On This Day in History - July 13 (incomplete)

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 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. 

Another important anniversary during World War II:

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. 

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


574 - John III ends his reign as Catholic Pope 1174 - William I of Scotland, key rebel in Revolt of 1173-1174, 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 1657 - Oliver Cromwell constrains English army leader John Lambert 1668 - Van Marco Cesti's opera "Il Pomo d'Oro," premieres in Vienna 1700 - Russian-Turkish peace 1772 - Capt James Cook begins 2nd trip (Resolution) to South Seas 1787 - Congress establishes Northwest Territory (excludes slavery) 1787 - Ord of 1787-a territory can become 3 to 5 states at 60,000 pop 1794 - Battle of the Vosges between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria 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 1854 - In the Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, General Jose Maria Yanez stops 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 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 1878 - Congress of Berlin discussing division of African colonies ends Chancellor Otto Von BismarckChancellor Otto Von Bismarck 1878 - Treaty of Berlin amended terms of Treaty of San Stefano 1882 - 200 die as train derails near Tcherny, Russia 1896 - Ed Delahanty, becomes 2nd major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game 1898 - SF Ferry Building at foot of Market St opens 1900 - Phillies beat Pittsburgh 23-8 1917 - Vision of Virgin Mary appeared to children of Fatima, Portugal 1919 - Race riots in Longview & Gregg counties Texas 1919 - Chicago White Sox pitcher Carl Mays walks off mound blaming teammates for lack of support afield 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. 1924 - Albin Stenroos wins Olympic marathon (2:41:22.6) 1925 - French occupation force begins evacuating country 1926 - Paavo Nurmi runs world record 3000m (8:20.4) 1930 - 1st-ever soccer World Cup competition began in Uruguay 1930 - Sarnoff reports in NY Times "TV would be a theater in every home" Baseball Great Babe RuthBaseball Great Babe Ruth 1934 - Babe Ruth hits HR #700 (against Detroit) 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 1939 - Frank Sinatra made his recording debut 1941 - 24th PGA Championship: Vic Ghezzi at Cherry Hills CC Denver 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 1943 - 11th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 5-3 at Shibe Park, Philadelphia 1943 - Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia's defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 were lost by Germany Singer/Actor Frank SinatraSinger/Actor Frank Sinatra 1944 - Vilnius, Lithuania, liberated 1946 - "Tidbits of 1946" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 8 performances 1948 - 15th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 5-2 at Sportsman's Park, St Louis 1949 - Pope Pius XII excommunicates communist catholics 1950 - Doctors remove 7 bone fragments from Ted Williams elbow 1950 - René Pleven forms French government

1954 - 21st All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 11-9 at Municipal Stadium, Cleve

1954 - Dean Stone gets credit for AL win, although he didn't retire a batter, he threw out Shoendienst trying to steal home, AL-11 NL-9

1956 - WCBI TV channel 4 in Columbus, MS (CBS) begins broadcasting

1960 - 29th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 6-0 at Yankee Stadium, New York

1960 - KDBQ-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KYA

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

1973 - Hector de Campora resigns as pres of Argentina

1974 - 103rd British Golf Open: Gary Player shoots a 282 at Royal Lytham

1974 - India's first one-day international (v England, Headingley)

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)

1976 - Court martial begins in USSR for Valeri Sablin (Hunt for Red Oct)

1976 - Last day of Test Cricket for Brian Close, aged 45

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 - Calif's Nolan Ryan & Boston's Steve Renko each lose no-hitters in 9th

1979 - George Harrison releases "Faster"

1980 - 35th US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Amy Alcott

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

1982 - 53rd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 4-1 at Olympic Stadium, Montreal

1982 - All star MVP: Dave Conception (Cin Reds)

1982 - Train crash at Aalter Belgium, 5 killed Hall of Fame rocker Eddie Van HalenHall of Fame rocker Eddie Van Halen

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

1985 - "Live Aid" concert raises over $70 million for African famine relief

1985 - NY Yankees retire Roger Maris (9) & Elston Howard (32) uniforms

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

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