Important Events From This day in History July 30

 

1966 England World Cup

1966 : England win the World Cup in extra time at Wembley Stadium 4 to 2 . At the end of full time the score is 2 to 2 and England's Geoff Hurst scored first to give England a 3 to 2 lead and in the dying seconds of extra time he scores his third goal, making the final score 4 to 2 and giving England the world cup, this was also the first time a world cup is televised live. Learn more in our History of Soccer section.

1920 U.S.A. California Census

1920 : The latest census on five California counties has been announced today in Washington:

El Dorado 6,246 Latest 2006 Census Info 2006 (178,066)

Glen County 11,850 Latest Census Info 2006 (28,061)

San Benito 8,895 Latest Census Info 2006 (55,842)

Siskiyo County 15,545 Latest Census Info 2006 (45,901)

Yolo County 17,105 Latest Census Info 2006 (188,085)

1931 New Long Distance Flying Record

1931 : Russel Boardman and John Polando land their Monoplane in Istanbul, Turkey today in 49 hrs and 20 minutes since leaving New York setting a new long distance non stop world record.

1935 First Penguin Paperback

1935 : The first Penguin paperback book costing 6d is published in England and started the paperback revolution, many believed it would not be profitable but following the purchase of 63,000 books by Woolworth within 12 months one million Penguin books are sold.

1943 Germany Adolf Hitler

1943 : Adolf Hitler is informed that Italy is planning to negotiate surrender terms with the Allies in light of Mussolini's fall from power.

1953 U.S.A. Communist Leaders Arrested

1953 : The FBI has seized 6 communist leaders from the city of Philadelphia on charges of teaching and advocating the overthrow of the government, this brings the total of those arrested for similar offences around the nation to 87.

1954 U.S.A. Elvis Presley

1954 : Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," made his first professional performance at the Overton Park Shell Concert in Memphis singing That's Alright Mama and Blue Moon of Kentucky as the opening act for Slim Whitman and Billy Walker.

1956 U.S.A. "In God We Trust" Added

1956 : President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also required that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency.

1965 U.S.A. Social Security Act

1965 : The Social Security Act of 1965 was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson which established the nation's Medicare and Medicaid programs, financed by higher Social Security payroll taxes.

1971 Japan Mid Air Collision

1971 : A mid-air collision between a Boeing 727 and a fighter jet flying without radar in Japan kills 162 people.

1971 Lunar Rover Used For First Time

1971 : Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin land on the moon with the first lunar rover used to begin exploring the moon's surface.

1973 UK Thalidomide

1973 : Eleven years after the start of parents fight for compensation for children born with birth defects caused through the use of the thalidomide drug (1958 - 1961) to ease morning sickness during pregnancy, The Distillers drugs company who marketed thalidomide have agreed to pay more than £20 million in compensation.

1974 Cyprus Peace Deal

1974 : Following the invasion of Turkish troops on July 21st, Greece and Turkey and the British Foreign Secretary have signed a peace agreement to end the crisis in Cyprus.

1974 Nixon Releases Watergate Tapes

1974 : On July 30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, President Nixon finally releases the Watergate tapes to the House Judiciary Committee, within ten days of the tapes being handed over President Nixon Resigned on August 9.

1975 U.S.A. Jimmy Hoffa

1975 : Jimmy Hoffa the ex president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is last seen in Last seen in Bloomfield Township ( suburb of Detroit ) , MI. Although presumed dead, his remains have never been found. To this day, Hoffa's fate remains a mystery but was declared legally dead in 1982.

2002 Gold Double Eagle Sells At Auction

2002 : The World's Most Expensive Coin the 1933 Double Gold Eagle Sells At Auction for $6.6 million ($7.6m With Fees) to an unnamed buyer. The coin was made by the US mint in 1933 but due to restrictions put in place to stop Americans hoarding much needed gold during the Depression Years the coins were never issued to the public, and it is believed only three officially exist today two in the Smithsonian and this one. There are thought to be a few more in private collections that were not issued but stolen by a cashier from the US mint, but because the Secret Service had confiscated 8 1933 Gold Double Eagles by 1952, no more have come forward except this latest coin that has just been sold.

2003 Last Original Beetle Built

2003 : The last of original Volkswagen Beetle's rolled off the production line at VW’s Puebla, Mexico.

2006 Congo Elections

2006 : This day marked the first multi-party elections to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo in forty years. The elections went relatively smoothly and there were few incidents. There were 32 presidential candidates, many of which were former leaders of armed factions. The elections were held and monitored by the United Nations in an attempt to end an on-going civil war in the country.

2006 Top of The Pops Finishes

2006 : The longest running popular music program Top of The Pops ends after over 40 years having featured the biggest names in music. The BBC who produce the show do not believe the TOTP can compete with the growth of 24-hour music channels available on TV and the changing world of instant downloads of the latest music.

2008 Tonga King George V

2008 : The coronation of King George V of Tonga began on this day. King George V had promised to help the country move towards a more democratic system.

2009 United States Honda Recalls

2009 : A total of 440,000 cars made by Honda are recalled in the United States. The majority of the models recalled are from the 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic series. The car maker said that these models may have a defective airbag and offered to replace it free of charge for customers.

2011 Royal Wedding of Queen's Granddaughter

2011 : The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Philips, married rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh. Many royals attended the wedding including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry. The wedding was the first royal wedding in Scotland in nearly twenty years.

2012 Romanian President Survives Impeachment

2012 : Romanian president Traian Basescu has survived a referendum impeachment vote after voter turnout failed to reach the fifty percent that would have been needed to validate the vote. The president had been suspended by parliament and had been accused of exceeding his authority and meddling in government affairs.

2013 Explosions at Gas Plant

2013 : An explosion at a the Blue Rhino propane plant in Tavares, Florida injures at least eight people. Blasts blew the roof off of the building and explosions continued for over an hour, causing a large fire. The cause of the explosions was unknown and emergency crews were quick to contain the threat.

Today in Labor History July 30, 2025

 

Jimmy Hoffa disappeared – and then his legacy took on a life of its own

Automobile tycoon and fascist Henry Ford was born on this date in Dearborn, Michigan. His introduction of the assembly line and other mass production techniques revolutionized profit-making not only by dramatically increasing worker productivity, and therefore reducing labor costs, but also by de-skilling the workforce and weakening the power of the workers. – 1863

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare Act, providing federally-funded health insurance for senior citizens. – 1964

Former Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Presumed dead, his body has never been found. Hoffa was a union activist with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from a young age, and was an important regional figure with the union by his mid-twenties. By 1952, Hoffa had risen to national vice-president of the IBT, and served as the union’s general president between 1958 and 1971. He secured the first national agreement for teamsters’ rates in 1964. During his term as leader, Hoffa played a major role in the growth and development of the union which eventually became the largest (by membership) in the U.S. with over 1.5 million members at its peak. – 1975

United Airlines agreed to offer domestic-partner benefits to employees and retirees worldwide. – 1999

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

The 'Media Capitulation Index' - American Crisis

Which public TV and radio stations most rely on federal funds - Axios

Lessons from Southport: how information voids fuel a crisis - Journalism UK

Fortune and Informa Techtarget both separately cut 10% of workforce - Press Gazette

Alden Global Capital fails in its attempt to get its tentacles on The Dallas Morning News - NL

Beyond the think tank: how CNTI is building a global ‘do tank’ for journalism’s future - E&P Magazine

Important Events From This day in History July 29

 

1981 UK Charles and Diana Marriage

1981 : Prince Charles marries Lady Diana at a royal ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral, it is estimated 500 million television viewers in 74 countries tune in to witness the fairy tale marriage.

1932 U.S.A. Bonus Protesters

1932 : World War I Vets who are starving like many others due to the great depression march on Washington demanding that the bonus payment they are due to receive in 1945 is paid out early. Legislators refuse their requests so 20,000 vets set up camp in Washington trying to put further pressure on the government. President Herbert Hoover ordered the eviction and two veterans were killed, he then called on the army to disperse the remaining Bonus protesters and the Bonus Army headed home on July 29, 1932.

1945 USS Indianapolis Sinking

1945 : I-58 Japanese submarine sinks the American cruiser Indianapolis, killing 883 seamen in the worst loss in the history of the U.S. navy. More than 800 fell into the Pacific many died due to injuries during the sinking but the remaining seamen were left to flounder in the Pacific, fend off sharks, drink sea water it was 84 hours before help arrived and only 318 survived the rest were eaten by sharks or drowned. The USS Indianapolis had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian prior to it's sinking by the submarine.

1953 Germany Hohenzollern Jewels

1953 : Thieves have stolen the Hohenzollern Jewels valued at over $7.5 million by climbing the walls of ancient Hohenzollern castle , these are better known as the Prussian Crown Jewels.

1958 U.S.A. NASA Created

1958 : NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is created by the National Aeronautics and Space Act to make sure America will win the space race and 11 years and billions of dollars later, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle and onto the moon's surface on July 20th, 1969.

1968 Vatican Pope Paul VI

1968 : Pope Paul VI banned the contraceptive pill as well as all other artificial means of birth control.

1976 U.S.A. Son of Sam

1976 : The so called "Son of Sam" pulls a gun from a paper bag and fires five shots at Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti of the Bronx while they are sitting in a car. Lauria died and Valenti was seriously wounded in the first in a series of shootings by the serial killer, who terrorized New York City over the course of the next year.

1976 Southend Pier Destroyed By Fire

1976 : The end of Southend Pier on Britain's south coast is destroyed by Fire, the pier was the longest pier in the world at close to 1 1/2 miles long. The original pier made of wood dates back to 1830 and in the 1880's the pier was rebuilt of iron.

1999 U.S.A. Woodstock 99

1999 : New York State Police have suspended an officer who posed with half naked women at Woodstock 99 while colleagues were quelling a riot at the festival, the officer is also facing criminal charges.

1999 U.S.A. Day Trader Goes On Killing Spree

1999 : Day Trader (Mark O. Barton) opens fire at the All-Tech Investment Group Inc Atlanta brokerage office, killing nine and wounding 13 others before shooting himself to death, he had earlier killed his wife and two children. It is thought he went on the killing spree after losing over $100,000 while day trading between June 9th and July 27th.

2006 Sudan Peace Agreement Broken

2006 : After signing a peace agreement on May 5 of 2006, the Sudanese government violated the agreement when they attacked the rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement, a group not involved in the peace deal, in the Jebel Moon mountains. The peace agreement between Sudanese government and the Minni Minnawi faction was used by both parties as a way to attack rebel groups who were not a part of the agreement.

2006 U.S.A. California Heat Wave

2006 : The Heat Wave in California which started on July 16th. and has reached temperatures of 115 degrees earlier in the week is now believed to have claimed the lives of over 140 people, and caused a massive toll to the state's agricultural industry with damage to peaches, plums, nectarines and walnuts and thousands of livestock lost. An additional burden to California residents has been the loss of power to over a million customers caused through equipment failures.

2007 Iraq Wins Asian Cup

2007 : Despite being a country torn apart by invasion and internal fighting, the Iraqi football team was able to win the Asian Cup against Saudi Arabia on this day. The game, played in Indonesia, ended with a 1-0 score. The victory was able to bring some temporary joy to the country which had been plagued with a surge of violence at the time.

2008 U.S.A. Ronald Gray

2008 : Former United States President and Commander in Chief, George W. Bush approved the first execution of an American soldier in over fifty years on this day. Ronald Gray a serial killer who was found guilty of the rape and murder of 4 victims, a member of the armed forces in the states of North Carolina was convicted of rape and murder in 1988 and sentenced to death. On November 26th, 2008, a federal judge granted Gray a stay of execution to allow time for further appeals which is still proceeding.

2009 India Gayatri Devi

2009 : Gayatri Devi, one of the last queens in India, died on this day. The ninety year old played an important role in politics and fashion in India and was once voted one of the most beautiful women in the world according to Vogue magazine.

2011 Car Makers Agree to Fuel Efficiency Standard

2011 : Major car makers agreed to a the new fuel efficiency standard proposed by the Obama administration. The new standard that was agreed upon would raise the average miles per gallon to 54.5 by 2025. The move was hoped to reduce reliance on foreign oil imports as well as reduce air pollution.

2012 Snoop Dogg Banned from Norway

2012 : US Rapper Snoop Dogg has been banned from Norway for two years after he was caught trying to bring a small amount of marijuana into the country in June. His lawyer stated that he would live with the ban and had no plans to appeal.

2013 China Orders Debt Audit

2013 : The Chinese government has ordered a nationwide audit of all government debt. The move comes after a concern that debt has slowed the economic growth in the country after government borrowing was used to sustain growth amid the global financial crisis.

 Cesar Chavez, asked Americans to boycott the popular California fruit

The Coast Seamen’s Union merges with the Steamship Sailor’s Union to form the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific. – 1891

A preliminary delegation from Mother Jones’ March of the Mill Children from Philadelphia to President Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, publicizing the harsh conditions of child labor, arrives today. They are not allowed through the gates. – 1903

Following a five-year table grape boycott, Delano-area growers file into the United Farm Workers union hall in Delano, California to sign their first union contracts. The strike began on September 8, 1965. Due largely to a consumer boycott of nonunion grapes, the strike ended with a significant victory for the United Farm Workers as well as its first contract with growers. – 1970

Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines

Is printing checks still a profitable business? - MSN

'Chicago Tribune' Lays Off 8 Newsroom Employees - MediaPost

Generative AI models love to cite Reuters and Axios, study finds - Nieman Lab

The tragedy of local news hits the stage in ‘The Last American Newspaper’ - Poynter

Throwback episode: Rozina Breen, CEO and editor-in-chief of TBIJ - Journalism UK

New chapter for Lansing’s City Pulse: Philanthropy backs fierce independence - E&P Reports

Important Events From This day in History July 28

 

1932 "Bonus Army" World War I

1932 : Federal troops under the order of President Hoover forcibly dispersed the "Bonus Army" of (17,000 World War I veterans) who had gathered in Washington, D.C. on June 17th to demand money they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945. The troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur and Major George S. Patton are ordered to charge into the veterans and were sent to destroy the temporary shacks in the Bonus Army's camps in Hooverville on the Anacostia Flats forcing the marchers out. By the end of the day hundreds of veterans were injured, and several were killed. The World War I Vets like every body else in the country were suffering with no jobs and money during these early years of the great depression and wanted the Service Certificates they had earned while fighting in World War I paid out early. More about the Bonus Army Protest

1914 World War I Begins

1914 : Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, within one month countries across Europe had formed alliances and declared war on other alliances. The main alliances in the early period of the war were: Entente Powers or the Allied Powers: consisted of British Empire, France, Russian Empire, Italy, United States. Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

1920 Mexico Francisco Villa Surrenders

1920 : Francisco Villa the notorious bandit has surrendered unconditionally to the provisional government of Mexico.

1931 U.S.A. Monoplane Race

1931 : A race between two powerful monoplanes got under way today starting from New York, the race is to Istanbul over 5,500 miles away. They are also hoping to break the current long distance record of 4,912 miles non stop.

1945 Plane Crashes Into Empire State Building

1945 : A B-25 Mitchell bomber crashes into the into the 79th story of the Empire State Building killing 14 people. The freak accident was caused by heavy fog.

1956 U.S.A. Elvis Presley

1956 : Elvis Presley scores his second No. 1 hit with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" following his April number 1 "Heartbreak Hotel."

1965 50,000 Extra Troops To Vietnam

1965 : President Johnson informed fellow Americans that he is adding 50,000 troops to the U.S. forces currently in Vietnam, for a total of 125,000 soldiers.

1972 UK Dock Strike Begins

1972 : 42,000 registered dock workers begin a national strike over container companies using cheap labor and concerns over compulsory redundancies. After one week the government under Edward Heath proclaimed a state of emergency which allowed the use of the British Army to unload cargo.

1976 China Earthquake Kills 1/4 Million

1976 : An earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale flattens Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people. The quake killed an estimated 242,000 people in Tangshan and surrounding areas making the earthquake one of the deadliest in recorded history.

1978 Lebanon Syrian Attacks

1978 : The United States, Canada and Great Britain have advised nationals to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible due to increased Syrian attacks on Lebanon Christians and are leaving only a skeleton staff in their Embassy.

1978 Gold Reaches $200.00 Per Ounce

1978 : The Price of gold has reached an all time high on the Bullion Market of $200.00 per ounce , investors usually invest in gold during monetary instability and the steady decline in the value of the dollar has sent many US investors into the gold market.

1982 Israel Attack West Beirut

1982 : Israel Bombers and fighters are blasting large area's of West Beirut attacking any area or building they believe may house PLO Palestinian Liberation Army Guerillas. After nightfall the PLO Guerillas returned fire on Israeli positions using rockets and mortar fire.

1999 U.S.A. Y2K Compliance

1999 : Federal Regulators from the SEC have given until August 1 for Brokerage firms to prove compliance with Y2K or a court order will be obtained to close them down on December 31st.

2004 U.S.A. John Kerry

2004 : The Democratic National Convention in Boston Nominated John Kerry Democratic Nominee For President.

2005 IRA Announces End Of Armed Struggle

2005 : The IRA has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign and has announced the republican organisation will follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence. The announcement is received on all sides as an important way forward following the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1997.

2006 Haiti Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune Released

2006 : Yvon Neptune was released from prison in Haiti on this day. Neptune was a former Prime Minister of Haiti and was held in prison for two years without ever being convicted of a crime. Neptune had denied the charges he was held on. He had been charged in connection to the killings of opposition to the ex-president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

2008 Iraq Suicide Bombers

2008 : On this day three suicide bombings took place in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 28 people and injuring 90 people. The suicide attacks were carried out by female bombers and were aimed at disrupting a Shia Muslim pilgrimage to the Kadhimiya shrine.

2009 Tanzania Banking For Women

2009 : A bank opened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania that was aimed at helping women with their savings. The bank, the first of its kind in Tanzania, made it easier for women to open accounts and encouraged the empowerment of women in the country.

2011 Bangladesh Bus Crash Kills Seventeen

2011 : At least seventeen people died and another twenty people were injured when a passenger bus crashed into a truck in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Survivors of the accident blamed the bus driver for the crash, stating that he was driving recklessly at high speeds.

2012 First Gold of the London 2012 Games Won

2012 : China's Yi Siling won the first gold of the London Olympic games in the women's 10m Air Rifle competition. Sylwia Bogacka won the silver medal while China's Yu Dan won the bronze.

2013 Brazil Pope Francis Holds Mass on Beach

2013 : Pope Francis held mass for over three million people who had gathered to hear him on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pope Francis had been there on a five day trip to Brazil to visit a Catholic youth festival on his first foreign trip since he became the pope.

Today in Labor History July 28, 2025

 Troops, burned down a shantytown occupied by unemployed veterans

Women shoemakers in Lynn, Massachusetts created the Daughters of St. Crispin, the first national women’s labor union in the U.S. The union began with a strike of over a thousand female workers in 1860. By the end of 1869, it had a total of 24 local lodges across the U.S., the largest of which had over 400 members. Conventions of all the lodges were held annually in Massachusetts until 1872. The Name “Daughters of St. Crispin” was inspired by the contemporary men’s union of shoemakers, the order of the Knights of St. Crispin. Saint Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. In 1870, a convention of the Daughters of St. Crispin unanimously adopted a resolution which demanded equal pay for doing the same work as men. – 1860

Harry Bridges was born in Australia. He came to America at age 19 and became a leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). In 1937 he led several chapters in forming a new union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), expanding membership to warehouse workers. He led the ILWU for the next 40 years. – 1901

A strike by Paterson, New Jersey silk workers for an eight-hour day and improved working conditions ended after six months, with the workers’ demands unmet. During the course of the strike, approximately 1,800 strikers were arrested, including Wobblie leaders Big Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. – 1913

General Douglas MacArthur, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower and their troops, burned down a shantytown occupied by unemployed veterans near the U.S. Capitol. 20,000 ex-servicemen had been camped out in the capital demanding a veterans’ bonus the government had promised but never given. Cavalry troops and tanks fired tear gas at veterans and their families and then set the buildings on fire. MacArthur and President Herbert Hoover said they had saved the nation from revolution. – 1932

Nine miners were rescued in Sommerset, Pennsylvania. after being trapped for 77 hours, 240 feet underground in the flooded Quecreek Mine. – 2002

Important Events From This day in History July 26

 

 

1956 Egypt Suez Crisis Begins

1956 : The Suez Crisis begins when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the British and French-owned Suez Canal hoping to charge tolls that would pay for construction of of the Aswan dam on the Nile.

1931 U.S.A. Grasshopper Swarms

1931 : The Midwest and heartland of the United States are in the midst of a bad drought when swarms of grasshoppers descends on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres.

1939 United Kingdom IRA Roundup

1939 : The British government is set for lightening strikes against the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to round up over 5,000 suspects to stop the sabotage and terrorist activities now that the new emergency government bill has been passed.

1941 U.S.A. Japanese Assets Seized

1941 : President Franklin Roosevelt seizes all Japanese assets in the United States in retaliation for the Japanese occupation of French Indo-China.

1945 Great Britain Clement Attlee

1945 : Winston Churchill's Conservative party loses the general election to the Labour Party and Clement Attlee, the Labour leader, is sworn in as the new British leader, Attlee had campaigned on an enlarged system of social services would be created as outlined in the wartime Beveridge Report.

1952 Argentina Eva Peron

1952 : Eva Peron, died today of a prolonged illness she was known as Evita (Little Eva) to the people of Argentina.

1963 Yugoslavia Earthquake Strikes Skopje

1963 : Skopje, Yugoslavia's 4th largest city was struck by an earthquake which reduced the city to ruins. It is estimated many thousands died as 80% of the city was left in ruins.

1978 South America Political Turmoil

1978 : The continuing turmoil in South American politics have many in the west concerned for democracy in the area, in just a short time we have seen A coup in Bolivia. General Augusto Pinochet Junta in Chile ousting the only liberal member left. In Paraguay the opposition party leader was snatched from the street and jailed after speaking out against the corruption of the ruling party.

1989 Student Indicted For Creating Computer Virus

1989 : Robert Tappan Morris a graduate student from Cornell University was indicted on a felony charge for releasing a computer virus that disrupted thousands of computers throughout the United States in the fall of 1988.

1996 U.S.A. IBM

1996 : IBM is given a contract by the Department of Energy to build the worlds most powerful custom supercomputer.

1999 U.S.A. Cary Stayner Arrested

1999 : A hotel handyman who worked at the Cedar Lodge guest house in Yosemite National Park has been arrested on suspicion of killing four women Carole Sund, Silvina Pelosso, Julie Sund and Joie Armstrong. He was found guilty for the murders of four women in Yosemite, California, and in 2002 sentenced to death. He is currently on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California.

2006 Power Restores in Monrovia After 15 Years

2006 : This day marks the return of power to the Liberian capital of Monrovia after fifteen years without. The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf activated the streetlights, powered by a generator, for the first time after a fourteen-year civil war in the country.

2006 U.S.A. Andrea Yates

2006 : An earlier trial verdict of the murder of 5 children by their mother (Andrea Yates) which sentenced her to life imprisonment has been overturned, and in the latest verdict she has been cleared by reason of insanity of murdering her five children by drowning them in the bath. She will now be sent to a state mental hospital until she is considered sane enough for release.

2008 U.S.A. California Bans Transfats

2008 : California became the first state to pass a law banning the use of trans fats from being used by restaurants and retailers. The ban was set to start on January 1st, 2010. Trans fats had been linked to heart disease, and researchers stated that this ban could reduce up to 19% of heart attack deaths a year.

2009 India 1st Nuclear Submarine

2009 : India became one of six countries to launch a nuclear submarine. India built the ship with Russian help and the move is thought to have been designed to send a message to China, a country with an increasing naval presence near India.

2012 Austrian Artist Franz West Dies

2012 : Franz West, a contemporary Austrian artist, died at the age of sixty-five in Vienna after suffering from a long illness. West rose to prominence in the middle of the Sixties as a part of the Actionism movement. He also was known for making large aluminum sculptures, collages and brightly upholstered furniture.

2013 French Can Insult President

2013 : The French parliament lifted a ban on insulting the president that had been in place since 1881. It had be illegal to insult the French president and those who risked it could be fined, but the government lifted the ban after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the law violated the freedom of expression.

Today in Labor History July 26, 2025

 

Battle of the Viaduct

30 workers were killed by federal troops at the “Battle of the Viaduct“, Chicago, during the Great Upheaval (AKA Great Strike). During the battle, U.S. troops and police attacked about 5,000 workers at Halsted & 16th Street in Chicago.  A judge later found the police guilty of preventing the workers from exercising their right to freedom of speech and assembly. – 1877

President Grover Cleveland appointed a United States Strike Committee to investigate the causes of the Pullman strike and the subsequent strike by the American Railway Union. Later that year the commission issued its report, absolving the strikers and blaming Pullman and the railroads for the conflict. – 1894

In the Battle of Mucklow, a West Virginia coal strike, an estimated 100,000 shots were fired; 12 miners and four guards were killed. – 1912

President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, directing equality of opportunity in armed forces. – 1948

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) took effect. It required employers to offer reasonable accommodations to qualified disabled employees and banned discrimination against such workers. – 1992

Friday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

 Philippine Jeepney 

‘60 Minutes’ gains stability with an esteemed new producer - Poynter

Hundreds of Hearst journalists demand respect - The NewsGuild-CWA

Generative AI models love to cite Reuters and Axios, study finds - Nieman Lab

Interested in becoming an Los Angeles Times shareholder? - Los Angeles Times

Reader Advisory Board transformed the Richmond Times connection to the community - E&P 

Gannett offers buyouts as nation’s largest newspaper publisher grapples with declining sales - Wrap

Important Events From This day in History July 25

 

2000 France Concorde Crash

2000 : An Air France Concorde jet bound for New York crashes upon takeoff in Paris killing everyone on board as well as four people on the ground.

1917 France Mata Hari

1917 : The exotic dancer Mata Hari is sentenced to execution by firing squad by a French court for spying on Germany's behalf during World War I.

1921 U.S.A. Rum Runners

1921 : Rum runners are now taunting US authorities by sitting outside of the three mile limit with flags and signs saying come and get it. At night they disappear under cover of darkness to areas not patrolled and small fishing boats unload the cargo and deliver the booze back to shore.

1939 England IRA Bomb

1939 : A bomb planted in a baggage room on a London Railway station by the IRA has injured 14 people many seriously , the bomb is believed to have been planted by the Irish Republican Army.

1943 Italy Benito Mussolini

1943 : Benito Mussolini, the prime minister and dictator of Italy for 21 years, was forced from office.

1952 Puerto Rico Self Governing Commonwealth of US

1952 : After a number of years during which there were revolts including the Jayuya Uprising against the United States. Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States. The head of state is still George Bush and the Federal Legislative Branch is the United States Congress. The country is currently run by the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico who hold control of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives and Senate who are campaigning for the right of Statehood for Puerto Rico.

1956 U.S.A. Ocean Liners Collide

1956 : The Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria and the Swedish ocean liner Stockholm collide in a heavy Atlantic fog off the island of Nantucket on the New England coast. Fifty-one passengers and crew were killed in the collision, which ripped a great hole in the broad side of the Italian vessel Andrea Doria all 1,660 survivors were rescued from the ship before it sunk late the next morning.

1969 Senator Edward Kennedy Chappaquiddick

1969 : Senator Edward Kennedy pleads guilty to leaving the scene of a crime (car accident on the island of Chappaquiddick where Mary Jo Kopechne drowned) and has been sentenced to a two-month suspended jail sentence.

1973 Soviet Union Mars 5 Probe

1973 : The Soviet Union launched Mars 5, its second unmanned Mars probe on a six-month journey to the red planet.

1978 Great Britain First Test Tube Baby

1978 : Lesley Brown gave birth to the world's first test tube baby (in-vitro fertilization) delivered by cesarean section in Oldham, England. Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards developed the process to conceive a child in a laboratory and then plant in a uterus to develop normally.

1978 Britain Motability Scheme Launched

1978 : A new scheme in Britain (Motability scheme) to provide cars for disabled people is launched in Earl's Court, London. The scheme allows disabled people to use part of their mobility allowance to lease new, modified cars for the disabled.

1986 India Hindu Murder

1986 : Masked Sikhs stopped an inter city bus in Punjab State and ordered all Hindus off the bus , they then shot and murdered the Hindus in a hail of automatic gunfire.

1992 Spain Barcelona Olympics

1992 : After 20 years of Boycotts of the Olympic games the Barcelona Olympic Games becomes the first games with no major boycotts and a record number of 169 nations taking part in the opening parade.

1999 France Lance Armstrong

1999 : Just three years after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, American Lance Armstrong won the first of seven consecutive Tour de France victories.

2000 U.S.A. Dick Cheney

2000 : George Bush chooses Dick Cheney to be his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket.

2006 Russia / Georgia Tensions

2006 : On this day the country of Georgia deployed troops to the Kodori gorge, a strategic military location in the Abkhazia region. Both Russian and the Abkhaz government protested the move by Georgia citing it as a violation of the 1994 Moscow ceasefire. Georgia responded by demanding that Russia remove its troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

2007 Canada Oil Pipe Breaks

2007 : An oil pipe in Vancouver, Canada burst when a construction crew accidentally dug into the pipeline on this day, creating a geyser of crude oil. Some fifty homes in the suburb were evacuated and the oil spilled for over twenty minutes before the flow to the pipe was turned off.

2007 Democratic Republic of Congo Mountain Gorillas Killed

2007 : Four more mountain gorillas have been found shot in the Virunga National Park, home to 380 mountain gorillas over half the worlds population of this endangered species. Unlike many of the murders of these endangered animals this is not the work of poachers, but something even more sinister ( the latest speculation is that this is the work of rebels who think killing the endangered species is a way of hurting the Congolese authorities ). This brings the total killed this year to seven gorillas including 2 silverbacks earlier this year.

2009 England Last World War I Vet Dies

2009 : Britain’s last living World War I veteran died on this day. Harry Patch, a 111-year-old former plumber refused to talk about his war experiences until he reached the age of 100. For eleven years before his death he traveled around and received honors while speaking on his life experiences in the first world war.

2011 Syria Will Allow Political Parties

2011 : The Syrian government announced that it has adopted a draft law which would allow the formation of political parties other than the Baath party in the country. The Baath party has acted as the ruling party in Syria for almost fifty years. The announcement was made in hopes of appeasing anti-government protesters who demanded government reforms including a multi-party system.

2012 Greek Athlete Expelled From Olympics

2012 : Voula Papachristou was expelled from competing in the 2012 London Olympics on the Greek team because of comments that she posted on Twitter. The triple jump competitor had supported Greece's far-right party and had also mocked African immigrants on Twitter and the Hellenic Olympic Committee deemed her remarks to go against the Olympic spirit and expelled her from the games only a few days before the games were to start. Papachristou apologized for her comments.

2013 Spain Train Crash Kills and Injures Many

2013 : A train derailed and crashed in northwestern Spain. At least seventy-seven passengers were killed and over one-hundred were injure of the 218 on board. All eight of the trains carriages came off the track and it is possible that the train was traveling twice as fast as the speed limit when it went around a curve.

Today in Labor History July 25, 2025

 

After striking for seven months, New York garment workers won the right to unionize and secured a closed shop (a shop where everyone must join the Union) and the firing of all scabs. – 1890

Fifteen “living dead women” testified before the Illinois Industrial Commission.  They were “Radium Girls,” women who died prematurely after working at clock and watch factories, where they were told to wet small paintbrushes in their mouths so they could dip them in radium to paint dials.  A Geiger counter passed over graves in a cemetery near Ottawa, Illinois still registers the presence of radium. – 1937

The Teamsters and Service Employees unions break from the AFL-CIO during the federation’s 50th convention to begin the Change to Win coalition, ultimately comprised of seven unions. They said they wanted more emphasis on organizing and less on electoral politics. – 2005

After 2 ½ years of negotiations, 240 ferry workers of the Alaska Marine Highway System went on strike. Their slogan was “we believe in ferries”. The fleet remained tied to the docks for 11 days while they worked with a federal mediator to negotiate a contract. In all, 8,570 passengers were affected along with 2,468 vehicles. Refunds cost the state around $3.3 million. – 2019

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

 LA Times press room supervisors

What does a publicly traded L.A. Times even look like? - Matt Pearce

Trump, the Press and Defining Deviancy Down - Second Rough Draft

What if news avoiders are right and you don’t need journalism? - Journalism UK

‘It’s an icon’: Historic newspaper Jonesborough Herald & Tribune ceasing publication - WJHL

Another swipe at the free press: When corporate capture hides behind progress - E&P Magazine

Important Events From This day in History July 24

  

1959 Soviet Union Moscow Meeting

1959 : Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev engage in a heated debate about capitalism and communism in the middle of a model kitchen set up for the American National Exhibition in Moscow.

1990 Kuwait Iraq Troops Mass On Border

1990 : Reports of mass Iraq troops on the Kuwait border raise concerns that Iraq is planning to invade the country which is one of the richest oil nations in the world. Just over one week later on August 2, 1990 Iraq did invade Kuwait and within two days most of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces and Iraq was in control. Following a number of UN Security Council resolutions and Arab League including Resolution 678 gave Iraq a withdrawal deadline from Kuwait of January 15,1991. The following day when Iraq forces did not leave January 16th a UN coalition force begins (Operation Desert Storm) joining the regional states of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states and by February 28, 1991 Iraq forces had been forced to leave Kuwait.

1911 Peru Re-Discovery of Machu Picchu

1911 : Hiram Bingham, a Yale history professor, re-discovers Machu Picchu in the Andes. The lost city, likely built in the mid-1400s, was already known to locals and introduced internationally through Bingham's discovery. He returned to excavate the site in 1912.

1915 U.S.A. Steamer Overturns

1915 : The steamer Eastland overturns in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers who were heading to a picnic.

1939 Major Crop Losses Through Drought

1939 : The continuing drought conditions in the North Eastern US continue and farmers are now resigned to losing much of the crop and are using the valuable water for kitchen gardens to ensure the family will have food during the long cold winter period. many wells and streams have now dried up due to the lack of rainfall.

1943 Germany Hamburg Bombing Raids

1943 : Britain and the United States work together on bombing raids on Hamburg continuing non stop for 7 days and nights with British bombers bombing Hamburg by night, and Americans bombing it by day. The resulting firestorms from the bombing left at least 40,000 dead in the first 3 days.

1969 Apollo 11 Safely Returns To Earth

1969 : Apollo 11, the U.S. spacecraft that had taken the first astronauts to the surface of the moon, safely returns to Earth, this fulfilled the dream of President John F. Kennedy in 1961 when he said "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth."

1974 Watergate Tapes Must Be Handed Over

1974 : The US Supreme Court orders President Nixon to hand over tape recordings of White House conversations about the Watergate affair to the Watergate special prosecutor.

1978 Caribou Wildlife Range Fails to Gain Protection

1978 : The Senate energy committee rejected a bid to designate the potentially oil rich National Wildlife Range as Wilderness . Naturalists want the area protected from drilling to protect the 120,000 Caribou who use the range as a calving area, Many believe that this wildlife range could provide the largest onshore oil and gas field in the US in future.

1979 Ted Bundy Found Guilty

1979 : Ted Bundy was found guilty of murdering two sorority sisters. Although his exact number of victims is unknown, Bundy confessed to more than 30 murders. He was executed in the electric chair on January 24th, 1989.

1986 Brazil Inflation Rampant

1986 : In a plan to combat poverty and inflation in the third worlds most indebted nation, the president has announced plans to increase taxes on cars, fuel and foreign travel.

1998 U.S.A. Merger Mania

1998 : The rash of mergers around the world continues to grow Bigger is Better Mentality of Corporations) as Enron Corporation acquires British-based Wessex Water, PLC.

1999 Morocco King Hassan II Dies

1999 : King Hassan the Arab world's longest reigning leader has died of a heart attack and his eldest son and successor, Crown Prince Sidi Mohamed, has been proclaimed commander of the faithful and King of Morocco.

2001 Tamil Tiger Rebels Attack Airport

2001 : Tamil Tigers have attacked the only International airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka destroying 6 passenger aircraft half the Sri Lankan Airways fleet and eight military planes. The rebels firing guns and armed with mortars killed 15 and injured many more in the attack, the Sri Lanka tourist industry had just started to gain some important new visitors but this will end hopes for more tourism in the country.

2005 Lance Armstrong Wins 7th Tour De France

2005 : Lance Armstrong wins a record-setting seventh consecutive Tour de France and retires from the sport.

2006 Iraq Saddam Hussein Trial

2006 : Saddam Hussein’s trial for crimes against humanity resumed in Baghdad on this day despite his absence. Hussein was hospitalized after staging a seventeen-day hunger strike in protest of his lawyers' murders.

2007 U.S.A. Democratic Party

2007 : The eight presidential candidates for the Democratic party in the United States presidential election of 2008 held their first debate. The candidates answered questions submitted on YouTube, marking the growing influence that social-networking and video-sharing websites have on politics. The Original eight were Senator Barack Obama, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Joe Biden, Governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator John Edwards, Senator Mike Gravel and Senator Hillary Clinton.

2008 South Mountain Community College

2008 : A gunman wounded three people at the South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona on this day.

2011 Mass Arrests in Mexico

2011 : Mexican authorities arrest over one thousand people after a police raid in Ciudad Juarez. The raid was meant to crackdown on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the city, one of the most violent cities in Mexico. Police also announced that they were able to rescue twenty underage women.

2012 US Actor Sherman Hemsley Dies

2012 : Television actor Sherman Hemsley died at the age of seventy-four. Hemsley was best known for his portrayal of George Jefferson on the sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons which ran for eleven seasons.

2013 Mexico Gangs Clash with Police

2013 : Twenty gang members and two officers are killed in clashes between the Knights Templar drug gang and police in the Michoacan state. Violence has increased quite a lot in the Michoacan state in recent months and vigilante groups have formed throughout the region in order to combat the violence.