to that date and raised more than $10 million.  

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" was also a No. 1 hit in the United States and inspired U.S. pop artists to come together and perform "We Are the World," a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. "USA for Africa," as the U.S. ensemble was known, featured Jackson, Ritchie, Geldof, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, and many others. The single went to the top of the charts and eventually raised $44 million.  

With the crisis continuing in Ethiopia, and the neighboring Sudan also stricken with famine, Geldof proposed Live Aid, an ambitious global charity concert aimed at raising more funds and increasing awareness of the plight of many Africans. Organized in just 10 weeks, Live Aid was staged on Saturday, July 13, 1985. More than 75 acts performed, including Elton John, Madonna, Santana, Run DMC, Sade, Sting, Bryan Adams, the Beach Boys, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Queen, Duran Duran, U2, the Who, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton. The majority of these artists performed at either Wembley Stadium in London, where a crowd of 70,000 turned out, or at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium, where 100,000 watched. Thirteen satellites beamed a live television broadcast of the event to more than one billion viewers in 110 countries. More than 40 of these nations held telethons for African famine relief during the broadcast.  

A memorable moment of the concert was Phil Collins' performance in Philadelphia after flying by Concorde from London, where he performed at Wembley earlier in the day. He later played drums in a reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. Beatle Paul McCartney and the Who's Pete Townsend held Bob Geldof aloft on their shoulders during the London finale, which featured a collective performance of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Six hours later, the U.S. concert ended with "We Are the World."  

Live Aid eventually raised $127 million in famine relief for African nations, and the publicity it generated encouraged Western nations to make available enough surplus grain to end the immediate hunger crisis in Africa. Geldof was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts.  

In early July 2005, Geldof staged a series of "Live 8" concerts in 11 countries around the world to help raise awareness of global poverty. Organizers, led by Geldof, purposely scheduled the concert days before the annual G8 summit in an effort to increase political pressure on G8 nations to address issues facing the extremely poor around the world. Live 8 claims that an estimated 3 billion people watched 1,000 musicians perform in 11 shows, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and by 2,000 radio stations. Unlike Live Aid, Live 8 was intentionally not billed as a fundraiser--Geldof's slogan was, "We don't want your money, we want your voice." Perhaps in part because of the spotlight brought to such issues by Live 8, the G8 subsequently voted to cancel the debt of 18 of the world's poorest nations, make AIDS drugs more accessible, and double levels of annual aid to Africa, to $50 billion by 2010. 

1987 - Federal judge throws out Bette Midler's $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials

1988 - 9th Emmy Sports Award presentation

1988 - Red Sox replace manager John McNamara with Joe Morgan

1988 - Sting performs his 1st Rain Forest benefit concert

1991 - Bob Milacki & 3 other Balt Oriole pitchers no-hit A's 2-0

1993 - 64th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 9-3 at Camden Yards, Baltimore

1993 - All star MVP: Kirby Puckett (Minnesota Twins)

1994 - Jeff Gillooly sentenced to 2 years for attack on Nancy Kerrigan

1994 - OJ Simpson (charged with murder) gives hair samples for testing

Picture of the space shuttle at Expo Park in Los Angeles, California

1995 - Space shuttle STS-70 (Discovery 20), launches

1996 - Cigar wins record 16th straight win, (ties Citation in 1940)

1997 - David Toms wins Quad City Golf Classic at 265

1997 - Ford Senior Players Golf Championship

1997 - Indonesian ferry sinks, killing at least 77

2011 - Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130.

2012 - China's economic growth drops to 7.6%, its lowest level for three years

2012 - 19-30 people are killed after a train collides with a truck in Malelane, South Africa

2012 - Financially troubled Scottish football club, Rangers, is voted into the third division

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jun22.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Weekend Humor: Cartoon Illustrates the Gap Between MAGA Understanding Versus the Reality of Trump Foregoing White House Salary

Yes, another cartoon.

But it is the weekend. And on weekends, generally speaking, I do like to keep it a bit lighter than the weekdays, if as all possible.

This one is something which has bothered me for a long time, in terms of MAGA cult members thinking that Trump is some kind of patriotic hero who is sacrificing a great deal in order to live in the White House and be president.

Remember when Trump implied that he would be slumming it a bit if he lived in the White House, compared with his lavish, luxury Manhattan apartments?

Did MAGA take it as a sign of this pathetic man having insufficient respect for a historical institution, or the office of the presidency more generally? Could they see the level of arrogance and entitlement by this rich prick claiming that a real-life mansion was such a step down that he was seriously considering living in one of his shitty "luxury" places instead? 

Nope. 

Once again, they found excuses and became de facto apologists.

Then, they praised him loudly and proudly for deciding not to take his White House salary which he is entitled to as the president/

Meanwhile, this guy is pushing his crypto currency - and remember that he used to express serious cynicism towards crypto generally - and other scams and raking in the dough hand over fists. He is cheating the American people not by fistfuls or even barrel full, but by the truckload. It is absolutely disgusting, not to point out a real conflict of interest.

Yet, they somehow keep their blinders on and simply praise him as this terrific guy which, frankly, I am sure that most of them don't believe him to be.

The rest of us have to deal with this obvious contradiction, and the blatant corruption and criminality of this administration.

So obnoxious. What "superpatriots" these people are.

Pathetic.

Anyway, this cartoon spoke to me regarding the absurdities of these times, of this political age and reality in the country right now. Perhaps it will do the same for you.

Enjoy.

Paul Boyd July 3, 2026:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10244724216184229&set=gm.4074767816148847&idorvanity=1830766700548981

Facebook

Weekend Humor: Wins By France & Norway Versus the New York Jets at New York/New Jersey Stadium (or MetLife)

Saw this Facebook post, and it made me chuckle.

Of course, it also happens to be true. Despite having played a fraction of the games that the Jets play in the stadium - whatever the name of the moment happens to be - both France and Norway have earned as many wins as the New York Jets of the NFL have dating back to the start of last season.

Poor Jets.

Of course, it should be noted that my favorite NFL team - the New York Giants - also play in the same stadium. And they had just one more home win than the Jets did during that span.

Sad.

Anyway, this made me chuckle a bit. Also, it seemed worth sharing.

Enjoy. 

Randy Poulis 6 July at 18:23  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10165934413136424&set=gm.2539958873092210&idorvanity=1114597888961656

Facebook

July 12th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

July 12, 1984: Ferraro named vice presidential candidate 

Walter Mondale, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, announces that he has chosen Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his running mate. Ferraro, a daughter of Italian immigrants, had previously gained notoriety as a vocal advocate of women's rights in Congress.  

Four days after Ferraro was named vice presidential candidate, Governor Mario Cuomo of New York opened the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco with an impassioned retort to Republican President Ronald Reagan's contention that the United States was a "shining city on a hill." Citing widespread poverty and racial strife, Cuomo derided President Reagan as oblivious to the needs and problems of many of America's citizens. His enthusiastic keynote address inaugurated a convention that saw Ferraro become the first woman nominated by a major party for the vice presidency. However, Mondale, the former U.S. vice president under Jimmy Carter, proved a lackluster choice for the Democratic presidential nominee.  

On November 6, President Reagan and Vice President George Bush defeated the Mondale-Ferraro ticket in the greatest Republican landslide in U.S. history. The Republicans carried every state but Minnesota--Mondale's home state.  

Ferraro left Congress in 1985. In 1992 and 1998, she made unsuccessful bids for a U.S. Senate seat. During President Bill Clinton's administration, she was a permanent member on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Here was an interesting piece from the same website that I thought was revealing, and probably something relating to the Civil War that most Americans, perhaps even many who might consider themselves Civil War buffs,  are not very aware of:

July 12, 1861: Confederacy signs treaties with Native Americans

Special commissioner Albert Pike completes treaties with the members of the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes, giving the new Confederate States of America several allies in Indian Territory. Some members of the tribes also fought for the Confederacy.  

A Boston native, Pike went west in 1831 and traveled with fur trappers and traders. He settled in Arkansas and became a noted poet, author, and teacher. He bought a plantation and operated a newspaper, the Arkansas Advocate. By 1837 he was practicing law and often represented Native Americans in disputes with the federal government.  

Pike was opposed to secession but nonetheless sided with his adopted state when it left the Union. As ambassador to the Indians, he was a fortunate addition to the Confederacy, which was seeking to form alliances with the tribes of Indian Territory. Besides the agreements with the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes, Pike also engineered treaties with the Creek, Seminole, Comanche, and Caddos, among others.  

Ironically, many of these tribes had been expelled from the Southern states in the 1830s and 1840s but still chose to ally themselves with those states during the war. The grudges they held against the Confederate states were offset by their animosity toward the federal government. Native Americans were also bothered by Republican rhetoric during the 1860 election. Some of Abraham Lincoln's supporters, such as William Seward, argued that the land of the tribes in Indian Territory should be appropriated for distribution to white settlers. When the war began in 1861, Secretary of War Simon Cameron ordered all posts in Indian Territory abandoned to free up military resources for use against the Confederacy, leaving the area open to invasion by the Confederates.  

By signing these treaties, the tribes severed their relationships with the federal government, much in the way the southern states did by seceding from the Union. They were accepted into the Confederates States of America, and they sent representatives to the Confederate Congress. The Confederate government promised to protect the Native American's land holdings and to fulfill the obligations such as annuity payments made by the federal government.  

Some of these tribes even sent troops to serve in the Confederate army, and one Cherokee, Stand Watie, rose to the rank of brigadier general.


And here's a bit on World War II on this date, the anniversary of a major Soviet victory over the Germans:

July 12, 1943: Russians halt German advance in a decisive battle at Kursk 

On this day in 1943, one of the greatest clashes of armor in military history takes place as the German offensive against the Russian fortification at Kursk, a Russian railway and industrial center, is stopped in a devastating battle, marking the turning point in the Eastern front in the Russians' favor.  

The Germans had been driven from Kursk, a key communications center between north and south, back in February. By March, the Russians had created a salient, a defensive fortification, just west of Kursk in order to prevent another attempt by the Germans to advance farther south in Russia. In June, the German invaders launched an air attack against Kursk; on the ground, Operation Cottbus was launched, ostensibly dedicated to destroying Russian partisan activity, but in reality resulting in the wholesale slaughter of Russian civilians, among whom Soviet partisan fighters had been hiding. The Russians responded with air raids against German troop formations.  

By July, Hitler realized that the breaking of the Russian resistance at Kursk was essential to pursuing his aims in Soviet Russia and the defense of Greater Germany, that is, German-occupied territory outside prewar German borders. "This day, you are to take part in an offensive of such importance that the whole future of the war may depend on its outcome," Hitler announced to his soldiers on July 4. But on July 5, the Russians pulled the rug out from under Hitler's offensive by launching their own artillery bombardment. The Germans counterattacked, and the largest tank battle in history began: Between the two assailants, 6,000 tanks were deployed. On July 12, 900 Russian tanks clashed with 900 German (including their superior Tiger tanks) at Prokhorovka—the Battle of Kursk's most serious engagement. When it was all over, 300 German tanks, and even more Russian ones, were strewn over the battlefield. "The earth was black and scorched with tanks like burning torches," reported one Russian officer. But the Russians had stopped the German advance dead in its tracks. The advantage had passed to the East. The Germans' stay in Soviet territory was coming to an end. 






















Jul 12, 1990: Yeltsin resigns from Communist Party

Just two days after Mikhail Gorbachev was re-elected head of the Soviet Communist Party, Boris Yeltsin, president of the Republic of Russia, announces his resignation from the Party. Yeltsin's action was a serious blow to Gorbachev's efforts to keep the struggling Soviet Union together.  

In July 1990, Soviet Communist Party leaders met in a congress for debate and elections. Gorbachev, who had risen to power in the Soviet Union in 1985, came under severe attack from Communist Party hard-liners. They believed that his political and economic reforms were destroying the Party's control of the nation. Gorbachev fired back at his critics during a speech in which he defended his reforms and attacked the naysayers as backward-looking relics from the dark past of the Soviet Union. He was rewarded with an overwhelming vote in favor of his re-election as head of the Communist Party. Just two days after that vote, however, Yeltsin shattered the illusion that Gorbachev's victory meant an end to political infighting in the Soviet Union. Yeltsin had been a consistent critic of Gorbachev, but his criticisms stemmed from a belief that Gorbachev was moving too slowly in democratizing the Soviet political system. Yeltsin's dramatic announcement of his resignation from the Communist Party was a clear indication that he was demanding a multiparty political system in the Soviet Union. It was viewed as a slap in the face to Gorbachev and his policies.  

During the next year and a half, Gorbachev's power gradually waned, while Yeltsin's star rose. In December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union officially dissolved. Yeltsin, however, retained his position of power as president of Russia. In their own particular ways, both men had overseen the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.  

Yeltsin remained president of Russia until December 31, 1999, when he resigned. Despite his attempts at economic reform, his tenure in office saw the country's economy falter badly, including a near-complete collapse of its currency. His administration was also marked by rampant corruption, an invasion of Chechnya and a series of bizarre incidents involving Yeltsin that were reputedly a result of his alcoholism. Yeltsin's opponents twice tried to impeach him. With his resignation, Prime Minsiter Vladimir Putin became acting president until new elections could be held. On March 26, 2000, Putin became Russia's new president.

















Jul 12, 1389: Geoffrey Chaucer is named chief clerk by Richard II 

King Richard II appoints Geoffrey Chaucer to the position of chief clerk of the king's works in Westminster on this day in 1389.  

Chaucer, the middle-class son of a wine merchant, served as a page in an aristocratic household during his teens and was associated with the aristocracy for the rest of his life. In 1359, he fought in France with Edward III, and was captured in a siege. Edward III ransomed him, and he later worked for Edward III and John of Gaunt. One of his earliest known works was an elegy for the deceased wife of John of Gaunt, Book of the Duchesse.  

In 1372, Chaucer traveled to Italy on diplomatic missions, where he may have been exposed to Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. He also visited Flanders and France, and was appointed comptroller of customs. He wrote several poems in the 1380s, including The Parlement of Foules and Troilus and Criseyde. In the late 1380s or early 1390s, he began work on the Canterbury Tales, in which a mixed group of nobles, peasants, and clergy make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The work, a compilation of tales told by each character, is remarkable for its presentation of the spectrum of social classes. Although Chaucer intended the book to include 120 stories, he died in 1399, with only 22 tales finished.

The city of Tripoli was occupied on this day during the Crusades. French troops occupied Flanders. The Ostrog Bible, the first Bible published in a Slavic language) was printed on this date. Hamiloton died from his wounds from Burr during their infamous duel (held right here in New Jersey!). The Confederation of the Rhine was established on this day. Joseph Smith assured Moromons that God aproved of polygamy. A treaty was signed between Confederate forces and natives. Womane's suffrage was approved in Australia. Alfred Dreyfus was found innocent in France, during that country's epic courtcase (the Zimmerman trial of it's day), when the extent of the strong anti-semitic feelings by many French were revealed. the first tennis match was televised on this day, and Moscow was first bombed by the German Luftwaffe. the United States recognized the authority of Charles De Gaulle in France. East Germany formed an army. Eisenhower proposed a modernization of the interstate highway system (you can still see the signs for these highways when driving around on them these days). Congo, Chad, and the Central African Republic all gained their independence from France on this date. The Etch-A-Sketch first went on sale. Sao Tomé e Príncipe gained independence from Portugal. Walter Mondale essentially secured the Democratic Nominantion in 1984 when he nominated Geraldine Ferraro, although he would go on to lose horribly, in record fashion, against President Reagan in the general election. For the first time in twnty years, a Soviet delgation landed in Israel. Boris yeltsin rsigned from the Communist party. France shocked Brazil in the World Cup Final to clinch it's first ever championship in 1998, in front of their home fans.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• 526 - St Felix IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope

• 1096 - Crusaders under Peter the Hermit reached Sofia, Bulgaria. There they met their Byzantine escort, which brought them safely the rest of the way to Constantinople. by August 1.

• 1109 - Crusaders capture Syria's harbor city of Tripoli

1191 - Richard Coeur de Lion & Crusaders defeat Saracens in Palestine

1191 - Saladin's garrison surrenders, ending the two-year siege of Acre. Conrad of Montferrat, who has negotiated the surrender, raises the banners of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and of the Third Crusade leaders Richard I of England, Philip II of France, and Leopold V of Austria on the city's walls and towers.

1290 - Jews are expelled from England by order of King Edward I

1442 - King Alfonso V of Aragon becomes king of Naples

• 1537 - Battle of Albancay: Diego de Almagro defeated by army led by Alonso de Alvarado on behalf of Francisco Pizarro

• 1542 - French troops under Maarten van Rossem occupies Flanders

1543 - England's King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr.

1549 - English boer army occupies Norwich

1580 - Ostrog Bible, the first printed Bible in a Slavic language, is published.

1627 - English fleet under George Villiers lands on the Rhe [NS=June 22]

1630 - New Amsterdam's governor buys Gull Island from Indians for cargo, renames it Oyster Island, it is later known as Ellis Island

1679 - Britain's King Charles II ratified Habeas Corpus Act

1689 - Orangeman's Day-Battle of Boyne, Protestant victory in Ireland

1690 - Battle of Boyne (in Ireland)-Protestant forces led by King William III of Orange defeated the Roman Catholic army of King James II.

• 1691 - William III defeated the allied Irish and French armies at the Battle of Aughrim, Ireland.

1691 - Antonio Pignatelli elected as Pope Innocentius XII

1691 - Battle of Aughrim (Aghrim) England, William III beats James II

1700 - Gelderland accepts Gregorian calendar; yesterday is June 30, 1700

1704 - Stanislaw Leszcynski becomes king of part of Poland Conquistador Diego de AlmagroConquistador Diego de Almagro

1730 - Lorenzo Corsini chosen as Pope Clemens XII

1745 - Warship Elisabeth joins Bonnie Prince Charlies frigate Doutelle [NS]

• 1771 - James Cook sails Endeavour back to Downs England

1774 - Citizens of Carlisle Penn, pass a declaration of independence

1774 - Cossack leader Emilian Pugachevs army occupies Kazan

1776 - Capt Cook departs with Resolution for 3rd trip to Pacific Ocean

1785 - First manned flight by gas balloon in Netherlands

Le Drapeau Tricolore (Tricour Flag) which was a product of the French Revolution, and which remains the national flag of France to this day.

• 1790 - The French Assembly approved a Civil Constitution providing for the election of priests and bishops.

1801 - Battle at Algeciras: British fleet beats French & Spanish

Pictures taken during a visit to the site near where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had their famous duel.

• 1804 - Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton dies after being shot in a duel.

• 1806 - The Confederation of the Rhine was established in Germany.

1812 - US forces led by Gen Hull invade Canada (War of 1812)

1817 - First flower show held (Dannybrook, County Cork, Ireland)

1817 - Karl Drais von Sauerbronn demonstrates bicycle course

1843 - Mormon leader Joseph Smith say God OKs polygamy

1850 - Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts establishment of Provincial States

1859 - Paper bag manufacturing machine patents by William Goodale, Mass Religious Leader Joseph Smith JrReligious Leader Joseph Smith Jr

1862 - Federal troops occupy Helena Arkansas

1862 - The U.S. Congress authorized the Medal of Honor.

Lincoln Memorial Sculpture by Daniel French i Washington, D.C.

1864 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln witnessed the battle where Union forces repelled Jubal Early's army on the outskirts of Washington, DC.

1874 - Ontario Agricultural College founded

1874 - Start of Sherlock Holmes Adventure, "Gloria Scott" (BG)

1878 - Fever epidemic in New Orleans begin, it will kill 4,500

1882 - First ocean pier in US completed, Washington, DC

1898 - Jean-Baptiste Marchand hoists French flag in Fashoda Sudan

1900 - 114°F (46°C), Basin, Wyoming (state record)

1901 - Cy Young wins his 300th game

1902 - Australian parliament agrees to female suffrage

• 1906 - Alfred Dreyfus found innocent in France

1909 - 16th Amendment approved (power to tax incomes)

1912 - The first foreign-made film to premiere in America, "Queen Elizabeth", was shown.

1914 - Babe Ruth makes his baseball debut, pitches for Red Sox

1917 - The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona. Baseball Great Babe RuthBaseball Great Babe Ruth

1918 - Japanese battleship explodes in Bay of Tokayama, 500 killed

1918 - The Japanese Imperial Navy battle ship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.

1920 - Lithuania and USSR sign peace treaty, Lithuania becomes independent rep

• 1920 - Panama Canal opens

1921 - Babe Ruth sets record of 137 career home runs

1921 - Indians (9) & Yankees (7) combine for an AL record 16 doubles

1926 - Guomindangleger draws against warlord Wu Peifu

1926 - Paavo Nurmi walks world record 4x1500m (16:26.2)

1927 - Babe Ruth hits 30th of 60 HRs

1928 - First televised tennis match

1930 - Bradman out for 334 in Test Cricket at Headingley, 383 mins, 46 fours

1931 - 45,715 fans in 35,000 seat Sportsman Park St Louis, help cause many ground ruled doubles, 11 in 1st game & 21 in 2nd game for 32.  A major league baseball record for doubles was set betwen the teams, as they combined for a total of 23.

1932 - Hedley Verity establishes a first-class cricket record by taking all ten wickets for only ten runs against Nottinghamshire on a pitch affected by a storm

1933 - A minimum wage of 40 cents an hour was established in the U.S.

1934 - US Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island abandoned

1934 - Willy de Supervise swims world record 400m (5:16.0)

1935 - Belgium recognizes Soviet Union

1937 - -13) Tupolev ANT-25 non-stop flight Moscow to San Jacinto Calif

• 1941 - Moscow was bombed by the German Luftwaffe for the first time.

1943 - Battle of Kolombangara (2nd battle of Gulf of Kula)

1943 - National Committee Freies Deutschland forms

1943 - Pope Pius XII receives German ambassador baron von Weizsacker

1943 - Russian offensive at Orel

1943 - Tank battle at Prochorowka - Russians beat Nazis, about 12,000 die

1944 - Theresienstadt Family camp disbands, with 4,000 people gased

French President Charles De Gaulle

• 1944 - US government recognizes authority of General De Gaulle

1945 - Cubs stop Braves Tommy Holmes modern-day NL hitting streak at 37 games

• 1946 - Benjamin Britten's "Rape of Lucretia," premieres in Glyndebourne

1946 - Vance Dinges hits only Phillie pinch hit inside-the-park HR

1946 - "The Adventures of Sam Spade" was heard on ABC radio for the first time.

1948 - 1st jets to fly across Atlantic (6 RAF de Havilland Vampires)

1949 - 16th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 11-7 at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn

1949 - Baseball owners agree to erect warning paths before each fence

1949 - Dutch KLM Constellation crashes near Bombay, 45 die

1949 - LA Rams sign Norm Van Brocklin

1950 - ILTF re-admit Germany & Japan in Davis Cup, Poland & Hungary withdraws

1950 - Hague Council of Annulment convicts German war criminals W Lages, FH Van de Funten & F Fischer to death

1951 - Mob tries to keep black family from moving into all-white Cicero Ill

Flag of East Germany

• 1952 - East German SED decides to form German DR army

1953 - KTVB TV channel 7 in Boise, ID (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 - Major League Baseball Players Association founded

1954 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a interstate highway modernization program, with costs to be shared by federal and state governments.

1954 - The Major League Baseball Players Association was organized in Cleveland, OH.

1955 - 22nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 6-5 in 12 at County Stad, Milw

1955 - Christian Democratic Party forms in Argentina

General Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

• 1957 - 1st President to fly in helicopter-Dwight Eisenhower

1957 - The U.S. surgeon general, Leroy E. Burney, reported that there was a direct link between smoking and lung cancer.

1958 - "Li'l Abner" closes at St James Theater NYC after 693 performances

1958 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island

1959 - NBC uses cameras to show catchers signals during ankee-Red Sox game

• 1960 - Congo, Chad and the Central African Republic declare independence

1960 - Echo I, 1st passive satellite launched  

1960 - USSR's Sputnik 5 launched with 2 dogs

1960 - XEWT TV channel 12 in Tijuana-San Diego, CA (IND) begins broadcasting

1960 - Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.

1960 - The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale.

1962 - 1st time 2 manned crafts in space (USSR)

1962 - Rolling Stones first performance (Marquee Club, London)

1966 - 10.51" (26.70 cm) of rainfall, Sandusky Ohio (state record)

1966 - 37th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 2-1 in 10 at Busch Stad, St Louis

1966 - All star MVP: Brooks Robinson (Balt Orioles)

1966 - Race riot in Chicago

1966 - US Treasury announces it will buy mutilated silver coins at silver bullion price at Philadelphia and  Denver mints

1967 - 23 die in Newark race riot

1967 - Blacks in Newark, riot, 26 killed, 1500 injured & over 1000 arrested

1967 - Greek regime deprives 480 Greeks of their citizenship

1968 - Couve de Murville forms government in France

1968 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1970 - Blues-Rock singer Janis Joplin debuts in Kentucky

1970 - Tanzania signs contract with China for building Tanzam-railway

1970 - Thor Heyerdahl crosses Atl Ocean in "Ra" docks in Barbados

1971 - Juan Corona, indicted for 25 murders

1972 - Democrats nominated George McGovern for president in Miami Fla

1973 - A fire destroys the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.

• 1974 - John Ehrlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Nixon, and three others were convicted of conspiring to violate the civil rights of Daniel Ellsberg's former psychiatrist.

1975 - Bob Taylor catches 7 in an innings, Derbyshire v Yorkshire

1975 - Sao Tomé e Príncipe gains independence from Portugal (Natl Day)

1976 - Ian Dury & Kilburns disband

1977 - John Edrich scores his 100th 100, Surrey v Derbyshire at The Oval

1978 - Sun Bank Building opens

1978 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1979 - Ian Palce joins Whitesnake

1979 - Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands, gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

1979 - "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park, causes fans to go wild & causes White Sox to forfeit 2nd game of a doubleheader to Tigers

1982 - Britain announces it is returning 593 Argentine POWs

1982 - FEMA promises survivors of a nuclear war will get their mail

• 1982 - "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" broke all box-office records by surpassing the $100-million mark of ticket sales in the first 31 days of its opening.

1982 - The last of the distinctive-looking Checker taxicabs rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, MI.

• 1983 - Chad government troops reconquer Abéché

• 1984 - Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale named U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate. Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket.

1985 - "Singin' in the Rain" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 367 perfs

1985 - Doctors discover a cancerous growth in Pres Reagan's colon

1985 - STS 51-F launch scrubbed at T -3s because of main engine shutdown

1987 - First time in 20 years a delegation from USSR landed in Israel

Flag of South Africa during the apartheid era

• 1987 - 50 white South Africans meets ANCers in Dakar

1987 - Phillies Kent Tekulve pitches his 900th game in relief

1988 - 59th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 2-1 at Riverfront Stadium, Cin

1988 - All star MVP: Terry Steinbach (Oakland A's)

1988 - Margo Adams alleges Red Sox Wade Bogg's had an affair with her

1988 - USSR launches Phobos II for Martian orbit

1989 - NY Yankee pitching great Ron Guidry retires (170-91 .651, 3.29 ERA)

• 1990 - "Les Miserables," opens at National Theatre, Washington

1990 - Russian republic president Boris N. Yeltsin announced his resignation from the the Soviet Communist Party.

1990 - Chicago White Sox Melido Perez no-hits Yankees 8-0 in a rain shortened 6 inning game at Yankee Stadium (7th no-hitter of 1990)

• 1992 - Axl Rose arrested on riot charges in St Louis of Jul 2, 1991 concert

1993 - 7.8 earthquake hits Hokkaido Japan, 160 killed

1993 - Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Sunset Promenade" opens in London

1993 - Don Imus begins broadcasting to Boston on WEEI (590 AM)

1994 - 65th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 7-8 at 3 Rivers Stad, Pitts

1994 - All star MVP: Fred McGriff (Atlanta Braves)

1994 - Nomination hearings for Steven Breyer for supreme court justice begins

1996 - Kirby Puckett, retires from Minnesota Twins

1996 - Michael Jordan signs a NBA contract for 1 year for $25 million

1996 - Start of 1st "Super 8's" tournament in Kuala Lumpur

1997 - Cubs play in their 5,000th consecutive gane with out being no-hit Basketball Superstar Michael JordanBasketball Superstar Michael Jordan

1997 - Pirates Francisco Cordova & Ricardo Rincon no-hit Astros 3-0 in 10 inn

Picture of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which presented to the champions of the World Cup tournament.

1998 - 1.7 billion people watched soccer's World Cup finals between France and Brazil. France won the game, and it's first ever World Cup title, 3-0.

Jul 12, 1998: France beats Brazil to win FIFA World Cup

On July 12, 1998, France defeats favored Brazil 3-0 to win the FIFA World Cup at Stade de France in Saint Denis. This was the first World Cup France had hosted since 1938 and the country’s first-ever World Cup title.  

The 1998 Les Bleus was a multi-ethnic squad that reflected the country’s diverse post-World War II make-up. Defender Lilian Thuram was from Guadeloupe, junior striker Thierry Henry was of Antillean heritage and brilliant playmaker Zinedine Zidane was descended from northern Algerian Berbers. Though from varied backgrounds, the players shared a common determination to improve on France’s performance in 1994, when the team failed to even qualify for the World Cup. At the team’s core was a stingy defense that allowed only two goals through its first seven World Cup games.  

Even after a shootout victory over a disciplined Italian team in the quarterfinals and a 2-1 win over Croatia in the semi-finals, few believed France had a true shot at the championship, especially against world-renowned Brazil, led by Ronaldo, a precocious goal-scorer and the 1996 and 1997 FIFA Player of the Year. Although the 21-year-old would go on to be named the Most Valuable Player of the 1998 World Cup behind four goals and three assists, he came into the final against France with a sore ankle and a headache that left him dizzy.  

To the surprise of many in the soccer establishment, the usually prolific Brazilians were unable to crack France’s defense and went scoreless in 90 minutes of play. Meanwhile, in the 27th minute of play, Zidane scored his first goal of the tournament, heading the ball into the goal off a corner kick and sending an excited buzz through the mostly French crowd. Twenty-one minutes later, Zidane scored a second time, again on a header from a corner kick, and the 80,000 spectators at Stade de France erupted. In the 68th minute, however, French defender Marcel Desailly was given his second yellow card and ejected. Though the French were now forced to play down one man, they continued to attack and in the third minute of added time, midfielder Emanuel Petit scored to put the French up 3-0 and ensure the team’s first World Cup victory.  

France was the first host nation to win the World Cup since Argentina in 1978.

1999 - Walt Disney Co. announced that it was merging all of its Internet operations together with Infoseek into Go.com.  Disney movies, music and books

2000 - Russia launched the Zvezda after two years of delays. The module was built to be the living quarters for the International Space Station (ISS.)

2000 - The movie "X-Men" premiered in New York.

• 2006 - Hezbollah initiates Operation True Promise.

2012 - 200 people are killed by the Syrian army in Tremseh

• 2012 - 90-155 people are killed after an oil tanker crashes and explodes in Okogbe, Rivers State, Nigeria

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jul12.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory