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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