Today in Labor History July 21, 2026

 The Great Upheaval

30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval, a wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd, advocating the use of the ballot to obtain “state control of the means of production,” and urged workers to join the Workingmen’s Party. Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great trouble. Local militiamen were called out against striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh. The head of the Pennsylvania Railroad advised giving the strikers “a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread.” Instead, the militiamen joined the workers. Meanwhile, federal troops were sent to Baltimore, where they killed 10 strikers and wounded 25.  – 1877

A compressed air explosion killed 20 workers constructing a railroad tunnel under the Hudson River. – 1880

IWW led a strike at Hodgeman’s Blueberry Farm in Grand Junction, Mich. – 1964

Radio station WCFL, owned and operated by the Chicago Federation of Labor (hence the call sign),  took to the airwaves with two hours of music. The first and only labor-owned radio station in the country, WCFL was sold in 1979. – 1926

A die-cast operator in Jackson, Mich. was pinned by a hydraulic Unimate robot and died five days later. The incident is the first documented case in the U.S. of a robot killing a human. – 1984

Important Events From This day in History July 21

 

 

1925 U.S.A. The Monkey Trial

1925 : John T. Scopes convicted of violating Tennessee state law for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in the "Monkey Trial." The conviction was later overturned.

1911 England Lloyd George

1911 : Lloyd George the chancellor of the exchequer and future prime minister recognized war might be the price of continued threats to the security of the country and its allies. His rousing speech included the words that peace made by backing down to German demands for Algeria and Tunisia would be a humiliation intolerable for a great country to endure.

1931 No Money For Teachers Pay

1931 : In the city of Chicago which has one of the most modern Opera Houses in the US, can not pay it's 14,000 teachers their salaries due to running out of money , School payrolls have now not been paid for 2 months and many of the teachers are facing severe hardship including losing their homes. School boards have no money because property owners are behind with their payments due to large numbers being unemployed.

1944 Guam US Forces Land World War II

1944 : American marines land on Guam in the Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean to gain back control of the island which had been taken by the Japanese shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

1950 U.S.A. Increasing Prices

1950 : Food prices and prices for other commodities have been increasing at alarming rate and a government investigation has blamed a number of factors causing the increases - Hoarding due to concerns over the Korean War, Profiteering by companies, and Increased costs of raw materials.

1954 France Surrenders North Vietnam in Indo-China War

1954 : The Indo-China war ends when France surrenders North Vietnam to the Communists, a peace accord signed in Geneva, Switzerland between communist North Vietnam Forces and France agrees Vietnam will be divided between north and south Vietnam along the 17th parallel. In the 60's as North Vietnam begins it's attacks on South Vietnam The United States intervenes to defend the 17th Parallel resulting in the long and bloody Vietnam War which finally ended in 1975 with North Vietnam conquering the South.

1969 Space Apollo 11

1969 : Apollo 11 astronauts departed from the moon today after making history with man's first visit including walking on the moons surface and planting the American flag . It is estimated over 500 million people around the world watched history unfold.

1970 Egypt Aswan High Dam

1970 : The Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in Egypt is completed creating renewable energy and helping to stop the cycle of flooding and drought in the area.

1975 U.S.A. Postal Service Price Increases

1975 : An agreement has been reached by the Postal Service and the Postal Workers Union averting a strike threatened by 600,000 postal workers. The Postal Service has stated that as labor costs are 85% of the cost of the Postal Services an increase in charges will need to happen.

1980 U.S.A. Draft Registration

1980 : All 19 and 20 year old men are required to register for the Draft, this followed Proclamation 4771, Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act signed by President Jimmy Carter re-establishing the Selective Service registration requirement for all 18-26 year old male citizens born on or after January 1st, 1960.

1987 Italy Ferrari F 40 Unveiled

1987 : To celebrate the 40 yrs of Ferrari production Enzo Ferrari unveiled the Ferrari F40 at the factory in Maranello, Italy. The F40 was the fastest road vehicle ever built at that time.

1997 USS Constitution

1997 : Thousands watched as the USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides, celebrated 200 years by sailing from Marblehead, Massachusetts, under its own power for the first time in 116 years.

2002 U.S.A. Oregon Biscuit Fire

2002 : The Biscuit Fire was a wildfire that scorched and burned almost a half million acres in Oregon’s beautiful Siskiyou National Forest started by lightning and was not completely contained until December 31 later that same year.

2002 Worldcom Files Bankruptcy Protection

2002 : WorldCom Inc. files for bankruptcy protection after disclosing it had inflated profits by nearly $4 billion through deceptive accounting practices from 1999 - 2002 to mask its poor earnings and presenting a false picture of financial growth and profitability of the company.

2005 Terrorist Attack London Underground

2005 : Terrorists attack the London underground system and London Busses by planting bombs on three subways and on one bus but unlike an earlier attack the bombs create only miner blasts as only the detonators explode and not the main bombs.

2006 Cambodia Ta Mok “The Butcher” Dies

2006 : Ta Mok, a key leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia died of natural causes while awaiting trial for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. Ta Mok had been nicknamed “The Butcher” and was an important leader in the brutal Khmer Rouge regime under which an estimated 1.7 million people died.

2007 India Pratibha Patil Elected

2007 : The seventy-two year old Pratibha Patil is elected to the presidency in India, and becomes the first woman president of the country. Although the presidency in India is largely ceremonial, she will have some responsibilities concerning the government and coalitions.

2007 England Final Harry Potter Book Published

2007 : The last and final Harry Potter book goes on sale "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" written by J. K. Rowling. 10 years after the first Harry Potter Book was published.

2008 Yemen Exposed Dinosaur Tracks

2008 : Exposed dinosaur tracks are discovered by scientists in Yemen. In the village of Madar, the tracks were once believed to belong to giant camels, but after scientists examined the tracks, they determined that they had belonged to a herd of eleven dinosaurs from 150 million years ago. This was the first discovery of this kind on the Arabian Peninsula.

2008 Serbia Radovan Karadzic Captured

2008 : A former political leader during the Bosnian War in the 1990's, Radovan Karadzic was finally captured in Serbia on this day. He had been on the run for over ten years after being indicted for war crimes and genocide. The capture was seen as a triumph for the new government in Serbia, as it looked to join the European Union.

2011 Texas Executes Hate Killer

2011 : The US state of Texas executed Mark Stroman, who was convicted of killing two people he thought were Arab after going on a rampage after the 9/11 attacks. Stroman shot another man, Rais Bhuiyan, who survived. Bhuiyan supported Stroman's plea for clemency on the death sentence stating that killing him was "not the solution."

2012 Helicopter Crash in Brunei Kills Twelve

2012 : A helicopter carrying fourteen people crashed in Brunei, killing twelve and injuring two. The helicopter was carrying three crew and eleven military cadets home after they had been training in the jungle. The monarch of the country Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah visited the two survivors in the hospital who were said to be in stable condition.

2013 New Belgian King

2013 : Crown Prince Philippe becomes the King of Belgium after his father King Albert II abdicated after almost twenty years as king. The role of royals in Belgium is largely ceremonial.

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

How to turn FOIA requests into investigative scoops - E&P Magazine

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Today in Labor History July 17, 2026

 Seattle Potlatch Riots

Today marked the beginning of Seattle’s Potlatch Riots in which soldiers and sailors brawled with members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) during Seattle’s Potlatch Festival. Alden Blethen, publisher of the “Seattle Times,” who hated free speech and feared “radical elements,” had been fanning the flames of reaction against the IWW and local activists. He was highly critical of liberal Mayor Cotterill for allowing IWW organizers and anarchists to speak publicly in downtown Seattle. His red-baiting led to violence, as soldiers and sailors ransacked IWW and Socialist headquarters. The riots that followed were essentially an attempt to suppress free speech and labor organizing and were a harbinger of the nationwide red scare leading up to and following World War I. In response to the riots, Mayor Cotterill declared an emergency, took control of the police, shut down saloons, banned street speaking and attempted to temporarily shut down the Times. – 1913

The Justice Department instructed its attorneys and special agents to keep tabs on local Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World) to determine their plans, sources of income, and any evidence that might link them to anti-war or pro-German activity. No incriminating evidence ever surfaced. – 1917

Two ammunition ships exploded at Port Chicago (now known as the Concord Naval Weapons Center), California, killing 322 — including 202 African-Americans assigned by the Navy to handle explosives. The explosion was so large that it could be seen 35 miles away in San Francisco, across the Bay. In response, 258 African-Americans refused to return to the dangerous work, initiating what would be known as the Port Chicago Mutiny. 50 of the men were convicted. – 1944

The death of a missile mechanic at Cape Canaveral sparked a successful 4-day walkout that won improved local health and safety programs. – 1958

Important Events From This day in History July 17

 1917 Royal Family Name Changed

1917 : The King of England King George announced the new name of the royal house and family is to be the House of Windsor after he decided to drop his German family name "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha."

1928 Bootlegger Outsmarts Agents

1928 : Prohibition agents still cannot catch the well known bootlegger who plies his trade on the Ohio River and is well known and protected by locals who warn of agents in the area. He makes his moonshine up in the mountains and travels slowly down the river quenching the thirst of locals along the way. When he runs out he goes back to the mountains to start the process again.

1941 Joe DiMaggio Hitting Streak Ends

1941 : Joe DiMaggio hitting streak of 56 consecutive games ended as 67,468 people watched DiMaggio at bat in the Cleveland stadium.

1944 US Ammunition Ships Explode

1944 : 300 people were killed when two ammunition ships were destroyed with massive explosions that almost flattened the town of Port Chicago, the cause was thought to be accidental.

1945 Germany Potsdam Conference

1945 : Following the defeat of Nazi Germany U.S. President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin attend the Potsdam conference which will decide many of the major issues that need to be decided after the war including: Administration of a defeated Germany, Polish Borders, Occupation of Austria, Soviet Union's role in Eastern Europe, War reparations, and the continuing war in the Pacific. Unlike earlier meetings where trust was limited but they worked together at this conference each country was more concerned with its own long-term interests than that of its partners and the Soviet Union achieved it's main objective that each country currently occupied by soviet forces would stay under soviet control, effectively splitting Europe into east and west.

1954 U.S.A. "Operation Wetback"

1954 : Operation Wetback" is launched by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to remove about four million illegal immigrants from the southwestern United States, with a focus on Mexican nationals. The operation began in California and Arizona sweeping northward through agricultural areas with a goal of 1,000 apprehensions a day.

1955 U.S.A. Disneyland

1955 : Disneyland in Anaheim, California opens to invited guests only. More than 30,000 guests showed up to participate in one of the largest theme parks in the world at the time.

1974 Bomb Exploded In The Tower Of London

1974 : A terrorist bomb planted in the Tower of London has left one person dead and 41 injured. No organization has claimed responsibility but the IRA is suspected.

1975 Space Cold War Co-operation

1975 : Even in a time of cold war hostilities the United States and the Soviet Union realized that if ether had a problem in space the only help would come from the other side and both decided to work together on a mission aimed at developing space rescue capability, the U.S. spacecraft Apollo 18 and the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 19 rendezvous and dock in space successfully.

1976 Olympics African countries Withdrawal

1976 : The 21st Olympic Games in Montreal opening ceremony is marred by the withdrawal of 25 African countries over New Zealand's All Black Rugby Union team touring South Africa who were banned from Olympic Competition. Other countries joined the boycott over the next few days including Egypt and eventually 33 countries did not compete.

1979 Sandinista National Liberation Front Overthrow Government

1979 : The Sandinista National Liberation Front Led by Daniel and Humberto Ortega have overthrown the regime in the central American republic of Nicaragua and taken the capital, Managua. The earlier right wing regime led by President Anastasio Somoza Debayle whose family has been in control for over 40 years has fled to the United States (The US has been providing support and training for the regime and Army). Following the change The United States through Covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations supported the rebel Contras over the next 10 years in an attempt to destabilize the left wing government and in 1990 the center-right National Opposition Union defeated the Sandinistas, ending their decade-long spell in power.

1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel Bridge Collapse Kansas City

1981 : Two sky bridges collapsed onto the lobby floor at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri killing at least 111 and injuring more than 140.

1996 TWA Boeing 747 Plane Crash

1996 : Shortly after takeoff from New York's Kennedy International Airport, a TWA Boeing 747 jetliner (Flight 800) bound for Paris explodes over the Atlantic, killing all 230 people aboard.

1997 U.S.A. Woolworth's

1997 : F.W. Woolworth's, the original five-and-dime store that started in 1879, announced today that its last 400 stores would close.

2000 UK Tesco's Bows To Public Pressure

2000 : Tesco the largest supermarket chain in the UK has bowed to public pressure and will now return to scales with pounds and ounces and metric weights. In 2009 retailers will no longer be allowed to use dual prices and scales for loose goods and will only be able to weigh in Metric.

2003 Venice Threatened By Global Warming

2003 : As Cities and countries around the world face up to increasing water levels. The city most at risk has been battling the rising sea for over 1,000 years and many believe will be the first city to succumb to global warming. Parts of Venice that only flooded on exceptional tides 7 times per year 100 years ago now flood 200 times per year.

2006 Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami

2006 : A tsunami caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 killed over 100 people on this day at West Java seaside resort of Pangandaran. Over 2,000 people were forced to evacuate the area that was hit by the tsunami.

2007 Brazil Plane Crash

2007 : A TAM Airlines Airbus 320 Flight 3054 has overshot the runway at Congonhas-São Paulo International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil as it landed in wet weather and burst into flames killing all 187 people on board and twelve people on the ground. This is the worst air disaster in Brazilian history.

2008 Rwanda Immunity to Former Presidents

2008 : The Rwandan parliament voted to give immunity from prosecution to former presidents of the country. The change to the country’s constitution is mainly thought to be a protection for the former President Kagame, who presided over the country during the genocide that killed over 800,000 people.

2009 United States Walter Cronkite

2009 : Walter Cronkite, a former news anchor in the United States passed away at the age of 92 on this day. Cronkite anchored the nightly news on CBS for nineteen years and was a well-respected journalist and was considered to be “the most trusted man in America” according to polls.

2011 Venezuelan President Chavez Returns to Cuba

2011 : The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, returned to Cuba to face further cancer treatment. Fifty-six year old Chavez had undergone surgery to remove a tumor previously and would now be starting chemotherapy. Chavez delegated few powers to his cabinet in his absence despite calls from the opposition for him to let his vice president run the country while he was going through treatment.

2012 Boy Scouts of America to Keep Gay Ban

2012 : After a secretive two year review on the subject the Boys Scouts of America have decided that they would not change their policy on excluding gay scouts and scout leaders. A panel of eleven people chosen for their diverse views voted unanimously to keep the policy unchanged and a spokesperson for the organization stated that it was the best policy for the group. Many critics of the decision, including board members of the organization, say that they would support a change and that gay members should be allowed to join.

2013 Same-Sex Marriage Legal in England and Wales

2013 : A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales received official Royal assent and it would become law. The law allowed religious organizations to opt-in to performing same-sex marriages with the exception of the Church of England and Church in Wales being banned from performing ceremonies.

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

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Today in Labor History July 16, 2026

 San Francisco General Strike

Carlo Tresca and other Industrial Workers of the World ( IWW) strike leaders were arrested on charges of inciting the murder of a deputy. This was during a strike of 30,000 iron-ore mine workers of the Mesabi range in northern Minnesota. – 1916

Ten thousand workers went on strike at Chicago’s International Harvester operations. – 1919

Martial law was declared in a strike by longshoremen in Galveston, Texas. – 1920

The San Francisco General Strike began. The longshoremen’s strike actually started on May 9 and lasted 83 days, leading ultimately to the unionization of all West Coast ports. The strike grew violent quickly, with company goons and police brutalizing longshoremen and sailors. They hired private security to protect the scabs they brought in to load and unload ships, housing them in moored ships and wall compounds that the strikers attacked. In San Pedro, two workers were killed by private security on May 15. Battles also broke out in Oakland, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. On July 5, police attacked strikers with tear gas and with clubs in San Francisco while on horseback and later fired into the crowd, killing two and injuring others. A General Strike was called on July 14 and began on July 16, lasting 4 days. – 1934

Important Events From This day in History July 16

 

 

1969 U.S.A. Apollo 11

1969 : Apollo 11 astronauts were launched into space on a Saturn 5 rocket launched from Cape Kennedy at 9:32 a.m. hoping to be the first men to land on the moon. The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong (Commander), Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot), and Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot). It's estimated more than a million people watched the launch at Cape Kennedy in Florida. Apollo 11 is scheduled to make it's moon landing in four days time on Sunday July 20th if all goes well.

1918 Russia Czar Nicholas II

1918 : Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-old Romanov dynasty.

1928 U.S.A. Farm Wages

1928 : The Bureau of Agricultural Economics part of the Department of Agriculture has reported that the wages for farm industry are lower than last years levels as the supply of farm workers is more plentiful.

1945 U.S.A. Atomic Bomb

1945 : The world's first atomic bomb was detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico.

1955 UK Sterling Moss

1955 : Sterling Moss won his first Formula One Grand Prix race, the British Grand Prix in Aintree, Sterling Moss never won a World Championship, having finished second to Juan Manuel Fangio for four consecutive years.

1957 U.S.A. Record Flight

1957 : A new transcontinental record was set travelling across the United States in 3 hours, 23 minutes in a Navy jet plane by Major John Glenn Jr.

1970 UK State Of Emergency

1970 : The British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling declares a state of emergency to deal with dock strikes, this will allow the use of The Army, Navy and Airforce to be on standby to handle cargo from ships affected.

1973 U.S.A. White House Tapes Revealed

1973 : During a senate investigation into the Watergate Affair a former White House aide reveals the existence of a secret taping system which would contain tapes possibly incriminating President Nixon.

1979 Iraq Saddam Hussein

1979 : Following a period of building his power base in Iraq Saddam Hussein forces the ailing president of Iraq (al-Bakr) to resign and takes over as the president of Iraq. On his first assembly of Ba'ath party leaders following gaining control he lists 68 "disloyal" members of the party to be removed (Later tried and Many sentenced to death) to ensure his rule would be safe from dissenters.

1984 Philippines President Marcos

1984 : President Ferdinand E Marcos wearing full battle fatigues led his troops to battle communist rebels in forested mountains.

1987 UK British Airways

1987 : British Caledonian and British Airways have agreed to a merger which will help them compete on the world stage with the large US Airlines . The merger was investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and after a number of guaranteed for staff from British Caledonian the merger was finally given the go ahead in December 1987.

1990 Philippines Earthquake

1990 : A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Luzon Island in the Philippines with Baguio City suffering the worst effects with more than 1,000 people killed.

1999 U.S.A. John F. Kennedy, Jr.

1999 : John F. Kennedy, Jr. his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

2002 U.S.A. Department of Homeland Security

2002 : President George W. Bush announces his plan for strengthening homeland security in the wake of the September 11th, 2001, (911) terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., in which nearly 3,000 people had been killed. He created the Department of Homeland Security and the color-coded warning system that identified different levels of threat.

2004 U.S.A. Martha Stewart

2004 : Martha Stewart is sentenced to five months in prison and a two year period of supervised release (to include five months of home confinement) by a federal judge in New York for conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators.

2006 South Korea Severe Flooding

2006 : Over 2,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes as monsoon rains produced flash floods and landslides in the Gangwon province of South Korea. Mudslides killed least ten people, while many others were reported missing.

2006 David Carruthers CEO BETonSPORTS plc. Arrested

2006 : Mr Carruthers travelling to Costa Rica changes planes at Dallas Airport where federal authorities arrest him. His arrest is part of a crackdown by US authorities designed to "punish and seize the profits" of those illegally running commercial gambling across state and international borders which is a crime in the US. Following his arrest many of the companies who target US gamblers online are being hit hard.

2007 Japan Central Japan Earthquake

2007 : An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit central Japan. As a result of the earthquake nine people were killed, hundreds of homes were damaged, and one of the worlds largest nuclear power plants was damaged. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant had a small electrical fire after the quake, as well as leaks of radioactive air and water into the environment. Nearly 100 barrels of nuclear waste also fell over because of the earthquake. The incident prompted increased safety in power plants over concern of a repeated scare.

2008 Egypt Train Crash

2008 : Over thirty people are killed after a train crash takes place near Marsa Matruh, Egypt. Over forty people were also injured because of the crash. The crash was reportedly caused by the train colliding with vehicles at a crossing.

2009 U.S.A. Industrial Espionage By Chinese

2009 : Dongfan Chung, a former engineer employed by Boeing and Rockwell International, was found guilty of economic espionage on this day. Chung, a Chinese born naturalized United States citizen was accused of giving secretive information about space shuttle technology to China. This is part of a major concern in the West over China's increased attempts at obtaining military and industrial secrets through whatever means they can. Back in the times of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union very similar circumstances were common practice.

2011 North Korean Athletes Fail Doping Tests

2011 : Five players from North Korea tested positive for a banned steroid at the women's World Cup in Germany. Two players had tested positive before their game against Colombia earlier in the month which triggered testing for the whole squad. The last doping case at the World Cup occurred in 1994 after Diego Maradona was banned from the men's tournament.

2012 North Korea Reshuffles Military Leaders

2012 : North Korea's vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission Ri Yong-ho was removed from all positions and replaced by Hyon Yong-chol according to North Korean media. The official reasoning behind Ri Yong-ho's removal was illness, although many are skeptical that was the true reason for his removal as the new leader of the country Kim Jong-un tries to promote new leadership within the military.

2013 Russia Putin Inspects War Games

2013 : Russia held its largest war games since Soviet times, and President Vladimir Putin was there to inspect it The drills involved around 160,000 people. The exercises were held in the east of the country and were meant to increase preparedness in the Russian military.

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

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A man became Tarboro's watchdog after it lost its newspaper- WRAL

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Today in Labor History July 15th

 

50,000 lumberjacks strike for an eight-hour day. – 1917

Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, and other radicals were indicted under the new Espionage Act for their anti-draft activities. Goldman and Berkman got two-year prison sentences and $10,000 fines. – 1917

After leading a fierce battle on behalf of sharecroppers and tenant farmers in Alabama, Ralph Gray, a leader on the Croppers’ and Farm Workers Union in Tallapoosa County, was brutally murdered by a heavily armed white mob organized by the county’s sheriff. – 1931

Half-million steelworkers began what is to become a 116-day strike that shutters nearly every steel mill in the country. The strike occurred over management’s demand that the union give up a contract clause which limited management’s ability to change the number of workers assigned to a task or to introduce new work rules or machinery which would result in reduced hours or numbers of employees. The strike’s effects persuaded President Eisenhower to invoke the back-to-work provision of the Taft-Hartley Act. The union sued to have the Act declared unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court upheld the law.  The union eventually retained the contract clause and won minimal wage increases. The strike led to significant importation of foreign steel for the first time in U.S. history, which replaced the domestic steel industry in the long run. – 1959

Important Events From This day in History July 15

  

1995 Bosnia Ethnic Cleansing

1995 : Ethnic Cleansing by Bosnian Serbs in the "SAFE AREA" of Srebrenica with tales of rape, massacres and psychological torture, the 40,000 women, children and elderly people who were under the protection of Dutch peacekeepers have been forced to flee what was set up as a "Safe Haven" because peacekeeping forces did not have the mandate to stop Serb forces taking over the town. It is also believed but not yet confirmed that over 3,000 Muslim men have been shot and murdered during the ethnic cleansing, but Bosnian Serbian forces are refusing entry to journalists and international organizations to confirm reports. After a number of investigations by the United Nations mass graves were found and the number of men killed was estimated at over 7,000 Muslim men who were shot dead and buried in mass graves. The General in charge General Mladic was later indicted by the War Crimes Tribunal for genocide but is still at large.

1922 England Chimney Sweep

1922 : The humble chimney sweep is being swept away by machines with the advent of giant vacuum cleaners which do the job quicker, cleaner and cheaper than the traditional chimney sweep.

1933 China Yellow River Mass Flooding

1933 : Hundreds of thousands of Chinese peasants are homeless due to the Yellow River overrunning it's dykes and flooding thousands of acres of land. Famine is now also affecting these men, women and children and hundreds are now dying from starvation.

1945 Italy Declares War On Japan

1945 : Italy formally declared war on Japan, a former Axis partner.

1954 U.S.A. Boeing 707 Maiden Flight

1954 : America's first jet airliner the Boeing 707 took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington on it's maiden flight.

1965 Mars Mariner 4

1965 : The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passes over Mars at an altitude of 6,000 feet and sends back to Earth the first close-up images of the red planet.

1971 UK Colour Prejudice

1971 : Euston Station staffing 'colour bar' ends after complaints by a West Indian who was refused a job at Euston Station. It is thought a number of British Rail Stations still conduct an unofficial colour bar on staff. A new Race Relations Act was implemented in 1968 and a further strengthening of measures to combat racial prejudice in the workplace was implemented in the 1976 Race Relations Act.

1971 UK Seal Pups Cull Off Lincolnshire Coast

1971 : The Home Office has granted rights for five fishermen to kill 350 seal pups using high powered rifles off the Lincolnshire coast by the end of next week in a bid to stop overcrowding. Seal Pup pelts sell for up to £12 per pelt.

1971 Nixon To Visit China

1971 : President Richard Nixon announces on a live television and radio broadcast that he will visit communist China the following year. The trip became a starting point for improvements in U.S. Chinese relations.

1976 School Bus Kidnapped Chowchilla, California

1976 : An entire school bus of twenty six children and the driver are kidnapped in Chowchilla, California by three gunmen. They are then forced into a moving van which had been buried underground in a quarry in Livermore, California. The bus driver Ed Ray and some of the older children spent the next 16 hours digging their way out and emerge in the middle of the night and walked to a nearby guard shack at the entrance to the quarry. The quarry owner's son, Frederick Woods, and two friends, Richard and James Schoenfeld, are charged and found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

1979 President Jimmy Carter Blames OPEC

1979 : President Jimmy Carter In a live speech to the American people blamed the long period of recession in the US, on the effects of OPEC’s a href="https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1973.html">1973 cuts in oil production and the increases in fuel prices which in turn fueled inflationary pressures. He also said other countries had adapted quicker to the increased fuel prices like Japanese and European auto makers who had much more fuel efficient cars which the American public were now buying.

1984 India Sikh Unrest in Punjab

1984 : Following Sikh unrest in Punjab and North Eastern India the government has given itself sweeping powers through the use of designating area's as Terrorist Affected which will allow them to set up special courts to try those believed to involved in terrorism.

1996 U.S.A. MSNBC Launched

1996 : MSNBC a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC, a 24-hour all-news network, is launched on cable TV and the Internet.

1997 U.S.A. Gianni Versace Murdered

1997 : The Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot twice in the head on the steps outside his Miami mansion by Andrew Cunanan.

Clothes and Fashions History

2002 Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT

2002 : Research by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) has suggested that women who take HRT (Prempro --- equine hormones, oestrogen and progestin) for menopausal symptoms were 26% more likely to develop breast cancer and may be at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Following the report the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy decreased by 50%, but many women still believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

2006 UN Sanctions Passed on North Korea

2006 : The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea after the country tested a long-range missile and several shorter-ranged missiles earlier in the month. The vote was unanimous.

2007 Peru General Strikes and Protests

2007 : Massive protests in the country of Peru continued in all major towns and cities. The protests, started as a national strike held by the Peruvian Education Worker’s Union as a sign of disapproval of the government at the time, after the first year of Alan Garcia’s presidency.

2008 Worldwide Oil Increases and Inflation Rates

2008 : As the increased cost of oil and energy filters through to the market inflation around the world increases causing concerns for governments and consumers.

Inflation Rates: Russia 15.0%, Turkey 12.0%, India 11.0%, South Africa 11.7%, China 7.7%, Brazil 5.8%, Spain 5.0%, U.S.A. 4.9%, UK 4.6%, Germany 3.8%, Canada 2.4%

Gas Prices Per Gallon: Germany $9.30, Spain $9.10, England $8.96, Brazil $6.38, Canada $5.50, India $4.81, South Africa $4.41, U.S.A. $4.11, Russia $3.90, China $3.40

These are not exact and vary according to exchange rate and city where the petrol is purchased, all calculations have been done using litres to gallons as most countries now sell by the litre and current US dollar exchange rate on July 15th 2008.

2009 Iran Plane Crash

2009 : A plane flying from Iran to Armenia crashed on this day killing all 168 passengers on board. The plane crashed unexpectedly only sixteen minutes after it took off. The majority of the passengers were Iranian.

2011 US Recognizes Libyan Rebels as Legitimate

2011 : The United States State department officially recognized the TNC, the Libyan opposition, as Libya's "legitimate governing authority". The decision came after the TNC (Transitional National Council) agreed to pursue democratic reform and the Libya Contact Group worked to create a plan to end fighting between rebels and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Hilary Clinton announced that the US no longer recognized the Gaddafi regime as having any legitimate authority in the country.

2012 Russian Rocket Launches for International Space Station

2012 : A Russian Soyuz rocket successfully launched in Kazakhstan while carrying a three-man crew of astronauts from Russia, NASA, and Japan to the International Space Station.

2013 Indonesia Several Die in Stampede

2013 : Seventeen people died in a stampede after a boxing match in the Papua province of Indonesia. The stampede began after fans of the loser in the match started rioting.

The Hidden Fault That Could Destroy Los Angeles

Beneath the towers of Downtown Los Angeles runs a fault that appeared on no geological map for a century. It has moved four times in the past eleven thousand years. And with every millennium that passes, it moves a little faster.

The Puente Hills blind-thrust fault was identified in 1999 by Harvard geologist John Shaw and Scripps seismologist Peter Shearer, working from oil-industry seismic reflection files that had sat unread for decades. Its full rupture scenario is modeled by the United States Geological Survey as one of the costliest natural disasters possible in the continental United States. And in 2017, a paper in the journal Geology showed that the fault's slip rate has accelerated six-fold since the last Ice Age.

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Local news went all in on the World Cup - Nieman Lab

A journalist's guide to job hunting in the age of AI - Journalism UK

The next AI debate is unfolding within the news organization itself - E&P Magazine

Journalism job cuts in 2026 tracked: Sherwood News shuts down and axes staff - PG

This baseball newsletter is proving that smaller audiences are good business - Poynter

Today in Labor History July 14, 2026

 

Woody Guthrie

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as “The Great Upheaval” began today in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the B&O Railroad cut wages were the third time in a year. Riots spread through 17 states. An estimated 100 people were killed in the 45 strikes. Workers burned down and destroyed both physical facilities and rolling stock of the railroads. Local populations feared that workers were rising in revolutions, such as the Paris Commune of 1871. At the time, the workers were not represented by unions. The city and state governments quickly organized armed militias to fight the workers, aided by the national guard, federal troops and private militias organized by the railroads. Disruption was widespread and at its height, the strikes were supported by about 100,000 workers. With the intervention of federal troops, most of the strikes were suppressed by early August. – 1877

Woody Guthrie was born today in Okemah, Oklahoma. Woody was a singer-songwriter whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, folk, and children’s songs. He frequently performed with the slogan “This machine kills fascists” displayed on his guitar. His best-known song is “This Land Is Your Land”. – 1912

Italian immigrants and anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are convicted in Massachusetts of murder and payroll robbery – unfairly, most historians agree – after a two-month trial, and are eventually executed. Fifty years after their deaths the state’s governor issued a proclamation saying they had been treated unfairly and that “any disgrace should be forever removed from their names.” – 1921

Important Events From This day in History July 14

 1966 U.S.A. Richard Speck Murders

1966 : In one of the worst murder cases to date 8 student nurses are brutally murdered by Richard Speck at their group residence in Chicago, Illinois.

1988 95% US Car Sales By Ford, GM and Chrysler

1988 : The latest figures released show that the big three US auto makers Ford Motor Company, GM Motors and Chrysler between between them account for 95% of the US domestic sales. This is just 21 years ago.

1922 U.S.A. Monster Dirigible

1922 : A monster dirigible (ZR1) is under construction at the air craft factory of Philadelphia Navy Yard, as parts are completed they are sent to Lakehurst New Jersey for assembly which will be the air ships home port. This dirigible will be the first of the Zeppelin type built in this country.

1933 Russia Typhus Epidemic

1933 : A typhus epidemic has broken out in the city of Moscow and hospitals are full and overflowing with victims of the disease.

1933 Austria Hitler

1933 : A newspaper in Austria made public that Adolf Hitler Nazi Chancellor of Germany and a sworn enemy of Jews is a Jew himself, there has been speculation for some time that this was the case but never publicly published.

1933 Germany Other Political Parties Banned

1933 : All other political parties are banned in Germany except for the Nazi Party.

2008 U.S.A. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Bailout

2008 : Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae who own or guarantee about $5.3 trillion worth of home loans about half of all US mortgages have seen a loss of confidence my the market due to the mortgage foreclosure increase and the drop in property values in the United States. Both company Shares have been under increasing pressure and have lost as much as 80% of share value in just 12 months . The Fed has given the green light for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York authority to lend any money needed to allow them to continue providing mortgages at 2.25% and will expand its current line of credit to the two companies and buy shares of the companies if needed to prop up share price in these troubled times. Congress is also to approve a package next week which includes a foreclosure rescue to help strapped homeowners get new, more affordable government-backed mortgages through the Federal Housing Administration.

1941 Libya Tripoli

1941 : Two Axis ships were destroyed and a third set on fire just off Tripoli by RAF Fighter Bombers.

1955 Germany Karmann Ghia Coupe

1955 : Following on with it's world wide success of The Beetle Volkswagen introduced the Karmann Ghia coupe as a Volkswagen that could show the world that they could produce great looking cars as well as reliable cars.

1958 Iraq Military Coup

1958 : A military coup in Iraq overthrows the monarchy making Iraq a republic. The Crown Prince Abdul Illah and Nuri es Said, prime minister of the Iraq-Jordan Federation, had been assassinated by the rebels.

1978 U.S.A. Public Service Strikes

1978 : Public Servants today began a strike in 3 major US Cities leaving cities with no police on the streets, no fire protection and most other public service employees on strike . The cities were Cleveland, Louisville and Philadelphia. Each city had National Guardsman standing by.

1989 Celebrations of The French Revolution

1989 : Celebrations in France over the the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille to release the prisoners and execute their jailers which was the beginning of the end of Ten years of bloody revolution, ending with the execution of King Louis XVI.

2003 U.S.A. Hurricane Claudette

2003 : Hurricane Claudette with 90 MPH winds hits the Texas coast causing major damage, especially in Galveston, where it kills two people.

2004 Philippines Troop Pull Out From Iraq

2004 : Bowing to pressure from within the country the Philippine deputy foreign minister has announced they will would withdraw troops "as soon as possible." The Philippines does not have a large contingent of troops in Iraq (estimated less than 100) but it is seen as a blow to the United States because of the signals it will send around the world over allies commitment to Iraq. This could also send the wrong signals to militants in Iraq that hostage-taking works as many believe this is the main reason for Philippine withdrawal.

2006 Lebanon Israeli Bombing

2006 : Israel continued its attacks on the country of Lebanon after the militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. Over fifty people, most of whom were civilians, were killed in the attacks on this day. The conflict between Israel and Lebanon lasted until August 14 of 2006.

2007 North Korea Closes Nuclear Reactors

2007 : North Korea closed the first of many nuclear reactors as specified by a fuel deal made in exchange for fuel. The International Atomic Energy Agency monitored and helped North Korea shut down this first reactor and in exchange North Korea received 6,200 tons of heavy fuel, the first shipment in a 1 million ton deal. The closings are put on hold in 2008 as tensions between North Korea and the United States heighten.

2007 Great Canary Telescope

2007 : One of the largest optical telescopes began testing in the Canary Islands on this day. After seven years of construction and a cost of 130 million euros, the Great Canary Telescope on La Palma was predicted to be powerful enough to see some of the most distant images of the universe. When it was completed it was the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope.

2008 U.S.A. Anheuser- Busch Taken Over

2008 : After a $52 billion takeover deal, American beer maker, Anheuser- Busch, was taken over by the Belgian beer maker InBev on this day. The merging of the two companies made the newly combined company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer maker in the world. The new combined company produces some of the most well known beer brands in the world including Bud Light, Budweiser, Becks and Stella Artois.

2009 Sir Edward Thomas Downes Assisted Suicide

2009 : Famous British conductor, Sir Edward Thomas Downes and his wife died after choosing assisted suicide at the Dignitas organization in Switzerland. Both were suffering from health problems and decided to end their lives together peacefully instead of continuing to suffer from worsening health problems.

2012 Mexico Gang Attacks Christian Youth Camp

2012 : An armed gang attacked campers at a Christian youth camp just outside of Mexico City, Mexico. The gang came to the camp and had sexually assaulted girls at the camp and beaten up others, they also stole valuables and cash and got away in two stolen vehicles. The whole situation lasted several hours as the 90 members of the camp were held at gunpoint in a remote area with no cell phone coverage.

2013 United States George Zimmerman Verdict

2013 : In the highly controversial George Zimmerman case, the long-awaited verdict was revealed. Zimmerman who was a part of a neighborhood watch had shot dead an unarmed seventeen year old black teenager named Trayvon Martin. The case brought up issues with racial profiling in the country. Zimmerman was found not guilty of murder, a controversial verdict in a hotly debated case.