Not long ago, the NFC East was considered the best division in the league. Some even still think that it is, and there may be a case to be made for it.
That said, it will not be readily evident if you look strictly at the regular season records these last few seasons. The Giants finished 9-7 both of the last two seasons, and that includes their 2011 championship team. The Redskins won the division with a 10-6 record last year, hardly the best record out there. The Cowboys have finished each of the last two seasons at 8-8, good enough only for third place both seasons. And the Eagles have been disappointing, particularly last season, when they just bombed. Yet, the teams here have been on the brink of greatness, seemingly. The Giants actually won two titles, and have to be deemed a serious threat. The Redskins appear to be an up and coming team. The Cowboys seem always to be on the brink, but fall just short. And the Eagles were supposed to be a championship contender, although that did not pan out. But these have been good teams who have beaten each other up and down, making their weaker records deceptive.
As for the NFC North, every team there seems to have that explosive offense. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers ("Discount Double Check!", and they won a ring just a couple of seasons ago. The Beats were the team that they had to beat to get to the Super Bowl, and they always seem to be right there, competing for a playoff berth. The Vikings rejoined the ranks of the solid teams, and seem to have a promising. future, with a potent offense. And the Lions were the next big thing, before last year's disappointment. But they still have talent and, given some breaks, could have another breakout season to propel them back to the playoffs. So, it should be interesting.
NFC East
Washington Redskins - RG3 has everyone excited, but what makes me a bit nervous about him was the knee injury that proved costly last last season, paticularly in the playoff game. This is a tough team that could very well contend on a serious level, but it seems that their fortune rely too exclusively on how their star young quarterback will take them. Now, that could work out brilliantly, if he stays healthy, because he really is a dangerous guy. He provides such a dangerous weapon, such an element of unpredictability and a wide variety of playmaking options, that it runs opposing defenses ragged. There simply has been no adequate answer by other defenses to a healthy RG3 at his best. The big worry is that the Redskins rely on him too much. It could prove to be a gold mine, if he remains healthy. But then again, if last season repeats itself, this is a team that could see their season spiral out of control. Hard to tell what fortunes await this team.
New York Giants - From Super Bowl greatness and a second title in five seasons, to a disastrous season that saw them not even really a factor in the playoff picture in the final week. All that, and they had the exact same regular season record last season as they did in 2011, their recent championship season. So, what to make of them? The defense dropped off quite a bit, and that was obviously a problem. The offense was hot at times, but not so much other times. Cruz seemed to take a few too many hits, and that seemed to effect how much of a weapon he could be. Manning is growing older and more mature, and obviously has some valuable experience. But the running game could be a concern, and once again, you can't really tell what Giants team will show up. Sometimes, they get hot, and they rank right up there with the elites.R emember that this team not just beat, but blew out the Packers and the 49ers, and that game was in San Francisco! But they also lose games that they have no business losing, and that makes them also a difficult team to read. But a solid nine or ten wins is likely, and this could very well be a playoff team, and maybe
(hopefully)
more.
Dallas Cowboys - Another team in this division that is hard to gauge. Romo looks like one of the elite quarterbacks at times, or at least shows glimpses of it. But then, at the most inopportune times, he will throw a pick or make some other mistake that costs his team dearly, and he looks bad. that was the story last season, and the season before that, and the season before that, and so on and so forth. If he is on his game, the Cowboys could saddle up for a playoff ride. This is a team that has talent, and if they put it all together for a best case scenario, they not only could be division winners, but a team that advances, possibly deep, into the playoffs. But this team is fully capable of going .500 again, and missing the playoffs. Too many inconsistencies to feel very comfortable here.
Philadelphia Eagles - Like the other teams in this division, the Eagles were hard to predict in recent seasons. Unlike the other teams in this division, the only way that they would prove hard to gauge this season is if they start to win with consistency. This was a bad team last year, and they had a lot of problems everywhere. Gone are Michael Vick's predicitons of a dynasty in Philly. Right now, this team would be lucky to simply compete for a playoff spot. Fans of the Eagles are long suffering, and much like many other times in their history, they were excited about the prospects a couple of years ago, when the Eagles were considered the preseason favorites, with some pickups that made their line-up a "dream team". But that never materialized, and right now, the Eagles are clearly in rebuilding mode. Unless one of the other three teams really drops off, or the Eagles truly surprise with more wins than expected, this Philadelphia team is a cellar dweller.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers - They were getting better and better in the post-Favre era, and Rodgers was really showing his stuff. Everyone predicted great things from them, and they delivered in a big way, winning the Super Bowl after becoming only the fourth team in NFL history to win three straight road games in the playoffs. Everyone seemed to predict more such success in the future, and indeed, when they started the next season 13-0, en route to a 15-1 record, the best regular season mark that the team had ever achieved throughout it's illustrious history, this faith in the Packers seemed well placed. After all, it was only the sixth time in NFL history that a team had finished with such a strong regular season record (the 1984 49ers, 1985 Bears, 1998 Vikings, 2004 Steelers, and 2007 Patriots were the others). But then, they became the first such team not to win a single postseason game, as they got dismantled against the Super Bowl-Bound Giants, getting blown out 37-20, with home field advantage at Lambeau. Then, they lost the season opener last season to the 49ers at home, and lost that controversial game at Seattle on Monday Night Football. They recovered enough to win the division, but not enough to get the valuable playoff bye, losing in the final week to Minnesota. They exacted revenge against the Vikings in the Wild Card Game, which set up a rematch against San Fran. But the 49ers pretty much tore the Packers apart, and Green Bay lost yet another playoff blow out loss, for a second year in a row. Now, it seems, few are looking at this team as among the favorites to take the championship, and that's a shame. they are a dangerous team and, at their best, are fully capable of beating anyone in the league, and even of making a serious ttitle run. But if the Packers want to bring anothr Super Bowl trophy to Titletown at the end of this season, they will need to make adjustments. And beating the 49ers would be a huge step. Despite the rise of the Vikings and a fairly tough Bears squad, this team should still be the class of the NFC North, and likely one of the top three seeds. They will need to turn it up a couple of notches to get back to the Super Bowl, though. But they are still capable, and should be seen as a serious threat.
Minnesota Vikings - Pronger still needs to mature a bit, I think. But this team has a lot of the weapons in place on the offensive side to continue their rise. This is a team that could very well be a serious contender, particularly if they find consistency on the offensive side. This is one of the most talented squads in the league, and they could even threaten the Packers for the division title, in a best case scenario. They will not sneak up on anyone this season, and it may be the case that they are a better team this year then they were last season, and still might not have as good a record as they did last season. Adrian Peterson seems to feel he has something to prove, and looks like he has a chip on his shoulder. The defense still has some question marks, although the addition of Brian Urlacher may help, although age is a concern there. The Vikings should contend for a playoff berth, but I think a truly breakout season to rise to the ranks of the elite contenders in the league is still a year away.
Chicago Bears - The Bears have been consistently inconsistent. A typical season seems to go like this for them: they start off hot, and look like they will be an elite team, possibly even a title contender. They win a surprisingly big game or two, and at least seem a sure bet for the playoffs. Then, they get rocked by a tough loss. Perhaps there is an injury or two. Still, they weather the storm for a critical win or two, and seem to be in playoff position. This is the point where it becomes less predicaable, although in the last two seasons, it was precisely at that point that all hell broke loose. The Bears have enough to get to that point again. They can start off surprisingly well, and seem to be in playoff contention when November rolls around. But then, they need to find the toughness to be consistent, and that has been a problem. If they are in that position, and all works well, then they will go to the playoffs. But they do have some tough games in that first portion of the season, including games against each of the last three Super Bowl winners, as well as the Saints (who could be good again), the Bengals, and at Pittsburgh and Washington. If the Bears don't come up with some big, and maybe surprising, wins early on, they may not even be in the hunt for a playoff spot come November. But if they do, that last portion of the season may prove more accomodating to them. The loss of Urlacher certainly hurts, and Cutler has to remain healthy. They will need to establish a running game, and if Cutler proves effective in holding up his end of the bargain with the passing game, that could prove very helpful. This is a hard team to figure out. It is a team that, at their best, could be a serious contender in the division. But they could just as easily remain right in the middle of the pack and remain in the background, never emerging.
Detroit Lions - They certainly have some talent on offense. A hot young quarterback that still should be on the rise, ready for a truly breakout season. One of the best wide receivers in the game. An offense that has been very dangerous at times in each of the last two seasons, which included their playoff berth in 2011. They even have some talent on defense, with Suy being the obvious leader and most recognizable face. At their best, this team could compete. In fact, in a best case scenario, this team could contend for at least the division title, I think. But they have to deal with teams like the Packers and the Vikings twice a season, and they have proven not to be up to the task, usually. With coaching changes, they should be able to adjust, and improve upon their horrible results of last season. Yet, the question mark is just how much they will improve, and whether or not they can make a serious run to the playoffs. They have some tough games on their schedule, and even at their best, it is not at all certain that they can overcome some of their past problems to truly be a serious team looking to make that final push to the playoffs in the final weeks, let alone more than that.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
NFL 2013-14 Season Preview AFC East and AFC North
Well, last season was quite interesting. And since many things occurred last season to kind of throw things out of whack a bit, it makes this season a bit harder to predict. Did the Saints just have a bad season, or have they dropped off the elite teams list? We could ask the same question for the Giants, as well. Also, for the Steelers. And the Super Bowl champion Ravens, how badly will their offseason losses impact their 2013 season? Talking about bad offseasons, can the Patriots rebound from a very bad offseason, or will they look pedestrian for once this coming season? The 49ers came close each of the last two seasons, so are they ready to take that next leap? Will the Seahawks truly compete with the 49ers for NFC West supremacy, and is it possible that they will make a title run? How about the Packers? Just about a year and a half ago, they were the defending Super Bowl champions, and owned a league best 15-1 record, good for the number one seed in the NFC. A lot of people thought that they would repeat as champions. But they lost to the Giants, and then lost both crucial meetings to the 49ers last season. Do they just need a tweaking, or have the dropped off out of the elites as well? What happened to the Broncos in the playoffs, after a brilliant regular season, and can they put it all together this season? Are the Colts for real, or was last season beginner's luck for a young and upcoming quarterback who still has to pay his dues? Will there be a team, or two, in the near future in Los Angeles (although not in time for the 2013 season)?
Those, and plenty of other intriguing questions will begin to be answered in the upcoming weeks, as the preseason begins, and teams prepare for the regular season, which really is not far away now.
Like any season, there are favorite for the upcoming season. Some of them are the usual suspects: the Broncos, the 49ers, the Packers, all have to be considered serious contenders, at the very least. The Seahawks looked very strong, particularly towards the end of last season, and suddenly, talk of a title there is not so laughable as it might once have seemed.
It's hard to imagine some teams that traditionally are strong contenders, but probably won't be this year. The glaring example would be the Patriots, because it is just hard to imagine them recovering from such a horrific offseason to seriously compete for a title. Not impossible, and if they do go to the Super Bowl or win it, you would have to give them all the credit in the world. But somehow, I just don't see it happening. Ditto with another traditional powerhouse in the league in recent years, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let me start the review with two divisions in the AFC:
AFC East
New England Patriots - Yes, they took a beating in the offseason, and it would appear unlikely that they will make it to a third consecutive AFC Championship Game, or finish with a record of 13-3 or better (they have averaged a regular season record of 13-3 over the last three seasons, the best average of any team during that period). But it seems likely that they will drop off a bit this season. That said, don't expect a total disaster, because this is still the Patriots, with Belichik and Brady. They have weathered plenty of storms before, and will likely do so again this season. It's also hard to imagine any of those other AFC East competitors having a great season and overtaking the Pats at the AFC best, although certainly not impossible. But I think New England is good enough to hang onto supremacy in this division, although that is the only dominance that the Pats display. Look for them to host a wild card game, but not to go too far in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins - of all the other three teams in this division that could contend with New England for the division, I take the Dolphins the most seriously. They have their share of problems, to be sure. But this is a team that seems to be on the brink of putting it all together, and if they play their cards right, and perhaps especially if the Patriots truly do wind up struggling, the Dolphins might just have what it takes to reign supreme once again in the AFC East. New uniforms and logos, new results? We'll see.
New York Jets - Not long ago, the Jets seemed to be right up there with the New England Patriots, a perennial playoff contender and even serious candidate for the Super Bowl. They won four road games in the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, en route to two consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances. But those feel like distant memories, after two lousy seasons in a row. Sanchez, who hardly looked like a great quarterback during those AFC playoff runs, now looks like he ranks closer to the worst of the professional starting quarterbacks in the league. The Jets running game, once very strong, has not been a very effective weapon. And the defense has seemed weak and inconsistent, and have gotten burned badly against some opponents. Could they challenge the Pats for the division this year? Not likely. Same old Jets.
Buffalo Bills - Last season at this point, the Bills were supposed to have retooled enough to give New England a serious run for the money. They had a new defense, and a new team, in effect. Their uniforms look great, and all seemed a go. Then, the preseason showed some vulnerabilities that needed to be straightened out in a hurry. But instead, the regular season rushed forward, and the Bills, perhap predictably, fell behind. They were far from the surprise team to assume command in this division. In fact, they never got off the ground, en route to a poor overall showing. With little to indicate that they have corrected these wrongs, it is hard to imagine Buffalo being very competitive this season.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers - True, they still have many of the players that got them to the Super Bowl still on the roster. Since the Patriots run of three titles in four years, the Steelers and the Giants are the only two teams that have won multiple Super Bowls, and Pittsburgh almost won it for a third time just two years ago. They are not a radically different team now than they were then. They were 12-4 in 2011, and despite a very disappointing 2012 season, still managed to finish with a winning record of 9-7. In other words, they were legitimate contenders to qualify for the playoffs, but fell just short. Yet, despite all of this, it is not only difficult to picture them making a serious title run, but I would hesitate to put money on them even qualifying for the playoffs. They have to remain healthy and focused, and probably need to rely on a drop off by either the Bengals and/or the Ravens to have a serious chance at a division title. If one or both of them have a bad season, that could very well open some doors for the Steelers. Failing that, however, it is difficult to see a successful season for the Steelers. They did not have an active offseason, and return to the field with more or less the same lineup that got them to that 9-7 mark last year, and that is simply not likely to be good enough this season.
Baltimore Ravens - They won the Super Bowl last year. That's the good news. The bad news? Defending a title successfully has traditionally been far more difficult. Also adding to the bad news, the Ravens lost some of their key players, particularly two defensive institutions in Baltimore: Reed and Lewis. So, they are a different team, and most people are not predicting them to repeat. That said, the Ravens played much of the season without Ray Lewis already last season, so it is not that much of an adjustment. The loss of Reed will hurt, but the Ravens are not going to go from one of the elite defenses, to one of the weakest, or anything like that. They should be good defensively, and their offense, which looked downright explosive towards the end of last season, should be more or less in a good place, as well. I think the Ravens can make a run for another division title, or at least a playoff spot, provided they stay focused and healthy. But I wouldn't expect a repeat championship performance.
Cincinnati Bengals - This is a hard team to figure out. They have been good, but far from great, as of late. They have not made tons of moves to dramatically improve their lot, nor have they lost tons to go the other way. More or less, it depends on whether this team has grown up and matured. This is a team in a brutal division, with the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens there, and another team that has tasted the Super Bowl recently in the Steelers. Plus, the Browns seem to be improving. But if the Bengals maintain the steady improvement, and if they can take advantage of the declining fortunes of the Ravens and the Steelers, this could be a division winning team. If they hope to advance in the playoffs, they probably really need home field, too. Also, they need to avoid playing the Texans.
Cleveland Browns - They have been a consistently losing team for some time now, and everyone has gotten used to them being a loser. Yet, this is a team that has a tough defense, and a new owner that at least appears committed to winning. True, it did not translate to far better play last season, but there are signs that a turnaround may be nearing. One of the main problems is that the Browns play in one of the toughest divisions (if not the toughest) in football, which makes things very hard. I think the key is for them to start winning some games against division opponents, both to get more wins, and prevent those other teams from pulling away. If they can do that, this is a team that should be on the rise.
Those, and plenty of other intriguing questions will begin to be answered in the upcoming weeks, as the preseason begins, and teams prepare for the regular season, which really is not far away now.
Like any season, there are favorite for the upcoming season. Some of them are the usual suspects: the Broncos, the 49ers, the Packers, all have to be considered serious contenders, at the very least. The Seahawks looked very strong, particularly towards the end of last season, and suddenly, talk of a title there is not so laughable as it might once have seemed.
It's hard to imagine some teams that traditionally are strong contenders, but probably won't be this year. The glaring example would be the Patriots, because it is just hard to imagine them recovering from such a horrific offseason to seriously compete for a title. Not impossible, and if they do go to the Super Bowl or win it, you would have to give them all the credit in the world. But somehow, I just don't see it happening. Ditto with another traditional powerhouse in the league in recent years, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let me start the review with two divisions in the AFC:
AFC East
New England Patriots - Yes, they took a beating in the offseason, and it would appear unlikely that they will make it to a third consecutive AFC Championship Game, or finish with a record of 13-3 or better (they have averaged a regular season record of 13-3 over the last three seasons, the best average of any team during that period). But it seems likely that they will drop off a bit this season. That said, don't expect a total disaster, because this is still the Patriots, with Belichik and Brady. They have weathered plenty of storms before, and will likely do so again this season. It's also hard to imagine any of those other AFC East competitors having a great season and overtaking the Pats at the AFC best, although certainly not impossible. But I think New England is good enough to hang onto supremacy in this division, although that is the only dominance that the Pats display. Look for them to host a wild card game, but not to go too far in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins - of all the other three teams in this division that could contend with New England for the division, I take the Dolphins the most seriously. They have their share of problems, to be sure. But this is a team that seems to be on the brink of putting it all together, and if they play their cards right, and perhaps especially if the Patriots truly do wind up struggling, the Dolphins might just have what it takes to reign supreme once again in the AFC East. New uniforms and logos, new results? We'll see.
New York Jets - Not long ago, the Jets seemed to be right up there with the New England Patriots, a perennial playoff contender and even serious candidate for the Super Bowl. They won four road games in the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, en route to two consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances. But those feel like distant memories, after two lousy seasons in a row. Sanchez, who hardly looked like a great quarterback during those AFC playoff runs, now looks like he ranks closer to the worst of the professional starting quarterbacks in the league. The Jets running game, once very strong, has not been a very effective weapon. And the defense has seemed weak and inconsistent, and have gotten burned badly against some opponents. Could they challenge the Pats for the division this year? Not likely. Same old Jets.
Buffalo Bills - Last season at this point, the Bills were supposed to have retooled enough to give New England a serious run for the money. They had a new defense, and a new team, in effect. Their uniforms look great, and all seemed a go. Then, the preseason showed some vulnerabilities that needed to be straightened out in a hurry. But instead, the regular season rushed forward, and the Bills, perhap predictably, fell behind. They were far from the surprise team to assume command in this division. In fact, they never got off the ground, en route to a poor overall showing. With little to indicate that they have corrected these wrongs, it is hard to imagine Buffalo being very competitive this season.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers - True, they still have many of the players that got them to the Super Bowl still on the roster. Since the Patriots run of three titles in four years, the Steelers and the Giants are the only two teams that have won multiple Super Bowls, and Pittsburgh almost won it for a third time just two years ago. They are not a radically different team now than they were then. They were 12-4 in 2011, and despite a very disappointing 2012 season, still managed to finish with a winning record of 9-7. In other words, they were legitimate contenders to qualify for the playoffs, but fell just short. Yet, despite all of this, it is not only difficult to picture them making a serious title run, but I would hesitate to put money on them even qualifying for the playoffs. They have to remain healthy and focused, and probably need to rely on a drop off by either the Bengals and/or the Ravens to have a serious chance at a division title. If one or both of them have a bad season, that could very well open some doors for the Steelers. Failing that, however, it is difficult to see a successful season for the Steelers. They did not have an active offseason, and return to the field with more or less the same lineup that got them to that 9-7 mark last year, and that is simply not likely to be good enough this season.
Baltimore Ravens - They won the Super Bowl last year. That's the good news. The bad news? Defending a title successfully has traditionally been far more difficult. Also adding to the bad news, the Ravens lost some of their key players, particularly two defensive institutions in Baltimore: Reed and Lewis. So, they are a different team, and most people are not predicting them to repeat. That said, the Ravens played much of the season without Ray Lewis already last season, so it is not that much of an adjustment. The loss of Reed will hurt, but the Ravens are not going to go from one of the elite defenses, to one of the weakest, or anything like that. They should be good defensively, and their offense, which looked downright explosive towards the end of last season, should be more or less in a good place, as well. I think the Ravens can make a run for another division title, or at least a playoff spot, provided they stay focused and healthy. But I wouldn't expect a repeat championship performance.
Cincinnati Bengals - This is a hard team to figure out. They have been good, but far from great, as of late. They have not made tons of moves to dramatically improve their lot, nor have they lost tons to go the other way. More or less, it depends on whether this team has grown up and matured. This is a team in a brutal division, with the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens there, and another team that has tasted the Super Bowl recently in the Steelers. Plus, the Browns seem to be improving. But if the Bengals maintain the steady improvement, and if they can take advantage of the declining fortunes of the Ravens and the Steelers, this could be a division winning team. If they hope to advance in the playoffs, they probably really need home field, too. Also, they need to avoid playing the Texans.
Cleveland Browns - They have been a consistently losing team for some time now, and everyone has gotten used to them being a loser. Yet, this is a team that has a tough defense, and a new owner that at least appears committed to winning. True, it did not translate to far better play last season, but there are signs that a turnaround may be nearing. One of the main problems is that the Browns play in one of the toughest divisions (if not the toughest) in football, which makes things very hard. I think the key is for them to start winning some games against division opponents, both to get more wins, and prevent those other teams from pulling away. If they can do that, this is a team that should be on the rise.
On This Date in History - July 28 "The Great War" - World War I Begins
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 28, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War.
Threatened by Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region of Europe, Austria-Hungary determined that the proper response to the assassinations was to prepare for a possible military invasion of Serbia. After securing the unconditional support of its powerful ally, Germany, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with a rigid ultimatum on July 23, 1914, demanding, among other things, that all anti-Austrian propaganda within Serbia be suppressed, and that Austria-Hungary be allowed to conduct its own investigation into the archduke's killing. Though Serbia effectively accepted all of Austria's demands except for one, the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations with the other country on July 25 and went ahead with military preparedness measures. Meanwhile, alerted to the impending crisis, Russia—Serbia's own mighty supporter in the Balkans—began its own initial steps towards military mobilization against Austria.
In the days following the Austrian break in relations with Serbia, the rest of Europe, including Russia's allies, Britain and France, looked on with trepidation, fearing the imminent outbreak of a Balkans conflict that, if entered into by Russia, threatened to explode into a general European war. The British Foreign Office lobbied its counterparts in Berlin, Paris and Rome with the idea of an international convention aimed at moderating the conflict; the German government, however, was set against this notion, and advised Vienna to go ahead with its plans.
On July 28, 1914, after a decision reached conclusively the day before in response to pressure from Germany for quick action—apart from Kaiser Wilhelm II, who by some accounts still saw the possibility of a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the conflict, but was outmaneuvered by the more hawkish military and governmental leadership of Germany—Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. In response, Russia formally ordered mobilization in the four military districts facing Galicia, its common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That night, Austrian artillery divisions initiated a brief, ineffectual bombardment of Belgrade across the Danube River.
"My darling one and beautiful, everything tends towards catastrophe and collapse," British naval official Winston Churchill wrote to his wife at midnight on July 29. He was proven right over the next several days. On August 1, after its demands for Russia to halt mobilization met with defiance, Germany declared war on Russia. Russia's ally, France, ordered its own general mobilization that same day, and on August 3, France and Germany declared war on each other. The German army's planned invasion of neutral Belgium, announced on August 4, prompted Britain to declare war on Germany. Thus, in the summer of 1914, the major powers in the Western world—with the exception of the United States and Italy, both of which declared their neutrality, at least for the time being—flung themselves headlong into the First World War.
This is also the anniversary of a horrific firestorm in Hamburg:
July 28, 1943: Hamburg suffers a firestorm
On this day in 1943, the worst British bombing raid on Hamburg so far virtually sets the city on fire, killing 42,000 German civilians.
On July 24, British bombers launched Operation Gomorrah, repeated bombing raids against Hamburg and its industrial and munitions plants. Sortie after sortie dropped fire from the sky, as thousands of tons of incendiary bombs destroyed tens of thousands of lives, buildings, and acreage. But the night of the 28th saw destruction unique in more than three years of bomb attacks: In just 43 minutes, 2,326 tons of bombs were dropped, creating a firestorm (a word that entered English parlance for the first time as a result of these events). Low humidity, a lack of fire-fighting resources (exhausted from battling blazes caused by the previous nights' raids), and hurricane-level winds at the core of the storm literally fanned the flames, scorching eight square miles of Hamburg.
One British flight lieutenant recalled seeing "not many fires but one... I have never seen a fire like that before and was never to see its like again." Despite the terrible loss of civilian life, there strange and awful irony: The horrific bombing runs affected Hitler's war machine only marginally. It did more to wound the morale of the German people and its army officers than it did to the production of munitions, which was back running full speed within a matter of weeks.
This also marks the anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson announcing that he was going to send more troops into Vietnam:
July 28, 1965: Johnson announces more troops to Vietnam
President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that he has ordered an increase in U.S. military forces in Vietnam, from the present 75,000 to 125,000. Johnson also said that he would order additional increases if necessary. He pointed out that to fill the increase in military manpower needs, the monthly draft calls would be raised from 17,000 to 35,000. At the same time, Johnson reaffirmed U.S. readiness to seek a negotiated end to the war, and appealed to the United Nations and any of its member states to help further this goal. There was an immediate reaction throughout the world to this latest escalation, with communist leaders attacking Johnson for his decision to send more troops to Vietnam. Most members of Congress were reported to favor Johnson's decision, while most U.S. state governors, convening for their annual conference, also supported a resolution backing Johnson. This decision to send more troops was regarded as a major turning point, as it effectively guaranteed U.S. military leaders a blank check to pursue the war.
This also marks the anniversary of the passage of the 14th Amendment:
World War I began on this date, 99 years ago today! At the time, that was the biggest war in human history, but on that particular date, there were celebrations on the streets from all of the major participants. Everyone expected a quick and decisive victory in their own favor. But they were in for a rude awakening, as the war quickly became a stalemate, with millions of men living under hellish conditions in the trenches on either side of the "No Man's Land" that separated the warring sides. That was surely the biggest event that occurred on this day in history, but it was far from being the only significant event. Sir Thomas Harriot introduced the potato to Britain and Europe, from the Americas. They would arguably become bigger in Europe than in the Americas, being cheap and easy to grow. Robespierre was put to death during the same "Reign of Terror" that he himself had been such a large part of during the French Revolution. Peru declared independence from Spain. The first aerial photograph was taken from a balloon. In India, the first use of fingerprints as an identifying marker fell on this date. The 14th Amendment was ratified. Miami, Florida, was incorporated. Nazis liquidated 10,000 Jews in Minsk. Mussolini resigned. Hamburg, Germany, was devastated by a firebomb. Lyndon Johnson ordered more troops into Vietnam. Two pitchers happened to have the very rare distinction of pitching a perfect game within three years of one another on this date.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
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/jul28.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
July 28, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War.
Threatened by Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region of Europe, Austria-Hungary determined that the proper response to the assassinations was to prepare for a possible military invasion of Serbia. After securing the unconditional support of its powerful ally, Germany, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with a rigid ultimatum on July 23, 1914, demanding, among other things, that all anti-Austrian propaganda within Serbia be suppressed, and that Austria-Hungary be allowed to conduct its own investigation into the archduke's killing. Though Serbia effectively accepted all of Austria's demands except for one, the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations with the other country on July 25 and went ahead with military preparedness measures. Meanwhile, alerted to the impending crisis, Russia—Serbia's own mighty supporter in the Balkans—began its own initial steps towards military mobilization against Austria.
In the days following the Austrian break in relations with Serbia, the rest of Europe, including Russia's allies, Britain and France, looked on with trepidation, fearing the imminent outbreak of a Balkans conflict that, if entered into by Russia, threatened to explode into a general European war. The British Foreign Office lobbied its counterparts in Berlin, Paris and Rome with the idea of an international convention aimed at moderating the conflict; the German government, however, was set against this notion, and advised Vienna to go ahead with its plans.
On July 28, 1914, after a decision reached conclusively the day before in response to pressure from Germany for quick action—apart from Kaiser Wilhelm II, who by some accounts still saw the possibility of a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the conflict, but was outmaneuvered by the more hawkish military and governmental leadership of Germany—Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. In response, Russia formally ordered mobilization in the four military districts facing Galicia, its common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That night, Austrian artillery divisions initiated a brief, ineffectual bombardment of Belgrade across the Danube River.
"My darling one and beautiful, everything tends towards catastrophe and collapse," British naval official Winston Churchill wrote to his wife at midnight on July 29. He was proven right over the next several days. On August 1, after its demands for Russia to halt mobilization met with defiance, Germany declared war on Russia. Russia's ally, France, ordered its own general mobilization that same day, and on August 3, France and Germany declared war on each other. The German army's planned invasion of neutral Belgium, announced on August 4, prompted Britain to declare war on Germany. Thus, in the summer of 1914, the major powers in the Western world—with the exception of the United States and Italy, both of which declared their neutrality, at least for the time being—flung themselves headlong into the First World War.
This is also the anniversary of a horrific firestorm in Hamburg:
July 28, 1943: Hamburg suffers a firestorm
On this day in 1943, the worst British bombing raid on Hamburg so far virtually sets the city on fire, killing 42,000 German civilians.
On July 24, British bombers launched Operation Gomorrah, repeated bombing raids against Hamburg and its industrial and munitions plants. Sortie after sortie dropped fire from the sky, as thousands of tons of incendiary bombs destroyed tens of thousands of lives, buildings, and acreage. But the night of the 28th saw destruction unique in more than three years of bomb attacks: In just 43 minutes, 2,326 tons of bombs were dropped, creating a firestorm (a word that entered English parlance for the first time as a result of these events). Low humidity, a lack of fire-fighting resources (exhausted from battling blazes caused by the previous nights' raids), and hurricane-level winds at the core of the storm literally fanned the flames, scorching eight square miles of Hamburg.
One British flight lieutenant recalled seeing "not many fires but one... I have never seen a fire like that before and was never to see its like again." Despite the terrible loss of civilian life, there strange and awful irony: The horrific bombing runs affected Hitler's war machine only marginally. It did more to wound the morale of the German people and its army officers than it did to the production of munitions, which was back running full speed within a matter of weeks.
This also marks the anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson announcing that he was going to send more troops into Vietnam:
July 28, 1965: Johnson announces more troops to Vietnam
President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that he has ordered an increase in U.S. military forces in Vietnam, from the present 75,000 to 125,000. Johnson also said that he would order additional increases if necessary. He pointed out that to fill the increase in military manpower needs, the monthly draft calls would be raised from 17,000 to 35,000. At the same time, Johnson reaffirmed U.S. readiness to seek a negotiated end to the war, and appealed to the United Nations and any of its member states to help further this goal. There was an immediate reaction throughout the world to this latest escalation, with communist leaders attacking Johnson for his decision to send more troops to Vietnam. Most members of Congress were reported to favor Johnson's decision, while most U.S. state governors, convening for their annual conference, also supported a resolution backing Johnson. This decision to send more troops was regarded as a major turning point, as it effectively guaranteed U.S. military leaders a blank check to pursue the war.
This also marks the anniversary of the passage of the 14th Amendment:
July 28, 1868: 14th Amendment adopted
Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing to African Americans citizenship and all its privileges, is officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution.
Two years after the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts, where new state governments, based on universal manhood suffrage, were to be established. Thus began the period known as Radical Reconstruction, which saw the 14th Amendment, which had been passed by Congress in 1866, ratified in July 1868. The amendment resolved pre-Civil War questions of African American citizenship by stating that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside." The amendment then reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizens, and granted all these citizens the "equal protection of the laws."
In the decades after its adoption, the equal protection clause was cited by a number of African American activists who argued that racial segregation denied them the equal protection of law. However, in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that states could constitutionally provide segregated facilities for African Americans, so long as they were equal to those afforded white persons. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which announced federal toleration of the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine, was eventually used to justify segregating all public facilities, including railroad cars, restaurants, hospitals, and schools. However, "colored" facilities were never equal to their white counterparts, and African Americans suffered through decades of debilitating discrimination in the South and elsewhere. In 1954, Plessy v. Ferguson was finally struck down by the Supreme Court in its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
World War I began on this date, 99 years ago today! At the time, that was the biggest war in human history, but on that particular date, there were celebrations on the streets from all of the major participants. Everyone expected a quick and decisive victory in their own favor. But they were in for a rude awakening, as the war quickly became a stalemate, with millions of men living under hellish conditions in the trenches on either side of the "No Man's Land" that separated the warring sides. That was surely the biggest event that occurred on this day in history, but it was far from being the only significant event. Sir Thomas Harriot introduced the potato to Britain and Europe, from the Americas. They would arguably become bigger in Europe than in the Americas, being cheap and easy to grow. Robespierre was put to death during the same "Reign of Terror" that he himself had been such a large part of during the French Revolution. Peru declared independence from Spain. The first aerial photograph was taken from a balloon. In India, the first use of fingerprints as an identifying marker fell on this date. The 14th Amendment was ratified. Miami, Florida, was incorporated. Nazis liquidated 10,000 Jews in Minsk. Mussolini resigned. Hamburg, Germany, was devastated by a firebomb. Lyndon Johnson ordered more troops into Vietnam. Two pitchers happened to have the very rare distinction of pitching a perfect game within three years of one another on this date.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
388 - Battle at Aquileja: Emperor Theodosius beats emperor Magnus Maximis
754 - Pope Stephen II, [III] makes Pippin de Korte, King of France
1148 - Crusaders attack Damascus
1402 - Battle at Ancyra/Angora/Ankara: Timur Lenk beats sultan Bajezid I
1434 - Navigator Gil Eanes leaves Cape Bojador for Lisbon
1540 - King Henry VIII of England's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed and Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
1579 - Cardinal Granvelle returns to Madrid
1586 - Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe on return to Britain
1588 - Spanish Armada sails to overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I
1609 - Admiral George Somers settles in Bermuda
1635 - Spanish marshal Piccolomini conquerors Schenkenschans
1696 - De Croissy succeeds Le Plectia as French minister of Finance
1708 - Monarch Amengkurat II [Sunan Mas] of Mataram gives himself up to VOC
1717 - Prussian king Frederik Willem I gives compulsory education to 5-12 yrs
1741 - Capt Bering discovers Mount St Elias, Alaska
1742 - Prussia & Austria sign peace treaty
1750 - The great baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach died.
1794 - Robespierre, one of the leading figures of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine. 22 others labelled terrorists executed to thunderous cheers
1808 - Mahmud II succeeds Mustafa IV as sultan of Turkey
1821 - Peru declares independence from Spain (National Day)
1849 - Memmon is 1st clipper to reach SF, 120 days out of NY
1851 - Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph
1858 - 1st use of fingerprints as a means of identification is made by Sir William James Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India
1858 - Nadar takes 1st airborne photo (in a balloon)
1858 - William Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India
1862 - Confederate forces defeated at More's Hill, Mo
1864 - 2nd day of battle at Deep Bottom Run Virginia
1864 - Battle of Atlanta: GA (Ezra Church) - second sortie US700 CS4642
1865 - The American Dental Association proposed its first code of ethics.
1866 - The metric system was legalized by the U.S. Congress for the standardization of weights and measures throughout the United States.
1868 - The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which established the citizenship of African Americans and guaranteed due process of law, was ratified.
1882 - Opera "Parsifal" is produced (Beirut)
1883 - Shocks triggered by volcano Epomeo (Isle of Ischia, Italy) destroyed 1,200 houses at Casamicciola killing 2,000
1886 - English Salisbury government forms
1896 - City of Miami incorporated
1898 - Spanish troops in Ponce, Puerto Rico, surrender
1898 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Retired Colourman"(BG)
1900 - Hamburger created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut
1906 - Yankees turn triple-play, beat Cleveland 6-4
1911 - 96°F (35.6°C) in De Bilt Netherlands
1913 - 12th Davis Cup: USA beats British Isles in Wimbledon (3-2)
1914 - Foxtrot 1st danced at New Amsterdam Roof Garden (NYC, by Harry Fox)
1914 - Minister of Navy W Churchill routes British fleet to Scapa Flow
1914 - World War I officially began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
1915 - 10,000 blacks march on 5th Ave (NYC) protesting lynchings
1915 - US forces invade Haiti, stays until 1924
1917 - Silent Parade in NYC to protest murders of blacks in race riots
1919 - Vrije Vakbewegings Internationale (VVI) forms in Amsterdam
1926 - US & Panamanian pact about safeguard of Panama Canal
1928 - 9th Olympic Games open in Amsterdam
1929 - Chicago Cardinals become 1st NFL team to train out of state (Mich)
1930 - 114°F (46°C), Greensburg, Kentucky (state record)
1931 - Congress makes "Star-Spangled Banner" our 2nd national anthem
1931 - White Sox score 11 in 8th to beat Yankees 14-12
1932 - Battle between unemployed war veterans & federal troops, 4 die
1932 - American President Herbert Hoover ordered Douglas MacArthur to evict "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington, DC. They were demanding money they were not scheduled to receive until 1945.
1933 - 1st singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), NYC
1933 - NFL divides into (2) 5 team divisions
1933 - Spain recognizes the USSR
1934 - 118°F (48°C), Orofino, Idaho (state record)
1935 - Belgium's Romain Maes, wins Tour de France
1937 - Eddie Paynter scores 322 for Lancashire against Sussex
1937 - Richard Moore scores 316 for Hampshire against Warwickshire
1938 - 34,000-ton Cunard-White Star liner Mauretania launched at Birkenhead
1938 - Bradman scores 202 Aust v Somerset, 225 mins, 32 fours
1939 - 5th Dutch government of Colijn falls
1940 - Radio Orange, London begins
1940 - Yankee Charlie Keller hits 3 HRs to beat White Sox 10-9
1941 - Plans for the Pentagon were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
1942 - L.A. Thatcher received a patent for a coin-operated mailbox. The device stamped envelopes when money was inserted.
1942 - Nazis liquidate 10,000 Jews in Minsk Belorussia Ghetto
1942 - Zionists partisans ZOB forms in Poland
1943 - Italian Facist dictator Benito Mussolini resigns
1943 - Pres FDR announces end of coffee rationing in US
1943 - World War II: Operation Gomorrah: The British bomb Hamburg causing a firestorm that kills 42,000 German civilians.
1944 - Hitler routes 4 division of South France to Normandy
1944 - US 8th Army corp occupies Coutances France
1945 - Japanese premier Suzuki disregards US ultimatum to surrender
1945 - US Army B-25 crashes into 79th floor of Empire State Bldg, 14 die
1945 - US Senate ratifies UN charter 89-2
1945 - A U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York City's Empire State Building. 14 people were killed and 26 were injured.
1947 - Iuliu Maniu's Boer party becomes forbidden in Romania
1948 - I G Farben chemical plant explodes in Ludwigshafen, Germany, 182 die
1948 - The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad foils a bullion robbery in the "Battle of London Airport".
1951 - "Kiss Me, Kate" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 1077 perfs
1951 - Walt Disney's "Alice In Wonderland" released
1951 - The Walt Disney film "Alice in Wonderland" was released.
1952 - Rogers Hornsby replaces Luke Sewell, as Cincinnati Reds manager
1954 - Ernest Blochs 4th string quartet, premieres
1955 - The Union Mundial pro Interlingua is founded at the first Interlingua congress in Tours, France.
1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis makes his 1st TV appearance (Steve Allen Show)
1957 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Wolverine Golf Open
1957 - White Sox' James Landis struck out 5 times in a game
1957 - Heavy rain and a mudslide in Isahaya, western Kyūshū, Japan, kill 992.
1959 - Great-Britain starts using postal codes
1959 - Hawaii's 1st US election sends 1st Asian-Americans to Congress
1960 - Republican National convention selects Richard Nixon as candidate
1962 - 19 die in a train crash in Steelton Pa
1962 - Mariner I launched to Mars falls into Atlantic Ocean
1963 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Wolverine Golf Open
1964 - England all out 611 in reply to Australia's 8-656 Match a draw
1964 - Ranger 7 launched toward the Moon; sent back 4308 TV pictures
1965 - U.S. President Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.
1967 - Pirate Radio Station 390 (Radio Invicta) (England) closes down
1971 - 16 time gold glover Brook Robinson commits 3 errors in 6th inning
1971 - Dutch ends censorship of "Blue Movie"
1972 - 39th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Dallas 20, All Stars 7 (54,162)
1973 - France performs nuclear Test at Muruora Island
1973 - Jane Blalock/Sandra Palmer wins Lady Angelo's 4-Ball Golf Tournament
1973 - Skylab 3's astronauts (Bean, Garriott & Lousma) launched
1973 - Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett were married.
1974 - 69 die when packed bus strikes heavy truck (Belem, Brazil)
1974 - Carole Jo Skala wins LPGA Wheeling Ladies Golf Classic
1976 - 242,000 die in Tientsin-Tangshan (China) 8.2 earthquake
1976 - 8.2 & 7.4 earthquake devastate Tangsha, China (240-750,000 die)
1976 - Eldon Joersz & Geo Morgan set world air speed record of 3,530 kph
1976 - White Sox John Odom (5 inn) & Francisco Barrios (4 inn) no-hits A's
1977 - 1st oil through the TransAlaska Pipeline System reach Valdez, Alaska
1977 - Roy Wilkins turn over NAACP leadership to Benjamin L Hooks
1977 - Test Cricket debut of Ian Botham v Aust Trent Bridge, 5-74 1st innings
1978 - 600,000 attend Watkins Glen Summer Jam in NY
1978 - At Old Timer's Game it's announced Martin will again manage Yankees
1978 - Price of gold tops $200-an-oz level for 1st time
1978 - USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1979 - Dave Kingman becomes 6th to have a 2nd 3 HR game
1979 - France performs nuclear Test
1980 - Peru adopts constitution, Fernando Belaúnde Terry becomes president
1982 - San Francisco, CA, became the first city in the U.S. to ban handguns.
1983 - AL Pres Lee MacPhail threw out umpire's decision & allows
1983 - USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1983 - George Brett's 2 run HR against Yanks on July 24 (pine tar game)
1983 - NASA launches Telstar-3A
1984 - 23rd modern Olympic games opens in Los Angeles
1985 - 13th du Maurier Golf Classic: Pat Bradley
1985 - Alan Garcia sworn in as president of Peru
1985 - L Brock, Slaughter, A Vaughan, & H Wilhelm inducted into Hall of Fame
1986 - Bomb attack in East Beirut, 25 killed
1986 - NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated
1987 - 42nd US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Laura Davies
1987 - Angel Cordero Jr becomes 4th jockey to win 6,000 races
1988 - IBM announces price hike on older models
1988 - Israeli diplomats arrive in Moscow for 1st visit in 21 years
1988 - Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank
1988 - Winnie Mandella's home in Soweto, South Africa destroyed by arson
1988 - Yanks' Tommy John makes 3 errors on 1 play yet beats Brewers 16-3
1989 - Braves Dale Murphy, hits 2 3-run HRs in an inning, 14th man to hit 2 HRs in an inning. Also ties record of 6 RBIs in an inning
1989 - Cards' Vince Coleman is caught stealing ends record streak at 50
1989 - NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleve, announce new high-temperature superconductors able to operate at 33 to 37 Gigahertz
1990 - Alberto Fujimoro installed as president of Peru
1990 - Blackout hits Chicago
1991 - "Gypsy" closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 105 performances
1991 - 12th US Seniors Golf Open: Jack Nicklaus
1991 - 29th Tennis Fed Cup: Spain beats USA in Nottingham England (2-1)
1991 - Buffalo Bills beat Philadelphia Eagles, 17-13 in American Bowl in Wembley
1991 - Dennis Martinez (Montreal Expos) pitched the 13th perfect game in major league baseball history.
1991 - Juli Inkster wins LPGA Bay State Golf Classic
1991 - Miguel Indurain of Spain wins Tour de France bicycle race
1992 - Ground breaking of Fla Marlins 7,500 seat spring training stadium
1993 - Mariner Ken Griffey Jr is 3rd to hit HRs in 8 straight games
1994 - Baseball players decide to strike on Aug 12, 1994
1994 - Last steel beam is placed on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1994 - Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers) pitched the 14th perfect game in major league baseball history.
1995 - Art Modell's rep begins secrets talks to move team to Baltimore
1996 - NY Yankee Darryl Strawberry hits his 300th HR
1996 - Vicki Fergon wins LPGA Micelob Light Heartland Golf Classic
1996 - Kennewick Man, the remains of a prehistoric man, is discovered near Kennewick, Washington.
1997 - NY Ranger center Mark Messier signs with Vancouver for $20M for 3 yrs
1997 - Peter Graf, father of Steffi, enters German jail for tax evasion
1997 - Guatemala becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
1998 - Bell Atlantic and GTE announced $52 billion deal that created the second-largest phone company.
1998 - Serbian military forces seized the Kosovo town of Malisevo.
1998 - Monica Lewinsky received blanket immunity from prosecution to testify before a grand jury about her relationship with U.S. President Clinton.
2000 - Kathie Lee Gifford made her final appearance as co-host of the ABC talk show "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee."
2002 - Nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, are rescued after 77 hours underground.
2005 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army call an end to their thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland.
2005 - A tornado touches down in a residential area in south Birmingham, England, causing £4,000,000 worth of damages and injuring 39 people.
2006 - Researchers announced that two ancient reptiles had been found off Australia. The Umoonasaurus and Opallionectes were the first of their kind to be found in the period soon after the Jurassic era.
2008 - The historic Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier burns down for a second time in 80 years.
2012 - Ye Shiwen of China sets world record in the women's 400m individual medley in 4:28.43
2012 - 18 people are killed and 11 injured in ethnic clashes in Ethiopia
2061 - 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
754 - Pope Stephen II, [III] makes Pippin de Korte, King of France
1148 - Crusaders attack Damascus
1402 - Battle at Ancyra/Angora/Ankara: Timur Lenk beats sultan Bajezid I
1434 - Navigator Gil Eanes leaves Cape Bojador for Lisbon
1540 - King Henry VIII of England's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed and Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
1579 - Cardinal Granvelle returns to Madrid
1586 - Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe on return to Britain
1588 - Spanish Armada sails to overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I
1609 - Admiral George Somers settles in Bermuda
1635 - Spanish marshal Piccolomini conquerors Schenkenschans
1696 - De Croissy succeeds Le Plectia as French minister of Finance
1708 - Monarch Amengkurat II [Sunan Mas] of Mataram gives himself up to VOC
1717 - Prussian king Frederik Willem I gives compulsory education to 5-12 yrs
1741 - Capt Bering discovers Mount St Elias, Alaska
1742 - Prussia & Austria sign peace treaty
1750 - The great baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach died.
1794 - Robespierre, one of the leading figures of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine. 22 others labelled terrorists executed to thunderous cheers
1808 - Mahmud II succeeds Mustafa IV as sultan of Turkey
1821 - Peru declares independence from Spain (National Day)
1849 - Memmon is 1st clipper to reach SF, 120 days out of NY
1851 - Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph
1858 - 1st use of fingerprints as a means of identification is made by Sir William James Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India
1858 - Nadar takes 1st airborne photo (in a balloon)
1858 - William Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India
1862 - Confederate forces defeated at More's Hill, Mo
1864 - 2nd day of battle at Deep Bottom Run Virginia
1864 - Battle of Atlanta: GA (Ezra Church) - second sortie US700 CS4642
1865 - The American Dental Association proposed its first code of ethics.
1866 - The metric system was legalized by the U.S. Congress for the standardization of weights and measures throughout the United States.
1868 - The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which established the citizenship of African Americans and guaranteed due process of law, was ratified.
1882 - Opera "Parsifal" is produced (Beirut)
1883 - Shocks triggered by volcano Epomeo (Isle of Ischia, Italy) destroyed 1,200 houses at Casamicciola killing 2,000
1886 - English Salisbury government forms
1896 - City of Miami incorporated
1898 - Spanish troops in Ponce, Puerto Rico, surrender
1898 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Retired Colourman"(BG)
1900 - Hamburger created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut
1906 - Yankees turn triple-play, beat Cleveland 6-4
1911 - 96°F (35.6°C) in De Bilt Netherlands
1913 - 12th Davis Cup: USA beats British Isles in Wimbledon (3-2)
1914 - Foxtrot 1st danced at New Amsterdam Roof Garden (NYC, by Harry Fox)
1914 - Minister of Navy W Churchill routes British fleet to Scapa Flow
1914 - World War I officially began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
1915 - 10,000 blacks march on 5th Ave (NYC) protesting lynchings
1915 - US forces invade Haiti, stays until 1924
1917 - Silent Parade in NYC to protest murders of blacks in race riots
1919 - Vrije Vakbewegings Internationale (VVI) forms in Amsterdam
1926 - US & Panamanian pact about safeguard of Panama Canal
1928 - 9th Olympic Games open in Amsterdam
1929 - Chicago Cardinals become 1st NFL team to train out of state (Mich)
1930 - 114°F (46°C), Greensburg, Kentucky (state record)
1931 - Congress makes "Star-Spangled Banner" our 2nd national anthem
1931 - White Sox score 11 in 8th to beat Yankees 14-12
1932 - Battle between unemployed war veterans & federal troops, 4 die
1932 - American President Herbert Hoover ordered Douglas MacArthur to evict "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington, DC. They were demanding money they were not scheduled to receive until 1945.
1933 - 1st singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), NYC
1933 - NFL divides into (2) 5 team divisions
1933 - Spain recognizes the USSR
1934 - 118°F (48°C), Orofino, Idaho (state record)
1935 - Belgium's Romain Maes, wins Tour de France
1937 - Eddie Paynter scores 322 for Lancashire against Sussex
1937 - Richard Moore scores 316 for Hampshire against Warwickshire
1938 - 34,000-ton Cunard-White Star liner Mauretania launched at Birkenhead
1938 - Bradman scores 202 Aust v Somerset, 225 mins, 32 fours
1939 - 5th Dutch government of Colijn falls
1940 - Radio Orange, London begins
1940 - Yankee Charlie Keller hits 3 HRs to beat White Sox 10-9
1941 - Plans for the Pentagon were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
1942 - L.A. Thatcher received a patent for a coin-operated mailbox. The device stamped envelopes when money was inserted.
1942 - Nazis liquidate 10,000 Jews in Minsk Belorussia Ghetto
1942 - Zionists partisans ZOB forms in Poland
1943 - Italian Facist dictator Benito Mussolini resigns
1943 - Pres FDR announces end of coffee rationing in US
1943 - World War II: Operation Gomorrah: The British bomb Hamburg causing a firestorm that kills 42,000 German civilians.
1944 - Hitler routes 4 division of South France to Normandy
1944 - US 8th Army corp occupies Coutances France
1945 - Japanese premier Suzuki disregards US ultimatum to surrender
1945 - US Army B-25 crashes into 79th floor of Empire State Bldg, 14 die
1945 - US Senate ratifies UN charter 89-2
1945 - A U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York City's Empire State Building. 14 people were killed and 26 were injured.
1947 - Iuliu Maniu's Boer party becomes forbidden in Romania
1948 - I G Farben chemical plant explodes in Ludwigshafen, Germany, 182 die
1948 - The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad foils a bullion robbery in the "Battle of London Airport".
1951 - "Kiss Me, Kate" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 1077 perfs
1951 - Walt Disney's "Alice In Wonderland" released
1951 - The Walt Disney film "Alice in Wonderland" was released.
1952 - Rogers Hornsby replaces Luke Sewell, as Cincinnati Reds manager
1954 - Ernest Blochs 4th string quartet, premieres
1955 - The Union Mundial pro Interlingua is founded at the first Interlingua congress in Tours, France.
1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis makes his 1st TV appearance (Steve Allen Show)
1957 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Wolverine Golf Open
1957 - White Sox' James Landis struck out 5 times in a game
1957 - Heavy rain and a mudslide in Isahaya, western Kyūshū, Japan, kill 992.
1959 - Great-Britain starts using postal codes
1959 - Hawaii's 1st US election sends 1st Asian-Americans to Congress
1960 - Republican National convention selects Richard Nixon as candidate
1962 - 19 die in a train crash in Steelton Pa
1962 - Mariner I launched to Mars falls into Atlantic Ocean
1963 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Wolverine Golf Open
1964 - England all out 611 in reply to Australia's 8-656 Match a draw
1964 - Ranger 7 launched toward the Moon; sent back 4308 TV pictures
1965 - U.S. President Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.
1967 - Pirate Radio Station 390 (Radio Invicta) (England) closes down
1971 - 16 time gold glover Brook Robinson commits 3 errors in 6th inning
1971 - Dutch ends censorship of "Blue Movie"
1972 - 39th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Dallas 20, All Stars 7 (54,162)
1973 - France performs nuclear Test at Muruora Island
1973 - Jane Blalock/Sandra Palmer wins Lady Angelo's 4-Ball Golf Tournament
1973 - Skylab 3's astronauts (Bean, Garriott & Lousma) launched
1973 - Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett were married.
1974 - 69 die when packed bus strikes heavy truck (Belem, Brazil)
1974 - Carole Jo Skala wins LPGA Wheeling Ladies Golf Classic
1976 - 242,000 die in Tientsin-Tangshan (China) 8.2 earthquake
1976 - 8.2 & 7.4 earthquake devastate Tangsha, China (240-750,000 die)
1976 - Eldon Joersz & Geo Morgan set world air speed record of 3,530 kph
1976 - White Sox John Odom (5 inn) & Francisco Barrios (4 inn) no-hits A's
1977 - 1st oil through the TransAlaska Pipeline System reach Valdez, Alaska
1977 - Roy Wilkins turn over NAACP leadership to Benjamin L Hooks
1977 - Test Cricket debut of Ian Botham v Aust Trent Bridge, 5-74 1st innings
1978 - 600,000 attend Watkins Glen Summer Jam in NY
1978 - At Old Timer's Game it's announced Martin will again manage Yankees
1978 - Price of gold tops $200-an-oz level for 1st time
1978 - USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1979 - Dave Kingman becomes 6th to have a 2nd 3 HR game
1979 - France performs nuclear Test
1980 - Peru adopts constitution, Fernando Belaúnde Terry becomes president
1982 - San Francisco, CA, became the first city in the U.S. to ban handguns.
1983 - AL Pres Lee MacPhail threw out umpire's decision & allows
1983 - USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1983 - George Brett's 2 run HR against Yanks on July 24 (pine tar game)
1983 - NASA launches Telstar-3A
1984 - 23rd modern Olympic games opens in Los Angeles
1985 - 13th du Maurier Golf Classic: Pat Bradley
1985 - Alan Garcia sworn in as president of Peru
1985 - L Brock, Slaughter, A Vaughan, & H Wilhelm inducted into Hall of Fame
1986 - Bomb attack in East Beirut, 25 killed
1986 - NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated
1987 - 42nd US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Laura Davies
1987 - Angel Cordero Jr becomes 4th jockey to win 6,000 races
1988 - IBM announces price hike on older models
1988 - Israeli diplomats arrive in Moscow for 1st visit in 21 years
1988 - Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank
1988 - Winnie Mandella's home in Soweto, South Africa destroyed by arson
1988 - Yanks' Tommy John makes 3 errors on 1 play yet beats Brewers 16-3
1989 - Braves Dale Murphy, hits 2 3-run HRs in an inning, 14th man to hit 2 HRs in an inning. Also ties record of 6 RBIs in an inning
1989 - Cards' Vince Coleman is caught stealing ends record streak at 50
1989 - NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleve, announce new high-temperature superconductors able to operate at 33 to 37 Gigahertz
1990 - Alberto Fujimoro installed as president of Peru
1990 - Blackout hits Chicago
1991 - "Gypsy" closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 105 performances
1991 - 12th US Seniors Golf Open: Jack Nicklaus
1991 - 29th Tennis Fed Cup: Spain beats USA in Nottingham England (2-1)
1991 - Buffalo Bills beat Philadelphia Eagles, 17-13 in American Bowl in Wembley
1991 - Dennis Martinez (Montreal Expos) pitched the 13th perfect game in major league baseball history.
1991 - Juli Inkster wins LPGA Bay State Golf Classic
1991 - Miguel Indurain of Spain wins Tour de France bicycle race
1992 - Ground breaking of Fla Marlins 7,500 seat spring training stadium
1993 - Mariner Ken Griffey Jr is 3rd to hit HRs in 8 straight games
1994 - Baseball players decide to strike on Aug 12, 1994
1994 - Last steel beam is placed on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1994 - Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers) pitched the 14th perfect game in major league baseball history.
1995 - Art Modell's rep begins secrets talks to move team to Baltimore
1996 - NY Yankee Darryl Strawberry hits his 300th HR
1996 - Vicki Fergon wins LPGA Micelob Light Heartland Golf Classic
1996 - Kennewick Man, the remains of a prehistoric man, is discovered near Kennewick, Washington.
1997 - NY Ranger center Mark Messier signs with Vancouver for $20M for 3 yrs
1997 - Peter Graf, father of Steffi, enters German jail for tax evasion
1997 - Guatemala becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
1998 - Bell Atlantic and GTE announced $52 billion deal that created the second-largest phone company.
1998 - Serbian military forces seized the Kosovo town of Malisevo.
1998 - Monica Lewinsky received blanket immunity from prosecution to testify before a grand jury about her relationship with U.S. President Clinton.
2000 - Kathie Lee Gifford made her final appearance as co-host of the ABC talk show "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee."
2002 - Nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, are rescued after 77 hours underground.
2005 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army call an end to their thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland.
2005 - A tornado touches down in a residential area in south Birmingham, England, causing £4,000,000 worth of damages and injuring 39 people.
2006 - Researchers announced that two ancient reptiles had been found off Australia. The Umoonasaurus and Opallionectes were the first of their kind to be found in the period soon after the Jurassic era.
2008 - The historic Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier burns down for a second time in 80 years.
2012 - Ye Shiwen of China sets world record in the women's 400m individual medley in 4:28.43
2012 - 18 people are killed and 11 injured in ethnic clashes in Ethiopia
2061 - 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
Music History for July 28:
1750 - Johann Sebastian Bach died after an unsuccessful eye operation.
1893 - Composer Rued Immanuel Langgaard was born.
1933 - The first singing telegram was sent. It was given to Rudy Vallee on his 32nd birthday.
1939 - Judy Garland recorded "Over the Rainbow."
1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis made his television debut on "The Steve Allen Show."
1970 - The movie "Ned Kelly" opened in which Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) made his acting debut.
Rolling Stones Apparel and Gear
1973 - Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band" was released.
1973 - A rock festival took place in Watkins Glen, NY. About 600-thousand people watched the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and The Band perform.
1979 - The World Series of Rock was held at Cleveland Stadium, with Journey, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.
1987 - The Beatles sued Nike and Capitol Records over the use of their song "Revolution" in shoe commercials.
Today in Beatles History - Beatles apparel and gear
1993 - The 10,000 Maniacs played their last show with lead singer Natalie Merchant. Merchant left the group to pursue a solo career.
1995 - Michael Jackson's video "You Are Not Alone" was premiered.
Today in Michael Jackson History - Michael Jackson Apparel - Michael Jackson MP3s, DVDs and CDs
1995 - Jimi Hendrix' father James Al Hendrix won back the rights to his son's name, likeness, image and music after a number of companies had profited from them over the years.
Jimi Hendrix apparel and gear
1998 - It was announced that Toad The Wet Sprocket was disbanding.
1998 - Mary J. Blige's first album, "What's the 411?", was released.
2000 - A U.S. federal appeals court granted a last minute stay of an injunction that ordered Napster, Inc., to shut down. The order to stop operations came on July 26, 2000.
2001 - The Eagles played the first concert at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.
1893 - Composer Rued Immanuel Langgaard was born.
1933 - The first singing telegram was sent. It was given to Rudy Vallee on his 32nd birthday.
1939 - Judy Garland recorded "Over the Rainbow."
1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis made his television debut on "The Steve Allen Show."
1970 - The movie "Ned Kelly" opened in which Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) made his acting debut.
Rolling Stones Apparel and Gear
1973 - Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band" was released.
1973 - A rock festival took place in Watkins Glen, NY. About 600-thousand people watched the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and The Band perform.
1979 - The World Series of Rock was held at Cleveland Stadium, with Journey, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.
1987 - The Beatles sued Nike and Capitol Records over the use of their song "Revolution" in shoe commercials.
Today in Beatles History - Beatles apparel and gear
1993 - The 10,000 Maniacs played their last show with lead singer Natalie Merchant. Merchant left the group to pursue a solo career.
1995 - Michael Jackson's video "You Are Not Alone" was premiered.
Today in Michael Jackson History - Michael Jackson Apparel - Michael Jackson MP3s, DVDs and CDs
1995 - Jimi Hendrix' father James Al Hendrix won back the rights to his son's name, likeness, image and music after a number of companies had profited from them over the years.
Jimi Hendrix apparel and gear
1998 - It was announced that Toad The Wet Sprocket was disbanding.
1998 - Mary J. Blige's first album, "What's the 411?", was released.
2000 - A U.S. federal appeals court granted a last minute stay of an injunction that ordered Napster, Inc., to shut down. The order to stop operations came on July 26, 2000.
2001 - The Eagles played the first concert at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.
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/jul28.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Papal Visit to Brazil: The "Slum Pope" Addresses the Poor About Poverty
I am far from the most religious man around. If I had to describe myself in that way, then probably, the popular decriptive line "spitual, but not religious" would apply. Yes, I definitely have had problems with organized religion in general, and perhaps Catholicism and the pope in particular. It's just that the pope is seen as God's representative here on Earth, and thus, he is seen as infallible. The problem with that is that nobody, no human being, is infallible. And just in case anyone forgets that, there have been no shortage of examples of this throughout the history of the Papacy and the Catholic church. What the Church did to those who believed differently than they did, particularly against names like Copernicus and Galileo, still resonates.
For that matter, getting along with Hitler and the Nazi regime would tend to discredit it, as well. Some may cite practical political considerations, and perhaps even with some validation. But then again, Catholicism is a religion, and thus, is supposed to aspire to higher morals than mere politics. The fact that it did not shows, far from infallibility, severe, and very human, limitations.
These same limitations have been under the microscope now for well over a decade, as one scandal after another involving Catholic priests abusing young boys keeps being swept under the rug, and largely ignored, by the Vatican.
Also, the Vatican owns a tremendous amount of wealth. I mean, it's obscene! There are priceless treasures all over the Vatican, to the point that it is almost unfathomable. To think of all of that wealth, and the Pope sitting on his golden throne, while a huge percentage of the faithful have traditionally lived, and continue presently to live, under severe and even grinding poverty, just seems to run counter to the very spirit of what Jesus taught.
These paradoxes have seemed glaringly obvious, and have left the Church seemingly guilty of severe paradoxes and contradictions. The only ones who do not seem to ackowledge this are believers and church officials themselves.
But that said, this pope, Francis I, was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be more of a common man himself, not so much an elitist. Also, he had a strong and long record of speaking in defense of the poor, and being critical of the rich. Whatever other positions one (such as myself) might disagree with, perhaps the most critical of them is at least ackowledging some measure of the hypocrisy between high ranking church officials who seem to like their privileges a little too much, versus the supposedly core Christian doctrine of helping those who are less fortunate, as Jesus clearly said in the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes.
The new pope, Francis I, is supposed to be different. He has gained the nickname the "slum pope".
Francis I seems to truly be more sympathetic, more kind, to those less fortunate. He does not simply and conveniently turn a blind eye to the masses of poor. He not only addresses them and tries to give them hope, but he criticizes the larger "culture of selfishness", as he calls it, and calls on those with far more resources to do more to help out. Not to hog the wealth, in other words, but to make life more bearable for those under the grinded under the economic wheel, those who find themselves under the heel of crushing poverty.
A couple of days ago, during his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis I visited Varginha, one of the most decadent and poverty infested sections of all of Brazil. He urged young people not to give in to despair and hopelessness, and even urged them to shake up the church, in order to gain a better focus on poverty, which is one of the key issues for this pope.
He blasted what he called the "culture of selfishness", and the richest trying to horde all wealth and privileges, and tried to counter that with Christian doctrines of fairer wealth distribution, and treating all people as neighbors, and helping the poor.
“The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty!”, he told those assembled.
"Let us always remember this: Only when we are able to share do we become truly rich," he said. "Everything that is shared is multiplied!"
Here is one article about the Pope's visit to Rio. It is titled "'Slum Pope' Visits Brazil's Poor, and was written by Eric Marrapodi, Shasta Darlington and Miguel Marquez, of CNN:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/25/slum-pope-visits-brazils-poor/
For that matter, getting along with Hitler and the Nazi regime would tend to discredit it, as well. Some may cite practical political considerations, and perhaps even with some validation. But then again, Catholicism is a religion, and thus, is supposed to aspire to higher morals than mere politics. The fact that it did not shows, far from infallibility, severe, and very human, limitations.
These same limitations have been under the microscope now for well over a decade, as one scandal after another involving Catholic priests abusing young boys keeps being swept under the rug, and largely ignored, by the Vatican.
Also, the Vatican owns a tremendous amount of wealth. I mean, it's obscene! There are priceless treasures all over the Vatican, to the point that it is almost unfathomable. To think of all of that wealth, and the Pope sitting on his golden throne, while a huge percentage of the faithful have traditionally lived, and continue presently to live, under severe and even grinding poverty, just seems to run counter to the very spirit of what Jesus taught.
These paradoxes have seemed glaringly obvious, and have left the Church seemingly guilty of severe paradoxes and contradictions. The only ones who do not seem to ackowledge this are believers and church officials themselves.
But that said, this pope, Francis I, was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be more of a common man himself, not so much an elitist. Also, he had a strong and long record of speaking in defense of the poor, and being critical of the rich. Whatever other positions one (such as myself) might disagree with, perhaps the most critical of them is at least ackowledging some measure of the hypocrisy between high ranking church officials who seem to like their privileges a little too much, versus the supposedly core Christian doctrine of helping those who are less fortunate, as Jesus clearly said in the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes.
The new pope, Francis I, is supposed to be different. He has gained the nickname the "slum pope".
Francis I seems to truly be more sympathetic, more kind, to those less fortunate. He does not simply and conveniently turn a blind eye to the masses of poor. He not only addresses them and tries to give them hope, but he criticizes the larger "culture of selfishness", as he calls it, and calls on those with far more resources to do more to help out. Not to hog the wealth, in other words, but to make life more bearable for those under the grinded under the economic wheel, those who find themselves under the heel of crushing poverty.
A couple of days ago, during his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis I visited Varginha, one of the most decadent and poverty infested sections of all of Brazil. He urged young people not to give in to despair and hopelessness, and even urged them to shake up the church, in order to gain a better focus on poverty, which is one of the key issues for this pope.
He blasted what he called the "culture of selfishness", and the richest trying to horde all wealth and privileges, and tried to counter that with Christian doctrines of fairer wealth distribution, and treating all people as neighbors, and helping the poor.
“The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty!”, he told those assembled.
"Let us always remember this: Only when we are able to share do we become truly rich," he said. "Everything that is shared is multiplied!"
Here is one article about the Pope's visit to Rio. It is titled "'Slum Pope' Visits Brazil's Poor, and was written by Eric Marrapodi, Shasta Darlington and Miguel Marquez, of CNN:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/25/slum-pope-visits-brazils-poor/
On this Day in History - July 27 Robespierre Overthrown During "The Reign of Terror" and the Last Citroen 2CV Was Made in Portugal (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 27, 1974: House begins impeachment of Nixon
On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommends that America's 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, be impeached and removed from office. The impeachment proceedings resulted from a series of political scandals involving the Nixon administration that came to be collectively known as Watergate.
The Watergate scandal first came to light following a break-in on June 17, 1972, at the Democratic Party’s national headquarters in the Watergate apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C. A group of men linked to the White House were later arrested and charged with the crime. Nixon denied any involvement with the break-in, but several of his staff members were eventually implicated in an illegal cover-up and forced to resign. Subsequent government investigations revealed "dirty tricks" political campaigning by the Committee to Re-Elect the President, along with a White House "enemies list." In July 1973, one of Nixon’s former staff members revealed the existence of secretly taped conversations between the president and his aides. Nixon initially refused to release the tapes, on grounds of executive privilege and national security, but a judge later ordered the president to turn them over. The White House provided some but not all of the tapes, including one from which a portion of the conversation appeared to have been erased.
In May 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began formal impeachment hearings against Nixon. On July 27 of that year, the first article of impeachment against the president was passed. Two more articles, for abuse of power and contempt of Congress, were approved on July 29 and 30. On August 5, Nixon complied with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring that he provide transcripts of the missing tapes, and the new evidence clearly implicated him in a cover up of the Watergate break-in. On August 8, Nixon announced his resignation, becoming the first president in U.S. history to voluntarily leave office. After departing the White House on August 9, Nixon was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who, in a controversial move, pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, making it impossible for the former president to be prosecuted for any crimes he might have committed while in office. Only two other presidents in U.S. history have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.
July 27, 1943: Stalin issues Order No. 227—outlawing cowards
On this day in 1943, Joseph Stalin, premier and dictator of the Soviet Union, issues Order No. 227, what came to be known as the "Not one step backward" order, in light of German advances into Russian territory. The order declared, "Panic makers and cowards must be liquidated on the spot. Not one step backward without orders from higher headquarters! Commanders...who abandon a position without an order from higher headquarters are traitors to the Fatherland."
Early German successes against Russia had emboldened Hitler in his goal of taking Leningrad and Stalingrad. But the German attack on Stalingrad, thought foolhardy by Hitler's generals, because of Russia's superior manpower and the enormous drain on German resources and troop strength, was repulsed by a fierce Soviet fighting force, which had been reinforced with greater numbers of men and materials. The Germans then turned their sights on Leningrad. Stalin needed to "motivate" both officers and civilians alike in their defense of Leningrad—hence, Order No. 227. But it was hardly necessary. On the same day the order was given, Russian peasants and partisans in the Leningrad region killed a German official, Adolf Beck, whose job was to send agricultural products from occupied Russia to Germany or German troops. The Russian patriots also set fire to the granaries and barns in which the stash of agricultural products was stored before transport. A partisan pamphlet issued an order of its own: "Russians! Destroy the German landowners. Drive the Germans from the land of the Soviets!"
Today, the coup of Thermidor/the fall of Robespierre, took place.
July 27, 1794 - Robespierre overthrown in France
Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, is overthrown and arrested by the National Convention. As the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety from 1793, Robespierre encouraged the execution, mostly by guillotine, of more than 17,000 enemies of the Revolution. The day after his arrest, Robespierre and 21 of his followers were guillotined before a cheering mob in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras, France, in 1758. He studied law through a scholarship and in 1789 was elected to be a representative of the Arras commoners in the Estates General. After the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy, declared itself the National Assembly, Robespierre became a prominent member of the Revolutionary body. He took a radical, democratic stance and was known as "the Incorruptible" for his dedication to civic morality. In April 1790, he presided over the Jacobins, a powerful political club that promoted the ideas of the French Revolution.
In the National Convention, he emerged as the leader of the Mountain, as the Jacobin faction was known, and opposed the Girondins. In December 1792, he successfully argued in favor of Louis XVI's execution, and in May 1793 he encouraged the people to rise up in insurrection over military defeats and a food shortage. The uprising gave him an opportunity to finally purge the Girondins.
On June 4, 1794, Robespierre was almost unanimously elected president of the National Convention. Six days later, a law was passed that suspended a suspect's right to public trial and to legal assistance. In just a month, 1,400 enemies of the Revolution were guillotined. The Terror was being escalated just when foreign invasion no longer threatened the republic, and an awkward coalition of the right and the left formed to oppose Robespierre and his followers
On July 27, 1794 (9 Thermidor in the Revolutionary calendar), Robespierre and his allies were placed under arrest by the National Assembly. Robespierre was taken to the Luxembourg prison in Paris, but the warden refused to jail him, and he fled to the Hotel de Ville. Armed supporters arrived to aid him, but he refused to lead a new insurrection. When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he shot himself in the head but only succeeded in wounding his jaw. Shortly thereafter, troops of the National Convention attacked the Hotel de Ville and seized Robespierre and his allies. The next evening--July 28--Robespierre and 21 others were guillotined without a trial in the Place de la Revolution. During the next few days, another 82 Robespierre followers were executed. The Reign of Terror was at an end.
Also, something more of a pleasant memory to me than anything else, it was on this day in history, back in 1990, that the last ever Citroen 2CV, one of my personal favorite cars of all time, rolled off a factory line in Portugal. This car was France's answer to the Volkswagon Beetle, and has a funny history in it's own right (perhaps I will get more into that in some future blog entry). It is an oddly charming looking car, with a distinctive shape. It looked old, even antique. The main idea was that it was a small, affordable car, and it had some really cool advantages. In particular, it was simple (which is what helped to make it financially viable), and so easy to fix as a result. As the name suggests, it only had two horsepower, but it was a car, and it had the advantage of being easily converted into a makeshift convertible. These cars used to be all over the place in France, among other places - as common as the Volkswagon Beetle. But all good things come to an end, and the last one was made in Portugal in 1990.
July 27, 1990: Last Citroen 2CV rolls off the line in Portugal
The last Citroen 2CV, known as the "Tin Snail" for its distinctive shape, rolls off the production line at the company's plant inMangualde , Portugal
The French engineer and industrialist Andre Citroen converted his munitions plant into an automobile company after World War I; beginning in 1919, it was the first automaker to mass-produce cars outside of the United States. As inGermany (the Volkswagen Beetle), Italy (the Fiat 500) and Britain (Austin Mini), the rise of mass car ownership in France
The 2CV ("Deux Chevaux Vapeur" in French, or "two steam horses," a reference toFrance Eiffel Tower as a quintessential symbol of France Charleston
By the late 1980s, however, consumers were no longer wild about the 2CV's quirky, antiquated design. This fact, combined with poor performance according to crash-testing and anti-pollution standards, led to the Tin Snail's demise. In 1988, production moved fromFrance to Portugal
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
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/jul27.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
July 27, 1974: House begins impeachment of Nixon
On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommends that America's 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, be impeached and removed from office. The impeachment proceedings resulted from a series of political scandals involving the Nixon administration that came to be collectively known as Watergate.
The Watergate scandal first came to light following a break-in on June 17, 1972, at the Democratic Party’s national headquarters in the Watergate apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C. A group of men linked to the White House were later arrested and charged with the crime. Nixon denied any involvement with the break-in, but several of his staff members were eventually implicated in an illegal cover-up and forced to resign. Subsequent government investigations revealed "dirty tricks" political campaigning by the Committee to Re-Elect the President, along with a White House "enemies list." In July 1973, one of Nixon’s former staff members revealed the existence of secretly taped conversations between the president and his aides. Nixon initially refused to release the tapes, on grounds of executive privilege and national security, but a judge later ordered the president to turn them over. The White House provided some but not all of the tapes, including one from which a portion of the conversation appeared to have been erased.
In May 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began formal impeachment hearings against Nixon. On July 27 of that year, the first article of impeachment against the president was passed. Two more articles, for abuse of power and contempt of Congress, were approved on July 29 and 30. On August 5, Nixon complied with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring that he provide transcripts of the missing tapes, and the new evidence clearly implicated him in a cover up of the Watergate break-in. On August 8, Nixon announced his resignation, becoming the first president in U.S. history to voluntarily leave office. After departing the White House on August 9, Nixon was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who, in a controversial move, pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, making it impossible for the former president to be prosecuted for any crimes he might have committed while in office. Only two other presidents in U.S. history have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.
July 27, 1943: Stalin issues Order No. 227—outlawing cowards
On this day in 1943, Joseph Stalin, premier and dictator of the Soviet Union, issues Order No. 227, what came to be known as the "Not one step backward" order, in light of German advances into Russian territory. The order declared, "Panic makers and cowards must be liquidated on the spot. Not one step backward without orders from higher headquarters! Commanders...who abandon a position without an order from higher headquarters are traitors to the Fatherland."
Early German successes against Russia had emboldened Hitler in his goal of taking Leningrad and Stalingrad. But the German attack on Stalingrad, thought foolhardy by Hitler's generals, because of Russia's superior manpower and the enormous drain on German resources and troop strength, was repulsed by a fierce Soviet fighting force, which had been reinforced with greater numbers of men and materials. The Germans then turned their sights on Leningrad. Stalin needed to "motivate" both officers and civilians alike in their defense of Leningrad—hence, Order No. 227. But it was hardly necessary. On the same day the order was given, Russian peasants and partisans in the Leningrad region killed a German official, Adolf Beck, whose job was to send agricultural products from occupied Russia to Germany or German troops. The Russian patriots also set fire to the granaries and barns in which the stash of agricultural products was stored before transport. A partisan pamphlet issued an order of its own: "Russians! Destroy the German landowners. Drive the Germans from the land of the Soviets!"
Today, the coup of Thermidor/the fall of Robespierre, took place.
July 27, 1794 - Robespierre overthrown in France
Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, is overthrown and arrested by the National Convention. As the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety from 1793, Robespierre encouraged the execution, mostly by guillotine, of more than 17,000 enemies of the Revolution. The day after his arrest, Robespierre and 21 of his followers were guillotined before a cheering mob in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras, France, in 1758. He studied law through a scholarship and in 1789 was elected to be a representative of the Arras commoners in the Estates General. After the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy, declared itself the National Assembly, Robespierre became a prominent member of the Revolutionary body. He took a radical, democratic stance and was known as "the Incorruptible" for his dedication to civic morality. In April 1790, he presided over the Jacobins, a powerful political club that promoted the ideas of the French Revolution.
He called for King Louis XVI to be put on trial for treason and won many enemies, but the people of Paris consistently came to his defense. In 1791, he excluded himself from the new Legislative Assembly but continued to be politically active as a member of the Jacobin Club. In 1792, he opposed the war proposal of the Girondins--moderate leaders in the Legislative Assembly--and lost some popularity. However, after the people of Paris rose up against the king in August 1792, Robespierre was elected to the insurrectionary Commune of Paris. He then was elected to head the Paris delegation to the new National Convention.
On July 27, 1793, Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, which was formed in April to protect France against its enemies, foreign and domestic, and to oversee the government. Under his leadership, the committee came to exercise virtual dictatorial control over the French government. Faced with the threat of civil war and foreign invasion, the Revolutionary government inaugurated the Reign of Terror in September. In less than a year, 300,000 suspected enemies of the Revolution were arrested; at least 10,000 died in prison, and 17,000 were officially executed, many by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution. In the orgy of bloodshed, Robespierre succeeded in purging many of his political opponents.
On July 27, 1794 (9 Thermidor in the Revolutionary calendar), Robespierre and his allies were placed under arrest by the National Assembly. Robespierre was taken to the Luxembourg prison in Paris, but the warden refused to jail him, and he fled to the Hotel de Ville. Armed supporters arrived to aid him, but he refused to lead a new insurrection. When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he shot himself in the head but only succeeded in wounding his jaw. Shortly thereafter, troops of the National Convention attacked the Hotel de Ville and seized Robespierre and his allies. The next evening--July 28--Robespierre and 21 others were guillotined without a trial in the Place de la Revolution. During the next few days, another 82 Robespierre followers were executed. The Reign of Terror was at an end.
In the aftermath of the coup, the Committee of Public Safety lost its authority, the prisons were emptied, and the French Revolution became decidedly less radical. The Directory that followed saw a return to bourgeois values, corruption, and military failure. In 1799, the Directory was overthrown in a military coup led by Napoleon Bonaparte, who wielded dictatorial powers in France as first consul and, after 1804, as French emperor.
Also, something more of a pleasant memory to me than anything else, it was on this day in history, back in 1990, that the last ever Citroen 2CV, one of my personal favorite cars of all time, rolled off a factory line in Portugal. This car was France's answer to the Volkswagon Beetle, and has a funny history in it's own right (perhaps I will get more into that in some future blog entry). It is an oddly charming looking car, with a distinctive shape. It looked old, even antique. The main idea was that it was a small, affordable car, and it had some really cool advantages. In particular, it was simple (which is what helped to make it financially viable), and so easy to fix as a result. As the name suggests, it only had two horsepower, but it was a car, and it had the advantage of being easily converted into a makeshift convertible. These cars used to be all over the place in France, among other places - as common as the Volkswagon Beetle. But all good things come to an end, and the last one was made in Portugal in 1990.
July 27, 1990: Last Citroen 2CV rolls off the line in Portugal
The last Citroen 2CV, known as the "Tin Snail" for its distinctive shape, rolls off the production line at the company's plant in
The French engineer and industrialist Andre Citroen converted his munitions plant into an automobile company after World War I; beginning in 1919, it was the first automaker to mass-produce cars outside of the United States. As in
The 2CV ("Deux Chevaux Vapeur" in French, or "two steam horses," a reference to
By the late 1980s, however, consumers were no longer wild about the 2CV's quirky, antiquated design. This fact, combined with poor performance according to crash-testing and anti-pollution standards, led to the Tin Snail's demise. In 1988, production moved from
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
432 - St Celestine I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1214 - 1st battle of Bouvines - King Philips II vs Emperor Otto IV
1230 - Treaty of San-Germano between Emperor Frederik II & Pope Gregory IX
1280 - Sogen Mugaku, founder of Engakuji temple arrives in Japan from China
1298 - Albert (Albrecht) I, son of Rudolf of Habsburg, crowned King of the Germans
1360 - Danish King Waldemar IV destroys Visby Gotland
1501 - Copernicus formally installed as canon of Frauenberg Cathedral
1549 - Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reached Japan.
1563 - French army recaptures Le Havre
1586 - Sir Walter Raleigh brings 1st tobacco to England from Virginia
1641 - Prince Frederik Henry captures castle of Gennep
1643 - Cromwell defeats Royalist at Battle of Gainsborough
1655 - Jews of New Amsterdam petition for a Jewish cemetery
1655 - Netherlands & Brandenburg sign military treaty
1661 - Parliament confirms Navigation Act
1663 - English parliament accepts Staple Act
1689 - Battle of Killicrankie Jacobite Scottish Highlanders under Viscount Dundee defeat royal force under General MacKay
1694 - Bank of England granted 12 year charter by Act of Parliament
1713 - Russia & Turkey sign peace treaty
Mathematician and Astronomer Nicolaus CopernicusMathematician and Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus 1714 - Battle at Hango (Hangut): Russians beat Swedish fleet
1714 - English Queen Anne fires premier Robert Haley
1720 - The second important victory of the Russian Navy - the Battle of Grengam.
1789 - Congress establishes Dept of Foreign Affairs (State dept)
1794 - Coup of thermidor/fall of Robespierre in Paris
1795 - Spain & France sign peace treaty
1809 - Battle at Talavera: British/Spanish army vs French army
1816 - US troops destroy Ft Apalachicola, a Seminole fort, to punish Indians for harboring runaway slaves
1830 - Revolution breaks out in Paris, opposing laws of Charles X
1836 - Adelaide, South Australia founded
1837 - US Mint opens in Charlotte, NC
1839 - Chartist riots break out in Birmingham England
1844 - Fire destroys US mint at Charlotte, NC
1861 - Battle of Mathias Point, VA - Rebel forces repel a Federal landing
1861 - Battle of St Augustine Springs, NM Terr
1861 - Confederate troops occupy Fort Fillmore, New Mexico
1861 - Union General George McClellan takes command from McDowell of Potamic Army
1862 - Hurricane hits Canton; about 40,000 die
1862 - Steamer "Golden Gate" burns & sinks off west coast of Mexico
1864 - Battle of Darbytown, VA (Deep Bottom, Newmarket Road) (Strawberry Plains)
1865 - Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina.
1866 - Atlantic telegraph cable successfully laid (1,686 miles long)
1880 - A P Abourne patents a process for refining coconut oil
1880 - Battle of Maiwand, at which Dr Watson is wounded, breaks out
1888 - Philip Pratt unveils 1st electric automobile
1891 - Titus van Wyck succeeds M de Savornin Lohman as gov of Suriname
1897 - 14.75" (37.5 cm) of rainfall, Jewell, Maryland (state 24-hr record)
1897 - Dutch government of Pierson/Goeman Borgesius resigns
1898 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Dancing Men" (BG)
Aviator Orville WrightAviator Orville Wright 1909 - Orville Wright tests 1st US Army airplane, flying 1h12m40s
1913 - Belgian Philippe Thys wins Tour de France
1914 - Roda JC soccer team forms in Kerkrade
1914 - Felix Manalo registers the Iglesia ni Cristo with the Filipino government.
1917 - The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele.
1918 - Socony 200, 1st concrete barge in US, launched to carry oil, NY
1919 - Chicago race riot (15 whites & 23 blacks killed, 500 injured)
1920 - Radio compass used for 1st time for aircraft navigation
1920 - Resolute beats Shamrock IV (England) in 14th running of America's Cup
1921 - 2nd government of Ruijs de Beerenbrouck forms
1921 - Frederick Banting & Charles Best isolates insulin at U of Toronto
1922 - International Geographical Union forms in Brussels
1924 - 8th Olympic games closes in Paris
1927 - Mel Ott, 18, hits his 1st league home run (inside the park)
1928 - AVRO, General Vereniging Radio Omroep, forms
1928 - Tich Freeman becomes only bowler ever to take 200 first-class wickets before end of July.
1929 - Dike of Wieringermeerpolder finished
1930 - Andre Leducq wins Tour de France
1931 - Chilean president Carlos Ibáñez forced out
1931 - Grasshoppers in Iowa, Nebr & SD destroyed thousands of acres of crops
1932 - Paul Gorgoulov, French president Doumer's assassin, sentenced to death
1934 - French socialist/communist party of People's Front forms
1935 - Floods at Yangtzee Jiang & Hoangh, kills 200,000
1937 - 32nd Davis Cup: USA beats Great Britain in Wimbledon (4-1)
1940 - Billboard magazine starts publishing bestseller charts
1940 - Bugs Bunny debuts in "Wild Hare"
1941 - 103°F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in July
1941 - German army enters Ukraine
1941 - Japanese forces land in Indo-China
1943 - 772 British bombers attack Hamburg
1944 - 1st British jet fighter used in combat (Gloster Meteor)
1944 - Soviet Army frees Majdanek concentration camp
1944 - US regains possession of Guam from Japanese
1944 - US troops occupy le Mesnil-Herman/Hill 183 Normandy
1945 - Cubs purchase pitcher Hank Borowy from NY Yankees
1945 - US Communist Party forms
1946 - Boston Red Sox Rudy York hits 2 grand slams in 1 game, gets 10 RBIs
1947 - Yogi Berri starts record 148 game errorless streak
1948 - Australia set 404 to win v England at Headingley
1948 - Bradman's 29th & last Test Cricket century, part of winning 3-404
1948 - Otto Skorzeny escapes anti-nazi camp at Darmstadt
1949 - 1st jet-propelled airline (De Havilland Comet) flies
1950 - Pres Harry Truman promises aid to Taiwan
1952 - Emile Zatopek runs Olympic record marathon (2:23:03.2)
1953 - 1st insulin isolated by F Banting & C Best in Toronto
1953 - North Korea & UN sign armistice
1953 - Vatican disallows priest holiday work in factory
1953 - Dizzy Dean, Al Simmons Chief Bender, Bobby Wallace, Harry Wright, Ed Barrow, & Bill Klem & Tom Connolly are inducted into Hall of Fame
1954 - 36th PGA Championship: Chick Herbert at Keller GC St Paul Minn
1954 - Armistice divides Vietnam into two countries
1955 - Austria regains full independence after 4-power occupation
1955 - Israeli passenger plane shot down above Bulgaria, 58 die
1956 - Jim Laker takes 9-37 in Australia's 1st innings at Manchester
1957 - St James' Theater in London closes
1958 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA French Lick Golf Open
1959 - Abbas Ali Baig scores 112 for India v England on debut
1959 - William Shea announces he plans to have a baseball team in NYC in 1961
1960 - VP Nixon nominated for presidential candidate at Republican convention in Chicago
1962 - Mariner 2 launched to Venus; flyby mission
Clergyman and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.Clergyman and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. 1962 - Martin Luther King Jr jailed in Albany Georgia
1962 - USSR performs nuclear Test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1963 - Fritz Von Erich beats Verne Gagne in Omaha, to become NWA champ
1963 - General Amin al-Hafez becomes president of Syria
1965 - Pierre Harmel forms Belgium government
1965 - Pres Johnson signs a bill requiring cigarette makers to print health warnings on all cigarette packages about the effects of smoking
1967 - Arabs Federation premier Hoesein Al Bayoomi resigns
1967 - Helmond Sport soccer team forms
1967 - LBJ sets up commission to study cause of urban violence
1967 - US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
1968 - Carol Mann wins LPGA Supertest Canadian Golf Open
1968 - Race Riot in Gary Indiana
1969 - 15th LPGA Championship won by Betsy Rawls
1969 - Pioneer 10 launched
1970 - Expos beat White Sox 10-6 in the annual Hall of Fame game
36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson 1970 - France performs nuclear Test at Muruora Island
1970 - L Boudreau, Earle Combs, Ford Frick, & Jesse Haines enter Hall of Fame
1972 - NHL star Maurice "Rocket" Richard signs with WHL Quebec Nordiques
1972 - The F-15 Eagle flies for the first time.
1973 - 40th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Miami 14, All Stars 3 (54,103)
1973 - Walter Blum becomes 6th jockey to ride 4,000 winners
1974 - House Judiciary Committee votes 27-11 recommends Nixon impeachment
1974 - Kanhai & Jameson add 465 for 2nd wicket, Warwickshire v Gloucs
1975 - Carol Mann wins LPGA George Washington Ladies Golf Classic
1976 - 8.2 Tangshan earthquake kills estimated 240,000 Chinese
1976 - Japanese ex-premier Tanaka arrested (Lockheed Affair)
1977 - John Lennon is granted a green card for permanent residence in US
1978 - Indians Duane Kuiper is 3rd to hit 2 bases-loaded triples (vs Yanks)
1978 - Portuguese pres Eanes fires premier Soares
1979 - "Broadway Opry '79" opens at St James Theater NYC for 6 performances
1979 - France performs nuclear Test
1980 - Palestinian throws hand grenade on Jewish children in Antwerp, 1 dead
1980 - Sally Little wins LPGA WUI Golf Classic
1982 - California catches A's Rickey Henderson stealing 3 times
1982 - Indian PM Indira Gandhi 1st visit to US in almost 11 years
1982 - Menken & Ashman's musical "Little Shop of Horrors," premieres in NYC
1983 - 104°F (40.3°C) in Garmersdorf (German record)
1983 - Gaylord Perry joins Nolan Ryan & Steve Carlton to reach 3,500 career strikeouts this season, he also wins his 1st game as a Royal
1984 - Reds' Pete Rose collects record 3,053rd career single (vs Phila)
1986 - 14th du Maurier Golf Classic: Pat Bradley
1986 - 24th Tennis Fed Cup: USA beats Czechoslovakia in Prague Czech (3-0)
1986 - Greg Lemond is 1st American to win Tour de France
1987 - John Demjanjuk, accused Nazi "Ivan the Terrible" testifies in Israel
1987 - Salt Lake City Trappers lose 7-5 to Billings Mustangs, ending their professional-record winning streak at 29 consecutive
1987 - First expedited salvaging of Titanic wreckage begins by RMS Titanic, Inc.
1988 - Boston's worst traffic jam in 30 years
1988 - General Sein Lwin succeeds Ne Win as pres of Burma
1988 - Radio Shack announces Tandy 1000 SL computer
1988 - Tommy John commits rec 3 errors on 1 play as Yanks rout Brewers 16-3
1989 - Atlanta Brave Dale Murphy is 10th to get 6 RBIs in an inning (6th)
1990 - Graham Gooch scores 333 v India at Lord's
1990 - Tom Moody scores 100 in 26 mins in county cricket, world record
1990 - White-Russia declares independence
1990 - Zsa Zsa Gabor begins a 3 day jail sentence for slapping a cop
1991 - TV Guide publishes it's 2000th edition
1992 - Astros begins 26-game road trip to make room for Rep Natl Convention
1992 - Dimitri Lepikov, Vladimir Pychenko, Veniamin Taianovitch & Evgueni
1992 - Sadovyi swim world record 4x200m freestyle (7:11.95)
1993 - Detroit Tiger Fryman hits for cycle but loses 12-7 to Yankees
1993 - Javier Sotomayor jumps world record 2.45 m high
1993 - Mafia bombs historical buildings in Rome/Milan/Vatican City, 5 killed
1993 - NBC TV awarded 1996 Olympic coverage for $456 million
1993 - NY Met Anthony Young wins ending his losing streak at 27 games
1995 - In Washington, DC, the Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated.
1996 - Bomb explodes at Atlanta Olympic Park, 1 killed, 110 injured
1996 - David Sales makes 210 on 1st class cricket debut for Northants v Worcs
1997 - "Candide," closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 103 performances
1997 - "Victor/Victoria" closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 738 performances
1997 - Detroit Tigers retire pitching great Hal Newhouser's #16
1997 - Franklin Quest Senior Golf Championship
1997 - Stewart Cink wins golfs Greater Hartford Open (267)
1997 - Tammie Green wins Giant Eagle LPGA Classic
1997 - Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria; about 50 people killed.
2002 - Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 85 and injuring more than 100 others, the largest air show disaster in history.
2005 - STS-114: NASA grounds the Space shuttle, pending an investigation of the external tank's continued foam-shedding problem. During ascent, the external tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery sheds a piece of foam slightly smaller than the piece that caused the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster; this foam does not strike the spacecraft.
2006 - The Federal Republic of Germany is deemed guilty in the loss of Bashkirian 2937 and DHL Flight 611, because it is illegal to outsource flight surveillance.
2007 - Phoenix News Helicopter Collision: News helicopters from Phoenix, Arizona television stations KNXV and KTVK collide over Steele Indian School Park in central Phoenix while covering a police chase; there were no survivors. This was the first known incidence of two news helicopters colliding in mid-air, and the worst civil aviation incident in Phoenix history.
Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth IIQueen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II 2012 - Queen Elizabeth II announces the opening of the London 2012 Olympics at the opening ceremony
1214 - At the Battle of Bouvines in France, Philip Augustus of France defeated John of England.
1245 - Frederick II was deposed by a council at Lyons after they found him guilty of sacrilege.
1663 - The British Parliament passed a second Navigation Act, which required all goods bound for the colonies be sent in British ships from British ports.
1689 - Government forces defeated the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Killiecrankie.
1694 - The Bank of England received a royal charter as a commercial institution.
1775 - Benjamin Rush began his service as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army.
1784 - "Courier De L’Amerique" became the first French newspaper to be published in the United States. It was printed in Philadelphia, PA.
1777 - The marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious American colonists fight the British.
1778 - The British and French fleets fought to a standoff in the first Battle of Ushant.
1789 - The Department of Foreign Affairs was established by the U.S. Congress. The agency was later known as the Department of State.
1804 - The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. With the amendment Electors were directed to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for two choices for President.
1866 - Cyrus Field successfully completed the Atlantic Cable. It was an underwater telegraph from North America to Europe.
1909 - Orville Wright set a record for the longest airplane flight. He was testing the first Army airplane and kept it in the air for 1 hour 12 minutes and 40 seconds.
1914 - British troops invaded the streets of Dublin, Ireland, and began to disarm Irish rebels.
1918 - The Socony 200 was launched. It was the first concrete barge and was used to carry oil.
1921 - Canadian biochemist Frederick Banting and associates announced the discovery of the hormone insulin.
1940 - Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare."
1944 - U.S. troops completed the liberation of Guam.
1947 - The World Water Ski Organization was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
1953 - The armistice agreement that ended the Korean War was signed at Panmunjon, Korea.
1955 - The Allied occupation of Austria ended.
1964 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson sent an additional 5,000 advisers to South Vietnam.
1965 - In the U.S., the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was signed into law. The law required health warnings on all cigarette packages.
1967 - U.S. President Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of the violence in the wake of urban rioting.
1974 - NBC-TV took "Dinah's Place" off of its daytime programming roster.
1974 - The U.S. Congress asked for impeachment procedures against President Richard Nixon.
1980 - The deposed shah of Iran, Muhammad Riza Pahlavi, died in a hospital near Cairo, Egypt.
1984 - Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb’s record for most singles in a career when he got his 3,503rd base hit.
1992 - Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice. He was 27 years old.
1993 - IBM's new chairman, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., announced an $8.9 billion plan to cut the company's costs.
1995 - The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, by U.S. President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.
1998 - Robert Vaughn received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1999 - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery completed a five-day mission commanded by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins. It was the first shuttle mission to be commanded by a woman.
2001 - The ribbon cutting ceremony was held for American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The event set two new world records, one for the 3 mile long ribbon and one for the 2,000 people that cut it.
2003 - It was reported by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) that there was no monster in Loch Ness. The investigation used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to trawl the loch. Reports of sightings of the "Loch Ness Monster" began in the 6th century.
2006 - Intel Corp introduced its Core 2 Duo microprocessors.
1245 - Frederick II was deposed by a council at Lyons after they found him guilty of sacrilege.
1663 - The British Parliament passed a second Navigation Act, which required all goods bound for the colonies be sent in British ships from British ports.
1689 - Government forces defeated the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Killiecrankie.
1694 - The Bank of England received a royal charter as a commercial institution.
1775 - Benjamin Rush began his service as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army.
1784 - "Courier De L’Amerique" became the first French newspaper to be published in the United States. It was printed in Philadelphia, PA.
1777 - The marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious American colonists fight the British.
1778 - The British and French fleets fought to a standoff in the first Battle of Ushant.
1789 - The Department of Foreign Affairs was established by the U.S. Congress. The agency was later known as the Department of State.
1804 - The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. With the amendment Electors were directed to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for two choices for President.
1866 - Cyrus Field successfully completed the Atlantic Cable. It was an underwater telegraph from North America to Europe.
1909 - Orville Wright set a record for the longest airplane flight. He was testing the first Army airplane and kept it in the air for 1 hour 12 minutes and 40 seconds.
1914 - British troops invaded the streets of Dublin, Ireland, and began to disarm Irish rebels.
1918 - The Socony 200 was launched. It was the first concrete barge and was used to carry oil.
1921 - Canadian biochemist Frederick Banting and associates announced the discovery of the hormone insulin.
1940 - Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare."
1944 - U.S. troops completed the liberation of Guam.
1947 - The World Water Ski Organization was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
1953 - The armistice agreement that ended the Korean War was signed at Panmunjon, Korea.
1955 - The Allied occupation of Austria ended.
1964 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson sent an additional 5,000 advisers to South Vietnam.
1965 - In the U.S., the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was signed into law. The law required health warnings on all cigarette packages.
1967 - U.S. President Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of the violence in the wake of urban rioting.
1974 - NBC-TV took "Dinah's Place" off of its daytime programming roster.
1974 - The U.S. Congress asked for impeachment procedures against President Richard Nixon.
1980 - The deposed shah of Iran, Muhammad Riza Pahlavi, died in a hospital near Cairo, Egypt.
1984 - Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb’s record for most singles in a career when he got his 3,503rd base hit.
1992 - Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice. He was 27 years old.
1993 - IBM's new chairman, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., announced an $8.9 billion plan to cut the company's costs.
1995 - The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, by U.S. President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.
1998 - Robert Vaughn received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1999 - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery completed a five-day mission commanded by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins. It was the first shuttle mission to be commanded by a woman.
2001 - The ribbon cutting ceremony was held for American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The event set two new world records, one for the 3 mile long ribbon and one for the 2,000 people that cut it.
2003 - It was reported by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) that there was no monster in Loch Ness. The investigation used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to trawl the loch. Reports of sightings of the "Loch Ness Monster" began in the 6th century.
2006 - Intel Corp introduced its Core 2 Duo microprocessors.
1861 Union general George B. McClellan was put in command of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. 1940 Bugs Bunny made his debut in the cartoon A Wild Hare. 1940 Billboard magazine published its first singles record chart (for the week of July 20). 1953 An armistice was signed ending the Korean War. 1974 The House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Richard Nixon for obstructing justice in the Watergate case. 1995 The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC. 1996 A pipe bomb exploded in an Atlanta park during the Olympic Games. 2003 Lance Armstrong won his fifth straight Tour de France, tying Miguel Indurain's record. 2003 Comedian Bob Hope died in his home, at the age of 100. 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics began in London
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/jul27.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)