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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