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 7, 1930: Building of Hoover Dam begins
On this day in 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam begins. Over the next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of the largest manmade structures in the world.
Although the dam would take only five years to build, its construction was nearly 30 years in the making. Arthur Powell Davis, an engineer from the Bureau of Reclamation, originally had his vision for the Hoover Dam back in 1902, and his engineering report on the topic became the guiding document when plans were finally made to begin the dam in 1922.
Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States and a committed conservationist, played a crucial role in making Davis’ vision a reality. As secretary of commerce in 1921, Hoover devoted himself to the erection of a high dam in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. The dam would provide essential flood control, which would prevent damage to downstream farming communities that suffered each year when snow from the Rocky Mountains melted and joined the Colorado River. Further, the dam would allow the expansion of irrigated farming in the desert, and would provide a dependable supply of water for Los Angeles and other southern California communities.
Even with Hoover's exuberant backing and a regional consensus around the need to build the dam, Congressional approval and individual state cooperation were slow in coming. For many years, water rights had been a source of contention among the western states that had claims on the Colorado River. To address this issue, Hoover negotiated the Colorado River Compact, which broke the river basin into two regions with the water divided between them. Hoover then had to introduce and re-introduce the bill to build the dam several times over the next few years before the House and Senate finally approved the bill in 1928.
In 1929, Hoover, now president, signed the Colorado River Compact into law, claiming it was "the most extensive action ever taken by a group of states under the provisions of the Constitution permitting compacts between states."
Once preparations were made, the Hoover Dam's construction sprinted forward: The contractors finished their work two years ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under budget. Today, the Hoover Dam is the second highest dam in the country and the 18th highest in the world. It generates enough energy each year to serve over a million people, and stands, in Hoover Dam artist Oskar Hansen's words, as "a monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts around a common need or ideal."
Well, before I forget, there is one thing that I have really enjoyed about this particular date since around 2010. On that date, I was blessed enough to attend a Ringo Starr concert on the occasion of his 70th birthday. I got tickets months before, because I had a feeling there would be some special guests. Turns out, not only was that the case, but then some! The main special guest that everyone, myself included, hoped for, and eventually got, was, of course, Paul McCartney. When he came out, the place was completely energized, and there was so much shrill screaming, that you might be forgiven for thinking that it was 1964 again, and that instead of Radio City Music Hall, the event might instead have been the live broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show. It was surreal.
When asked publicly what he wanted as a birthday gift, Ringo responded by saying that at noon time on that day, he wanted everyone to give the peace sign with their fingers (making a "V"), and say, "Peace and love! Peace and love!"
So, let me do it a bit early, and say it in print here: "Peace and love, Ringo! Peace and love!"
Oh, and a happy birthday to Ringo Starr, as well!
So,on this date, construction on the Hoover Dam began. On a personal note, there is one event here that I actually was a small part of, and that would be the Live Earth concert on 07-07-07. No, I was not in London, to see Pink Floyd reunited for the last time. But I was at Giants Stadium (which has since been demolished). The Police, themselves newly reunited, were there, although they played a rather jazzed down version of their stuff, which kind of detracted from it, as far as I'm concerned. It hot on that day, I remember probably at least as hot in New Jersey then as it has been these last few days. It was nonetheless a cool show, with acts like Bon Jovi, Melissa Etheridge, Kanye West (not a big fan of his), the Smashing Pumpkins (now, they were really cool to see!), and of course, the Police. Some others that surely are not immediately coming to mind, as well. Former Vice-President Al Gore was there, and he had largely set the whole thing up, to my recollection. It was a concert that was for a good cause, at least ideally supposed to be in favor of an improved standard of quality for the environment, which made me feel good when purchasing tickets. But I think the memo did not reach a lot of people in attendance. The stadium was littered with beer bottles, including smashed glass, and the parking lot afterwards was even worse. It made the whole thing rather depressing, actually, and I thought detracted from the concert, since it was lacking in spirit by so many in attendance.
In any case, I remember it fairly fondly nonetheless, and it was fun. I got a sunburn that day, and ironically, just got a mild sunburn yesterday, as well. Sometimes, I wonder if my face turns pink upon the first rising summer sun, and then only goes back a few shades more pale shortly following the final setting summer sun.
Ah, well, what can you do?
Otherwise, chocolate was introduced on this date, many, many years ago. That makes this not such a bad day historically right there, doesn't it? The British Museum was established on this day.
The men's Singles Final of Wimbledon is later today. It was on this date in 1996 that Richard Krajcek won his Wimbledon title, but that day is best remembered for the atractive female streaker that ran onto the court, with both players smiling broadly. Maybe we can get the same today? Ah, dare to dream.....
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
1124 - Tyrus surrenders to Crusaders
1438 - French church/King Charles VII release Pragmatieke Sanctie of Bourges
1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death
1495 - King Ferdinand II returns to Naples
1498 - Emperor Maximilian I establishes choir of Imperial Chapel
1534 - European colonization of the Americas: first known exchange between Europeans and natives of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in New Brunswick.
1543 - French troops invade Luxembourg
1550 - Chocolate introduced
1585 - King Henri III & Duke De Guise signs Treaty of Nemours: French Huguenots lose all freedoms
1607 - "God Save the King" is 1st sung
1647 - People's uprising against high prices & Spanish rule in Naples
1668 - Isaac Newton receives MA from Trinity College, Cambridge
1713 - 1st performance of Georg F Handel's "Te Deum" & "Jubilate"
1753 - British Museum founded by an Act of Parliament (opens in 1759)
1753 - English parliament grants Jewish English citizenship 1754 - Kings College in NYC opens (renamed Columbia College) 1768 - Firm of Johann Buddenbrook founded, in Thomas Mann's novel 1777 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Hubbardton 1798 - Quasi-War: the U.S. Congress rescinds treaties with France sparking the 'war.' Composer George Friedrich Handel 1799 - Ranjit Singh's men take up their positions outside Lahore. 1801 - Toussaint L'Ouverture declares Haitian independence 1802 - 1st comic book "The Wasp," is published 1807 - France, Russia & Prussia sign Peace of Tilsit 1814 - Walter Scott's "Waverley" published 1829 - Royal Military Chapel forms 1838 - Central American federation is dissolved 1846 - US annexs California 1850 - Scottish explorer Edward Eyre reaches Albany, W-Australia 1861 - Battle of Laurel Hill, VA 1862 - Land Grant Act endows state colleges with federal land 1863 - 1st military draft by US (exemptions cost $100) 1863 - Orders barring Jews from serving under US Grant are revoked 1864 - S Middleton, MD -Early's Washington Raid- 1868 - Ed Pooley takes 12 dismissals as keeper in match Surrey v Sussex 1874 - 27th Postmaster General: James W Marshall of NJ takes office Outlaw Jesse James 1875 - Jesse James robs train in Otterville Missouri 1878 - Social-Democratic United forms in Amsterdam 1891 - Travelers checks patents 1892 - Katipunan: the Revolutionary Philippine Brotherhood is established leading to the fall of the Spanish Empire in Asia. 1898 - US annexes Hawaii 1900 - Boston hurler Kid Nichols notches his 300th career victory 1905 - 127°F (53°C), Parker Ariz (state record) 1908 - Great White Fleet leaves SF Bay 1911 - 28th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: D Chambers beats D Boothby (60 60) 1911 - Dorothea Lambert Chambers beats Dora Boothby 6-0, 6-0 in a record 1913 - British House of Commons accepts Home-Rule Law 1914 - Balt Orioles' (IL) owner Jack Dunn offers Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore & Ben Egan for $10,000 to Connie Mack, who refuses, pleading poverty 1915 - A Great Gorge and International Railway trolley with an extreme overload of 157 passengers crashes near Queenston, Ontario, killing 15. 1919 - Phillies tie major league record of 8 steals in 9 inn game 1923 - 43rd Wimbledon Mens Tennis: William Johnston beats F Hunter (60 63 61) Baseball Legend Connie Mack 1923 - Cleve Indians beat Boston Red Sox 27-3 with 13 runs in 6th inning 1923 - University of Delaware invents "junior year abroad" (at Sorbonne) 1924 - Robert LeGendre of US, sets then long jump record at 25' 5½" 1928 - 41st Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Helen Moody beats L de Alvarez (62 63) 1928 - Edward Hamm of US, sets then long jump record at 25' 11" 1928 - Sliced bread is sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri. It is described as the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped". 1929 - Romania & Vatican sign concord 1930 - Construction begins on Boulder (Hoover) Dam 1932 - Bradman scores a cricket double century in Montreal 1934 - Elizabeth Ryan wins her 12th Wimbledon doubles championship 1936 - 4th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 4-3 at Braves Field, Boston 1937 - 5th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 8-3 at Griffith Stadium, Wash 1937 - Japanese & Chinese troops clash, (Marco Polo Bridge), becomes WW II 1939 - 52nd Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Alice Marble beats Kay Stammers (62 60) 1941 - Nazis executed 5,000 Jews in Kovono Lithuania 1941 - US forces land in Iceland to forestall Nazi invasion 1941 - World War II: Beirut is occupied by Free France and British troops. 1942 - Germany troop march into Woronezj 1942 - Milt all star team (including Bob Feller) losts to AL all stars 5-0 1943 - -10] Japanese premier Hideki Tojo visits Java 1943 - 3rd day of battle at Kursk: Germans occupy Dubrova 1943 - Erich Hartmann shoots 7 Russian aircraft at Kursk 1943 - Liberator bombers sinks U-517 1943 - U-951 sunk 1944 - Bomber Command drop 2,572 tons of bombs on Caen, France 1944 - Heavy Japanese counter offensive on Saipan 1946 - Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini canonized as 1st American saint 1947 - Alleged and disputed Roswell UFO incident. 1948 - 6 female reservists become 1st women sworn into regular US Navy 1948 - Cleveland Indians sign Leroy "Satchel" Paige 1948 - Indians sign Satchel Paige at 42 1949 - "Cabatgata (A Night in Spain)" opens at Broadway NYC for 76 perfs 1949 - "Dragnet" premieres on NBC radio; also a TV series in 1951 & 1967 1950 - 1st Farnborough airshow held 1950 - 64th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Budge Patty beats Sedgman (61 8-10 62 63) 1950 - 79th British Golf Open: Bobby Locke shoots a 279 at Royal Troon 1951 - 58th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Doris Hart beats Shirley Fry (61 60) 1952 - SS United States cross Atlantic in record 82:40 1953 - 35th PGA Championship: Walter Burkemo at Birmingham CC Mich Argentine Revolutionary Che Guevara 1953 - Che Guevara sets out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. 1954 - T.A.N.U. party forms in Tanzania 1954 - Formation of the TANU in Tanzania 1955 - 1st LPGA Championship won by Beverly Hanson 1956 - 63rd Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Shirley Fry beats Angela Buxton (63 61) 1956 - Douglas Moore/John Latouche' opera "Ballad of Baby Doe," premieres 1956 - 7 Army trucks loaded with dynamite explode in middle of Cali, Columbia killing 1,100-1,200, destroying 2,000 buildings 1956 - Fritz Moravec reaches the peak of Gasherbrum II (8,035 m). 1957 - Heavy storm ravages Belgian coast 1958 - C A Milton scores 104* on Test Cricket debut, England v NZ Headingley 1958 - Pres Eisenhower signed a bill approving Alaskan statehood
1958 - William Shea outlines plans for a $12M stadium at Flushing Meadows NY 1959 - 26th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-4 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh 1960 - Neth-US cemetery Margraten official opens 1960 - USSR shoots down a US aircraft over Barents sea 1961 - 75th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Rod Laver beats Chuck McKinley (63 61 64) 1961 - James R Hoffa elected chairman of Teamsters 1962 - 69th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Karen Susman beats Vera Sukova (64 64) 1962 - Bill Hartack becomes 8th jockey to win 3,000 horse races 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1963 - Shirley Englehorn wins LPGA Lady Carling Eastern Golf Open 1964 - 35th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-4 at Shea Stadium, New York 1964 - All star MVP: John Callison (Philadelphia Phillies) 1965 - Otis Redding records "Respect" 1967 - 81st Wimbledon Mens Tennis: John Newcombe beats W Bungert (63 61 61) 1967 - Beatles' "All You Need is Love" is released 1967 - Doors' "Light My Fire" hits #1 1967 - Beginning of the civil war in Biafra. 1968 - 23rd US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Susie Maxwell Berning 1968 - France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island 1968 - Rock group "Yardbirds" disband 1969 - Canada's House of Commons approves equality of French-English lang 1969 - Der Spiegel reveals Munich's Bishop Defregger is a war criminal 1972 - 1st women FBI members sworn in (Susan Lynn Roley & Joanne E Pierce) 1972 - 79th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Billie Jean King beats Goolagong (63 63) 1972 - Dutch Minister of Agt decides to ignore soft drug usage 1973 - 78 drown as flash flood sweeps a bus into a river (India) 1973 - 80th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Billie Jean King beats C Evert (60 75) 1973 - 87th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Jan Kodes beats Alex Metreveli (61 98 63) 1973 - All women board of directors takes control of ABA's Kentucky Colonels 1973 - Balt Orioles pull their 4th triple play (5-4-3 vs Oakland) 1973 - Glenda Reiser (Canada) sets record women's mile (4:34.9) 1973 - Shoelace Park in the Bronx named 1973 - 1st all-US women's Wimbledon, Billie Jean King beats Chris Evert 1974 - Brewer Don Money sets record of consec errorless games at 3rd (78) 1974 - Sue Roberts wins LPGA Niagara Frontier Golf Classic 1974 - West Germany beats Neth 2-1 for soccer's 10th World Cup in Munich 1975 - TV soap opera "Ryan's Hope" premieres 1976 - E Henry Knoche, becomes deputy director of CIA 1976 - Lt General Vernon A Walters, USA, ends term as deputy director of CIA 1976 - Viking 2 goes into orbit around Mars 1977 - 12,000 police occupy university in Mexico City 1978 - 85th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats C Evert (26 64 75) 1978 - Solomon Islands declares independence from UK 1979 - 93rd Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Bjorn Borg beats R Tanner (67 61 36 63 64) 1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR 1980 - Az Judge Sandra Day O'Connor 1st female nominated to Supreme Court 1980 - Jim King completes riding Miracle Strip Roller coaster 368 hours 1980 - Larry Holmes TKOs Scott LeDoux in 7 for heavyweight boxing title 1980 - Shawn Weatherly, of USA, crowned 29th Miss Universe 1980 - Jineane Ford, (AZ) replaces S Weatherly (Miss Univ) as 29th Miss USA 1980 - Institution of sharia in Iran. 1980 - The Safra massacre in Lebanon. 1981 - The solar-powered aircraft, Solar Challenger, successfully completes a 163 mile flight across the English Channel 1981 - Ben Plucknett of US throws discus 72.34 m, but throw is disqualified 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor nominated for the Supreme Court 1982 - David Moorcroft of UK sets record for 5000 m, 13:00.41 1982 - Steve Scott of US runs mile in a record 3:47.69 1983 - 11 year old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, leaves for USSR 1984 - 5 die in a train crash in Williston Vt 1984 - 91st Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats Chris Evert (76 62) 1985 - 92nd Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats C Evert (46 63 62) 1985 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Mazda Hall of Fame Golf Championship 1986 - IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 (updated) released 1986 - It is reported Boy George is being treated for heroin addiction 1986 - Jordan government shuts al-Fatah offices 1986 - Supreme Court struck down Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction law 1987 - Alan & Colin Wells make 303* partnership for Sussex v Kent 1987 - Kiwanis Clubs end men-only tradition, vote to admit women 1987 - Lt Col Oliver North began public testimony at Iran-Contra hearing 1987 - Yanks trailing by 7 score 7 in 7th on 7/7 & 5 in 8th-Beat Twins 12-7 1988 - Soviet Union launches Phobos 1 to probe Martian moon (unsuccessful) 1988 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1990 - 97th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats Z Garrison (64 61) 1990 - NJ Devils sign Russians Viacheslav Fetisov & Sergei Starikov 1990 - Italy beats England in soccer's World Cup consolation game 1991 - 105th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Michael Stich beats B Becker (64 76 64) 1991 - Alice Miller wins LPGA Jamie Farr Toledo Golf Classic 1991 - Nolan Ryan possible 8th no-hitter ends in the 8th inning 1993 - Guntis Ulmanis elected president of Latvia 1993 - NY Met Anthony Young, loses his 26th straight game (goes to 27) 1993 - Philadelphia Phillies beat SF Giants 7-6 in 20 innings 1993 - Prodigy announces it will offer Cox newspapers 1993 - Red Tom Browning decides to watch his team play at Wrigley Field from the roof of a building across Sheffield Ave, he is fined $500 1994 - "Les Miserables," opens at Imperial Theatre, Tokyo 1994 - Actress Diane Lane files for divorce from Christopher Lambert 1994 - North Yemenite troops occupy Aden 1995 - Memphis Mad Dogs 1st CFL home game (vs BC Lions) 1995 - Space shuttle STS-71 (Atlantis 14), lands
1996 - 110th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: R Krajicek beats M Washington (63 64 63)
1996 - Space Shuttle STS 78 (Columbia 20), lands
1997 - Tower Minn temps dip to 24°F
1998 - 69th All Star Baseball Game: at Coors Field, Denver 2002 - A scandal breaks out in the United Kingdom when news reports accuse MI6 of sheltering Abu Qatada, the supposed European Al Qaeda leader.
2003 - The United Communist Party of Armenia is formed. 2005 - Coordinated terrorist bomb blasts strike London's public transport system during the morning rush hour killing 52 and injuring 700
2005 - Influenced by Live 8, the G8 leaders pledge to double 2004 levels of aid to Africa from US$25 to US$50 billion by the year 2010.
2007 - Pope Benedict XVI issues the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum, removing restrictions on celebrating the old Tridentine Mass.
2007 - Worldwide performances by charity event Live Earth.
2011 - Roof of a stand in De Grolsch Veste Stadium in Enschede which was under construction collapsed, one killed and 14 injured.
2012 - Floods in the Krasnodar region, Russia, kill 140 people
1754 - Kings College opened in New York City. It was renamed Columbia College 30 years later. 1846 - U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison. 1862 - The first railroad post office was tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri. 1885 - G. Moore Peters patented the cartridge-loading machine. 1898 - The United States annexed Hawaii. 1917 - Aleksandr Kerensky formed a provisional government in Russia. 1920 - A device known as the radio compass was used for the first time on a U.S. Navy airplane near Norfolk, VA. 1930 - Construction began on Boulder Dam, later Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River. 1937 - Japanese forces invaded China. 1946 - Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint. 1949 - "Dragnet" was first heard on NBC radio. 1950 - The U.N. Security Council authorized military aid for South Korea. 1969 - Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to a measure that made the French language equal to English throughout the national government. 1981 - U.S. President Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. 1983 - Eleven-year-old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, left for a visit to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov. 1987 - Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began. 1998 - A jury in Santa Monica, CA, convicted Mikail Markhasev of murdering Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's only son, during a roadside robbery. 1999 - In Sierra Leone, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and rebel leader Foday Sankoh signed a pact to end the nation's civil war. 2000 - Cisco Systems Inc. announced that it would buy Netiverse Inc. for $210 million in stock. It was the 13th time Cisco had purchased a company in 2000. 2000 - Amazon.com announced that they had sold almost 400,000 copies of "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire," making it the biggest selling book in e-tailing history. 2003 - In Liberia, a team of U.S. military experts arrived at the U.S. embassy compound to assess whether to deploy troops as part of a peacekeeping force in the country. 2011 - The world's first artificial organ transplant was achieved. It was an artificial windpipe coated with stem cells.
1456 Twenty-five years after her execution, Pope Calixtus III annulled the heresy charges brought against Joan of Arc. 1797 William Blount of Tennessee became the first U.S. senator to be impeached. 1846 Commodore John D. Sloat occupied Monterey and declared California annexed to the United States. 1898 The United States annexed Hawaii. 1946 Italian-born Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized, becoming the first American saint. 1981 President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor for the Supreme Court. 2005 52 people were killed and hundreds injured in London when terrorists bombed subways and a bus.
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/jul07.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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