Hello.
Welcome to your weekend. We hope you are looking forward to the day ahead.
But before we move in that direction, we like to take a minute on Saturday mornings for a “scroll down memory lane.” It’s a peek pack on the pages of history before we move into a new day. So, grab your favorite sippin’ drink and let’s scroll, shall we?
Today is Saturday, July 17th, the 198th day of the year. There are 167 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1862, national cemeteries were authorized by the United States government.
In 1867, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine became the nation’s first dental school.
In 1874, Chang and Eng Bunker, the original Siamese twins, died within an hour of each other on this date at the age of 63. Despite being joined at the chest for their entire lives, the twins married two sisters and fathered 21 children between them.
In 1941, New York Yankee slugger Joe DiMaggio went hitless in a game against the Cleveland Indians. The hitless day ended his record 56-game hitting streak.
In 1954, the first Newport Jazz Festival was held.
In 1954, the Brooklyn Dodgers took the field as the first team in baseball history with a majority of black players.
In 1955, the Disneyland theme park opened in Anaheim, California.
In 1959, jazz singer Billie Holiday died at the age of 44.
In 1961, John Chancellor replaced Dave Garroway as host of NBC’s “Today” show.
In 1961, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ty Cobb died at the age of 74. He was considered by many the greatest player of all time.
In 1968, the Beatles feature-length cartoon “Yellow Submarine” premiered at the London Pavilion.
In 1981, 114 people were killed when two sky walks collapsed in the atrium lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1984, the U.S. passes the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, prohibiting those under the age of 21 from buying or possessing alcohol.
In 1996, shortly after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island, New York killing all 230 people on board the flight.
In 1999, a massive air and water search began for the missing plane carrying John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette. The plane had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean the night before, killing all three.
In 2001, publisher and former “Washington Post” Chairwoman Katharine Graham died on this date at the age of 84.
In 2005, Disneyland commemorated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the theme park in Anaheim, California. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was among the tens-of-thousands who jammed the park over the weekend to catch some of the special events held for the anniversary. Disney opened on July 15th, 1955 on what used to be 160 acres of orange groves in Anaheim.
In 2007, a toxicology report on pro-wrestler Chris Benoit revealed he had high levels of testosterone in his system when he killed his family before taking his own life on June 25, 2007.
in 2007, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted on two felony charges related to an illegal dogfighting ring. Vick was charged with sponsoring a dog in a fighting venture and conspiracy. He had been the focus of an ongoing FBI investigation after authorities seized 54 dogs from his home in Surry County, Virginia.
In 2009, award-winning newsman Walter Cronkite, long known as the “most trusted man” in America, died at the age of 92. Cronkite received numerous awards throughout his life including a Peabody, an Emmy and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The School of Journalism at Arizona State University is also named in his honor.
In 2011, murder-acquitted Florida mother Casey Anthony was released from prison. Anthony received a four-year prison sentence for providing false statements to police, but was acquitted on murder charges related to the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee three years earlier. Casey was given credit for time served as she awaited her murder trial.
In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down near the border of Russia and Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the incident.
In 2014, Eric Garner died after being put in a choke hold by an NYPD officer. Garner had been suspected of selling individual cigarettes from packs that hadn’t been taxed. Video of his arrest showed Garner saying that he couldn’t breathe. “I Can’t Breathe” became a motto in future protests against police violence.
In 2016, three police officers were killed and three others were wounded during an ambush shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the wake of the death of Alton Sterling. The gunman, who was a former marine, was shot and killed by police.
And that brings us here to this day.
So, whatever plans you have waiting for you today we wish you a weekend for your own personal history books.
Thanks for stopping by.
