2007 – The first Live Earth benefit concert was held in 11 locations around the world.
1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.
1963 – Buddhist crisis: The police of Ngô Đình Nhu, brother and chief political adviser of President Ngô Đình Diệm, attacked a group of American journalists who were covering a protest.
1954 – Elvis Presley makes his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right".
1952 – The ocean liner SS United States passes Bishop Rock on her maiden voyage, breaking the transatlantic speed record to become the fastest passenger ship in the world.
1946 – Mother Francesca S. Cabrini becomes the first American to be canonized.
1941 – The American occupation of Iceland replaces the British occupation.
1937 – The Peel Commission Report recommends the partition of Palestine - the first formal recommendation for partition in the history of Palestine
1928 – Sliced bread is sold for the first time (on the inventor's 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.
1916 – The New Zealand Labour Party was founded in Wellington.
1915 – The First Battle of the Isonzo comes to an end.
1911 – The United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia sign the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 banning open-water seal hunting, the first international treaty to address wildlife preservation issues.
1907 – Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. staged his first Follies on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City.
1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signs the Newlands Resolution annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States.
1892 – The Katipunan is established, the discovery of which by Spanish authorities initiated the Philippine Revolution.
1863 – The United States begins its first military draft; exemptions cost $300.
1846 – American troops occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the conquest of California.
1777 – American forces retreating from Fort Ticonderoga are defeated in the Battle of Hubbardton.
1534 – Jacques Cartier makes his first contact with aboriginal peoples in what is now Canada.
Births
1989 – Landon Cassill, American race car driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for StarCom Racing.
1988 – Kaci Brown, American singer-songwriter. At age 11, she moved with her family to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001, where she quickly established herself in the country scene.
1986 – Ana Kasparian, American journalist and producer. Anahit Misak "Ana" Kasparian (/kəˈspæriən/; born July 7, 1986) is an American political commentator, university instructor, and writer.
1980 – Michelle Kwan, American figure skater. She is tied with Maribel Vinson for the all-time National Championship record.
1978 – Chris Andersen, American basketball player. Christopher Claus Andersen (born July 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player for Power In The Big 3 League.
1975 – Adam Nelson, American shot putter. In addition to his gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, Nelson won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics.
1975 – Tony Benshoof, American luger. Tony Benshoof (born July 7, 1975) is an American luger from White Bear Lake, Minnesota who has been competing since 1990.
1972 – Kirsten Vangsness, American actress and writer. She portrayed the same character on the spin-off series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
1972 – Lisa Leslie, American basketball player and actress. Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is the Head Coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Fox Sports Florida.
1971 – Christian Camargo, American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Brian Moser in the Showtime drama Dexter, Michael Corrigan in the Netflix drama House of Cards, Petty Officer Pavel Loktev in K-19: The Widowmaker and Eleazar in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 and 2.
1969 – Cree Summer, American-Canadian actress. Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an Canadian-American actress, comedian, and singer.
1968 – Jeff VanderMeer, American author and educator. The trilogy's first novel, Annihilation, won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Awards, and was adapted into a Hollywood film by director Alex Garland.
1968 – Jorja Fox, American actress. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999.
1966 – Jim Gaffigan, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His material is often about fatherhood, observations, laziness, and food.
1965 – Mo Collins, American actress, comedian and screenwriter. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show.
1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer-songwriter and actress. Her version of Kay Starr’s Christmas classic "(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag," after it was featured on a season 4 episode of Ally McBeal, became a popular holiday song.
1960 – Kevin A. Ford, American colonel and astronaut. Ford has also logged more than 5,000 flying hours and also holds FAA commercial certificates for airplanes, helicopters and gliders.
1960 – Ralph Sampson, American basketball player and coach. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and first selection in the 1983 NBA draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the National Basketball Association (NBA).
1959 – Billy Campbell, American actor. Since then, he became known for playing Rick Sammler on Once and Again, Det.
1957 – Jonathan Dayton, American director and producer, was an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and a member of the U.S.
1955 – Len Barker, American baseball player and coach. Leonard Harold Barker III (born July 7, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.
1949 – Shelley Duvall, American actress, writer, and producer. Her accolades include a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, a Peabody Award, two Emmy Award nominations, and a BAFTA Award nomination.
1947 – Howard Rheingold, American author and critic. Howard Rheingold (born 1947) is an American critic, writer, and teacher, known for his specialties on the cultural, social and political implications of modern communication media such as the Internet, mobile telephony and virtual communities (a term he is credited with inventing).
1945 – Adele Goldberg, American computer scientist and academic. Adele Goldberg is the name of:
1944 – Emanuel Steward, American boxer and trainer (d. 2012), was an American boxer, trainer, and commentator for HBO Boxing. Steward trained 41 world champion fighters throughout his career, most notably Thomas Hearns, through the famous Kronk Gym and later heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko.
1944 – Warren Entner, American pop-rock singer-songwriter, organist, and guitarist. He then became a manager for several successful heavy metal/rock groups.
1943 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (d. 2007), was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show Good Morning America for over 25 years.
1941 – Nancy Farmer, American author. National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The House of the Scorpion, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 2002.
1938 – James Montgomery Boice, American pastor and theologian (d. 2000), was an American Reformed Christian theologian, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defence of Biblical inerrancy. He was also the Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death.
1933 – David McCullough, American historian and author. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.
1932 – T. J. Bass, American physician and author (d. 2011). John Robbins has noted that Jim Fixx approvingly quoted Bassler in his bestselling book, “The Complete Book of Running”.
1931 – David Eddings, American author and academic (d. 2009), was an American fantasy writer. With his wife Leigh, he authored several best-selling epic fantasy novel series, including The Belgariad (1982–84), The Malloreon (1987–91), The Elenium (1989–91), The Tamuli (1992–94), and The Dreamers (2003–06).
1930 – Hank Mobley, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1986), was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players like Sonny Rollins and Coltrane.
1930 – Theodore Edgar McCarrick, American cardinal. From 1986 to 2000, he was Archbishop of Newark.
1927 – Alan J. Dixon, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 2014), was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1951 to 1971, as the Illinois Treasurer from 1971 to 1977, as the Illinois Secretary of State from 1977 to 1981 and as a U.S. Senator from 1981 until 1993.
1927 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011), was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.
1927 – Doc Severinsen, American trumpet player and conductor. Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (July 7, 1927) is an American jazz trumpeter who led the band for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
1925 – Wally Phillips, American radio host (d. 2008), was an American radio personality best known for hosting WGN's morning radio show from Chicago for 21 years from January 1965 until July 1986, and was number one in the morning slot from 1968 until he left for an afternoon radio slot in 1986.
1924 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977), was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hits, including "How High the Moon" and "Vaya con Dios", which were number one hits on the Billboard charts.
1922 – Alan Armer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010). Armer (7 July 1922 – 5 December 2010) was an American television writer, producer, and director.
1921 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer and bassist (d. 1975), was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion. Known for his slick defense and precision, he is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time by boxing critics.
1918 – Bob Vanatta, American head basketball coach (d. 2016), was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach for Central Methodist, Missouri State University, Army, Bradley, Memphis State, Missouri, and Delta State University.
1917 – Iva Withers, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 2014), was a Canadian-born American actress and singer, best remembered as a replacement player who had long runs in some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's biggest musical theatre hits. From 1945-70, she worked almost continuously on Broadway or in national tours, generally as a replacement.
1915 – Margaret Walker, American novelist and poet (d. 1998), was an American poet and writer. She was part of the African-American literary movement in Chicago, known as the Chicago Black Renaissance.
1913 – Pinetop Perkins, American singer and pianist (d. 2011), was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.
1911 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American composer (d. 2007), was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship.
1908 – Revilo P. Oliver, American author and academic (d. 1994), was an American professor of Classical philology, Spanish, and Italian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After World War II, he published in American Opinion, becoming known as a polemicist for white supremacist and right-wing causes.
1907 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (d. 1988), was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction.
1906 – Satchel Paige, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982), was an American Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who is notable for his longevity in the game, and for attracting record crowds wherever he pitched.
1906 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1970), was a Croatian-American mathematician specializing in probability theory.
1902 – Ted Radcliffe, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005), was a professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. He is one of only a handful of professional baseball players who lived past their 100th birthdays.
1901 – Sam Katzman, American director and producer (d. 1973), was an American film producer and director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had proportionally high returns for the studios and his financial backers.
1900 – Earle E. Partridge, American general (d. 1990). Daughter - Patricia E Partridge
1899 – George Cukor, American director and producer (d. 1983), was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations.
1898 – Arnold Horween, American football player and coach (d. 1985). Arnold Horween (originally Arnold Horwitz; also known as A.
1893 – Herbert Feis, American historian and author (d. 1972), was an American Historian and economist. He was the Economic Advisor for International Affairs to the U.S.
1891 – Virginia Rappe, American model and actress (d. 1921), was an American model and silent film actress. She worked mostly in small bit parts and is best known for her death after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of complicity in her death, though ultimately exonerated.
1880 – Otto Frederick Rohwedder, American engineer, invented sliced bread (d. 1960), was an American inventor and engineer who created the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use. It was first used by the Chillicothe Baking Company.
1861 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist (d. 1912), was an early American geneticist credited with the discovery of sex chromosomes. In 1905, soon after the rediscovery of Mendel's paper on genetics in 1900, she observed that male mealworms produced two kinds of sperm, one with a large chromosome and one with a small chromosome.
1851 – Charles Albert Tindley, American minister and composer (d. 1933). Often referred to as "The Prince of Preachers", he educated himself, became a minister and founded one of the largest Methodist congregations serving the African-American community on the East Coast of the United States.
1831 – Jane Elizabeth Conklin, American poet and religious writer (d. 1914), was a 19th-century American poet and religious writer from New York. For three years, she served as president of the Woman's Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic.
1752 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, French merchant, invented the Jacquard loom (d. 1834), was a French weaver and merchant. He played an important role in the development of the earliest programmable loom (the "Jacquard loom"), which in turn played an important role in the development of other programmable machines, such as an early version of digital compiler used by IBM to develop the modern day computer.
Deaths
2015 – Bob MacKinnon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)
2013 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1925)
2013 – Donald J. Irwin, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut (b. 1926)
2013 – Robert Hamerton-Kelly, South African-American pastor, theologian, and author (b. 1938)
2012 – Dennis Flemion, American drummer (b. 1955)
2012 – Doris Neal, American baseball player (b. 1928)
2011 – Allan W. Eckert, American historian and author (b. 1931)
2011 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
2008 – Bruce Conner, American sculptor, painter, and photographer (b. 1933)
2008 – Dorian Leigh, American model (b. 1917)
2006 – John Money, New Zealand-American psychologist and author (b. 1921)
2001 – Fred Neil, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
2000 – Kenny Irwin Jr., American race car driver (b. 1969)
1999 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American author (b. 1908)
1990 – Bill Cullen, American television panelist and game show host (b. 1920)
1984 – George Oppen, American poet and author (b. 1908)
1980 – Dore Schary, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
1976 – Walter Giesler, American soccer player and referee (b. 1910)
1973 – Veronica Lake, American actress (b. 1922)
1964 – Lillian Copeland, American discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1904)
1950 – Fats Navarro, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1923)
1939 – Deacon White, American baseball player and manager (b. 1847)
1932 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American theologian and educator (b. 1844)
1925 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (b. 1871)
1922 – Cathal Brugha, Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence; first Ceann Comhairle and first President of Dáil Éireann (b. 1874)
1913 – Edward Burd Grubb, Jr., American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Spain (b. 1841)
1890 – Henri Nestlé, German businessman, founded Nestlé (b. 1814)
1701 – William Stoughton, American judge and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1631)
1647 – Thomas Hooker, English minister, founded the Colony of Connecticut (b. 1586)
1573 – Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect, designed the Church of the Gesù and Villa Farnese (b. 1507)
Remind me of this day
