On This Day August 1

As an organised sport, rowing can be traced to August 1, 1715, when the first rowing of the Doggett's Coat and Badge race took place on the River Thames. The Doggett's Coat and Badge course runs four miles and five furlongs (7443 m) from London Bridge to Chelsea, and is established as an annual event continuing into the 21st century.

The finish of Doggett's Coat and Badge by Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827)

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On This Day July 31

The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655, when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the easy availability of domestically produced rum, the British substituted the daily ration of liquor from French brandy to a half-a-pint of rum. The rum ration was issued daily to Royal Navy sailors at noon and 5pm or 6pm with a call of "Up spirits!"  July 31, 1970: Black Tot Day marked the last day of the UK Royal Navy's officially sanctioned rum ration.

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On This Day July 30

In 1660 Louis XIV of France married Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain as part of the Peace of Pyrenees which brought the Franco Spanish War to the end. Famed for her virtue and piety, Maria Theresa is frequently viewed as an object of pity in historical accounts of her husband's reign, since she had no choice but to tolerate his many illicit love affairs. When she died painfully on July 30, 1683, at Versailles, Louis XIV said: "This is the first trouble which she has given me."

June 1660; Maria Theresa is handed over to the French and Louis XIV.

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On This Day July 29

On July 29, 1981 Lady Diana Spencer became the first common Englishwoman in 300 years to marry an heir to the British throne when she wed Charles, Prince of Wales. A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watched the wedding, which took place at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The wedding vows had only one omission. Diana was the first Royal bride not to promise to obey.

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On This Day July 28

Miami is the only major city founded by a woman. Citrus grower Julia DeForest Tuttle used the money from her parents' estate to purchase the land on the north side of the Miami River as a building site. On July 28, 1896 its just over 300 male residents voted to incorporate a new city, Miami. Thereafter, Miami steadily grew from a small town with a population of around 700 to the seventh largest metropolis in the United States.

Julia Tuttle

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On This Day July 27

The Korean war ended when the US, China and North Korea signed an armistice agreement on July 27, 1953. The armistice was designed to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved." The signed armistice put into force a cease-fire, established the Korean Demilitarized Zone and finalized repatriation of prisoners of war. No lasting peace treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war.

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On This Day July 26

Benjamin Franklin laid the framework that would set up the American postal system. He was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737 and then joint postmaster general of the colonies, during which he invested nearly 40 years in establishing a reliable system of private communications in the colonies. The U.S. postal system was established by the 2nd Continental Congress on July 26, 1775, with Benjamin Franklin as postmaster general.

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On This Day July 25

Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel in a plane on July 25, 1909. Blériot's flight across the English Channel demonstrated conclusively the international potential of aeroplanes. The French aviator flew from Calais, France to Dover, England in 37 minutes in a small, 24 horse-powered monoplane, winning a £1,000 prize from the London Daily Mail which had been offered to the first person to fly across the Channel.

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On This Day July 24

Originally the marathon was 25 miles. It was extended to 26 miles for the July 24, 1908 London Olympics race so that King Edward's grandchildren could watch the start of the marathon and Queen Alexandria could see the finish from the royal box. The organizers decided on a course of 26 miles from the start at Windsor Castle to the royal entrance to the White City Stadium, followed by a lap  of the track, finishing in front of the Royal Box.

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On This Day July 23

Facing severe investment reversals and dying of throat cancer, Ulysses S. Grant completed his memoirs at a cottage on the slopes of Mount McGregor, finishing only days before he died. His memoirs proved a major critical and financial success. Grant died at 8 o'clock in the morning in the Mount McGregor cottage on July 23, 1885, at the age of 63. His death prompted an outpouring of national unity. More than 1.5 million people attended his funeral in New York City.

Grant's funeral train at West Point

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On This Day July 22

A group of 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island off North Carolina on July 22, 1587 to establish a colony, under the governance of Sir Walter Raleigh's friend the artist John White, who had accompanied a previous expedition to Roanoke. White was unable to mount another resupply attempt for an additional three years and when the supply ships eventually returned, they couldn't find any of the colonists. Adding to the mystery, they found the word "CROATAN" carved into a tree.

The discovery of Croatoan painted by John White. 

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On This Day July 21

The Battle of Shrewsbury fought on July 21, 1403 saw the Lancastrian King, Henry IV and his forces defeat a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The future Henry V of England took part in the battle aged 15. A brilliant soldier (Shakespeare immortalized him as the “warlike Harry”), Prince Henry was injured at Shrewsbury when an arrowhead lodged in his cheekbone, which left Henry with permanent scars, evidence of his experience in battle.

Battle of Shrewsbury, an illustration from Pennant's 'A tour in Wales', 1781

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On This Day July 20

On July 20, 1969, an estimated 530 million people watched the live global broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing. This constituted around 14% of total population of the world at the time, despite the fact that the first moonwalk took place in the middle of the night in Europe.

Six hours later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. The first words spoken on the moon were said by Neil Armstrong: “That's one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind." The speech, as written by his wife, read "That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind." Unfortunately he forgot the a in the between for and man, thus changing the meaning.

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On This Day July 19

George IV of the UK's coronation banquet in Westminster Hall on July 19, 1821 was perhaps history's most lavish meal, costing the equivalent of £20 million. Turtle soup was followed by salmon, turbot, and trout, venison and veal, mutton and beef, braised ham and savory pies, daubed geese and braced capon, lobster and crayfish, cold roast fowl and cold lamb, potatoes, peas and cauliflower. There were over 1,000 sides dishes, nearly 500 sauce boats brimming with lobster sauce, butter sauce and mint.

George IV coronation banquet

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On This Day July 18

The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky married his student Antonina Ivanovna Milivkova at the Church of Saint George in Moscow on July 18, 1877. The marriage was hasty, and Tchaikovsky quickly found he could not bear his wife.  Finding Antonina physically repulsive, Tchaikovsky sneaked away one night six weeks after their marriage and fled to his brother, Anatoly in St Petersburg. Antonia kept in touch with letters and they never divorced.

Tchaikovsky and Antonina on their honeymoon

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On This Day July 17

Walt Disney opened his Disneyland theme park on July 17, 1955. He got his idea and inspiration when he visited the "Tivoli"-park in Denmark. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California. In 1955, the admission for an adult ticket to Disneyland cost $1, which was then only double the price of a movie ticket. Disneyland had 18 attractions on its opening day.

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On This Day July 16

The Atomic Age began on July 16, 1945, when the USA successfully detonated a plutonium-based nuclear bomb. The test was conducted in the Jornada del Muerto desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico. At 05:29:21 MWT the bomb exploded with an energy equivalent to around 20 kilotons of TNT (84 TJ). The desert sand, largely made of silica, melted and became a mildly radioactive light green glass. The explosion left a crater in the desert 5 feet (1.5 m) deep and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.

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On This Day July 15

The Rosetta Stone is a large black stone stele bearing a translation of Ancient Egyptian text, the first recovered in modern times. It was taken from building material in Fort Julien near the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in the Nile Delta when it was rediscovered on July 15, 1799 during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. Weighing nearly one ton, the Rosetta Stone is inscribed with three versions of a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of King Ptolemy V.

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.By © Hans Hillewaert,

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On This Day July 14

The outlaw William "Billy The Kid" Bonney killed his first victim at age 18. According to legend, the outlaw killed 21 people, one for each year of his life. But the New Mexico Tourism Department puts the total closer to nine. He was sentenced to death for murdering a sheriff, but escaped (killing two guards), and was finally shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881 despite being promised clemency by then Governor Lew Wallace for testifying in a murder case.

Portrait of American gunman Billy the Kid (1859–1881). 

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On This Day July 13

France defeated Mexico 4-1 and the US beat Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches played on July 13, 1930 in Uruguay. At the first World Cup Egypt missed their boat, Bolivia wore berets, a player was suspended for opening a cafe, a referee called the final whistle after 84 minutes, another referee did all his games in suit, tie and knickerbockers, and a Romanian was believed to have died before turning up at his wake.

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On This Day July 12

Following the decisive Yorkist victory over the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury, Richard Plantagenet (later Richard III of England) married the widowed Anne Neville on July 12, 1472 when she was 16-years-old. After their marriage, Richard led a life of a rich and powerful country Lord, as Anne's dowry made him the biggest landowner in England. Anne bore Richard one son, Edward Plantagenet who died in 1484 and she died the following year, probably of tuberculosis,

Illuminated scroll of Queen Anne Neville and King Richard III 

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On This Day July 11

The United States took possession of Detroit from Great Britain on July 11, 1796. After the US gained independence, following the American Revolutionary War, the British were still occupying forts in the Great Lakes region, including at Detroit. Under the terms of the Jay Treaty, which established the northern border with Canada, Britain ceded Detroit along with other territory in the area.

First page of the Jay Treaty

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On This Day July 10

Sixteen-year-old John Paul Getty, the grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty, was kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10, 1973. After two ransom notes were ignored an envelope containing a lock of hair and a human ear was delivered to a daily newspaper with a threat of further mutilation of Paul, unless $3.2 million was paid. At this point Getty Sr. agreed to pay up and Getty III was found alive five months after his kidnapping  in a filling station shortly after the payment of the ransom.

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On This Day July 9

The inaugural Wimbledon Tennis Championship was held to raise money for repairs to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis club's pony-drawn lawn roller. The competition started on July 9, 1877 and was solely as an amateur competition. Men's singles was the only event that took place with 22 men competing for a 12-guinea prize, plus a silver challenge cup valued at 25 guineas. Entrants had to pay a guinea (£1.05) each. The first Wimbledon Championship made a profit of £10.

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On This Day July 8

The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley loved the sea and yachting but never learnt to swim. On July 8, 1822 he drowned whilst sailing in a sudden storm as he traveled back to Lerici, Italy in his schooner, the Don Juan. When his body was washed up on the beach two books were found, a slim edition of The Works of Sophocles and a volume of Keats' poems still clutched in his hand. Shelley was cremated soon afterwards on the beach near Viareggio attended by his anguished friends including Lord Byron.

The Funeral of Shelley by Louis Édouard Fournier (1889)

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On This Day July 7

Bishop John Carroll oversaw the construction of the first Catholic cathedral in the United States, the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore. It was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the United States Capitol. The cornerstone of the cathedral was laid by Carroll on July 7, 1806, but he did not live to see its completion. Work on The Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore was completed in 1821. It is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States.

Carroll lays the cornerstone for the Cathedral of the Assumption

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On This Day July 6

On July 6, 1895, La France created a puzzle that was close to a modern Sudoku. Its instructions read, "Use the numbers 1 to 9 each nine times to complete the grid in such a way that the horizontal, vertical, and two main diagonal lines all add up to the same total." These number puzzles were a feature of French dailies and magazines for a couple of decades, but disappeared about the time of World War I. The modern Sudoku puzzle was invented in Indianapolis, USA in 1979.

From La France newspaper, July 6, 1895

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On This Day July 5

Arthur Ashe was the first black male tennis player to win the US national singles and open championships in 1968. Five years later, on July 5, 1975, Ashe became the first black man to win Wimbledon, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors three sets to one. While actively protesting apartheid in South Africa, Ashe was granted a visa in 1973 to become the first black professional to play in that country.

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On This Day July 4

By June 1826, Thomas Jefferson was on his death bed due to a combination of various illnesses and conditions probably including toxemia, uremia, and pneumonia. Jefferson was determined to last until the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. At 12.45 pm on July 4, 1826, Jefferson mumbled "This is the fourth"? When he realized it was he mumbled "I resign my spirit to God, my daughter to my country" and died peacefully.

John Adams, 2nd President of the United States, died the same day as his political rival Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826. On one occasion Adams warned of the consequences of a potential Jefferson presidency in an attack ad: “Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood and the nation black with crimes.” Adams' last words were "Thomas Jefferson still survives."

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On This Day July 3

The video game Pac-Man was licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway and released in October 1980. Within 15 months of Pac-Man's U.S. release, Americans had spent over $1,000,000,000 in quarters playing the game. The maximum possible score is 3,333,360 points. Billy Mitchell was the first player to achieve a perfect Pac-Man score on July 3, 1999 at Funspot Family Fun Center in New Hampshire.

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On This Day July 2

The strong nationalist sentiment conveyed in Jean Sibelius' music was deemed an expression of patriotism in Finland. Sibelius' tone poem Finlandia was composed when his country was under Russian domination and premiered in Helsinki on July 2, 1900 with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society. The work was banned by the Russian rulers of Finland because it aroused much patriotic fervor among the Finns. In Berlin it was played as 'Vaterland'; in Paris as 'Patrie'.

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