Important Events From This day in History July 5

 

1996 Scotland Dolly the Sheep

1996 : The first cloning of an animal by scientists was revealed by the Roslin Institute in Scotland when Dolly the Sheep was cloned from tissue taken from a 6 year old ewe's udder.

1981 UK Toxteth Riots

1981 : Riots have broken out in Toxteth, Liverpool with between 200 and 300 youths involved in looting, attacking police, cars and shops with petrol bombs and bricks. The rioters have been turning over cars and turning them into barricades, most of the youths are wearing balaclava's to evade detection and this seems to be an orchestrated attack on the police with leaders handing out petrol bombs and orders on where they are to be used.

1921 U.S.A. Chicago White Sox

1921 : Players from The Chicago White Sox Baseball team are accused of throwing the World Series.

1924 Three Rivers Paddle Steamer

1924 : The sidewheel paddle steamer (Three Rivers) burned to the waters edge with 350 passengers on board causing the loss of 8 and many more injured near cove point while bound for Baltimore.

1934 Dock Workers Strikes San Francisco

1934 : Fights broke out between the city's police force and dock worker strikers in San Francisco after rioting started in the waterfront and the warehouse area of the city. At the end of the bloody fighting two were killed and hundreds injured.

1946 France Bikini Swimsuit Introduced

1946 : The Bikini swimsuit (a daring 2 piece swimming costume for ladies) was introduced by French designer Louis Reard at a popular swimming pool in Paris.

1948 UK NHS Begins

1948 : Britain's National Health Service Act (NHS) takes effect, providing government funded medical and dental care and headed by the Health Minister Aneurin Bevan. The National Health Service was part of the "cradle to grave" welfare-state reforms. The NHS is funded from taxes including a proportion from National Insurance payments. The National Health Service is the world's largest health service and the world's fourth-largest employer.

1950 Korea First American Killed

1950 : The first American reported killed in the Korean War (Private Kenneth Shadrick) a member of a bazooka squad, was cut down by enemy machine-gun fire.

1954 BBC Launches Up To Date Daily TV News

1954 : The BBC launches a new news program based on more up to date news not news from the day before (Current Television Newsreel Program is prepared hours in advance and often carries news items that are 1 - 3 days old). The service was difficult because the communications technology in 1954 were still in infancy.

1955 U.S.A. "Rock Around the Clock"

1955 : Following "Rock Around the Clock" being featured on the opening credits of the film Blackboard Jungle, the record becomes Number 1 on the American Billboard music charts becoming the first rock and roll record to hit the top of the American record charts where it stayed for eight weeks. It quickly then became a number One on many other music charts around the world. It's success provided the springboard for the growth in rock n roll music over the next 10 years.

1970 Canada Plane Crash

1970 : An Air Canada DC-8 crashes while landing in Toronto killing 108 people. The investigation identified Pilot error as the cause of the crash.

1971 U.S.A. 26th Amendment

1971 : The Voting Age in the United States is lowered to 18 yrs old when the 26th Amendment to the US constitution is ratified.

1975 UK Arthur Ashe

1975 : Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon men's singles championship beating the legendary Jimmy Connors.

1982 Argentina Deep Recession

1982 : The new economy minister has announced a number of measures to combat the current deep recession the country is experiencing including: devaluation of the Peso, lowering of interest rates, and new stricter limitations of foreign imports. This is in response to growing unemployment and unrest in the country combined with the 35 billion dollar national debt.

1989 U.S.A. Oliver North

1989 : Former White House aide Oliver North has been found guilty received a three-year suspended prison sentence and a $150,000 fine for three charges relating to illegal United States' support for the Contra rebels in Nicaragua in the mid-1980s.

1991 Bank of Credit and Commerce International

1991 : The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) which at one stage was one of the worlds ten largest banks by assets is closed in the United States, The United Kingdom and other countries around the world after regulators found the bank was involved in money laundering, bribery, arms trafficking, the sale of nuclear technologies support of terrorism.

1998 England Party In The Park

1998 : The Prince of Wales Prince's Trust "Party in the park" (Hyde Park) charity event attracts 100,000 hoping to raise as much as £500,000 for the Prince's Trust charity. Some of the best known stars of screen and popular music give their performances for free including All Saints, Des'ree, Louise, Natalie Imbruglia, Tom Jones, Lionel Richie, Boyzone and Gary Barlow from the music world.

2000 England 50% now have Mobile Phones

2000 : In the last 2 years the growth of mobile phone use in the UK has exceeded all expectations as the change in perception of the mobile phone as a "yuppy status gadget" has changed to daily essential for everyone, the change has partly been through the introduction of Pay As You Go and the continuing reduction of prices together with additional functionality including internet access from the latest WAP phones.

2003 WHO SARS Outbreak Contained

2003 : Following an outbreak of the deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which had killed about 775 people in 29 countries the World Health Organization (WHO) announces that SARS is now contained.

2006 North Korea Missile Testing

2006 : North Korea tested six missiles, one long-range called the Taepodong-2, and five shorter ranged missiles. The Taepodong-2 reportedly crashed only 42 seconds after its launch, while the other five missiles fell into the Sea of Japan. Concern arose over North Korea’s increased nuclear aggressiveness because the Taepodong-2 has the possibility of reaching parts of the Western United States if launched successfully. The shorter range missiles are capable of hitting Japanese Mainland.

Today in Labor History July 5

 Firefight in Homestead

A strike against the Baltimore & Ohio railroad led to a series of strikes across the northeast, known as the Great Railway Strike of 1877. This was the country’s first major rail strike and was the first general strike in the nation’s history. The strike’s violence led governors in ten states to mobilize 60,000 militia members to reopen rail traffic. The strike would be broken within a few weeks, but it helped to set the stage for later strikes in the 1880s and 1890s. Federal troops were called out for the first time in a labor dispute, helping to crush the strike. – 1877

Striking construction workers in Duluth, Minnesota were shot down by the police. The workers, mostly immigrants, went on strike when contractors reneged on an agreement to pay them $1.75 a day. Mayor John Sutphin ordered police to keep strikers away from scabs, leading to fighting between strikers and police. There was an hour-long gunfight on the corner of 20th Avenue West and Michigan Street that killed two strikers and one bystander and wounded an estimated 30 strikers. The police eventually suppressed the strike through violence. – 1889

An all-day battle between locked out Homestead Steel Works workers and 300 Pinkerton detectives hired by Andrew Carnegie stated at 4am. The Pinkertons were trying to import and protect scabs brought in to replace the striking workers. No one knows who fired first, but the violence escalated when striking steelworks, armed with guns and a homemade cannon attacked the barges that brought in the Pinkerton detectives. Seven Pinkertons and 11 union members died in the battle. The strike lasted for months. Court injunctions eventually helped to crush the union, protecting the steel industry for decades from organized labor. Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman plotted to assassinate Homestead Boss Henry Clay Frick for his role in killing the workers. Berkman later carried out the assassination attempt, failed, and spent years in prison. – 1892

Rail union leader Eugene V. Debs is arrested during the Pullman strike, described by the New York Times as “a struggle between the greatest and most important labor organization and the entire railroad capital” that involved some 250,000 workers in 27 states at its peak. – 1894

Wobbly and anarchist labor organizer Joe Hill’s song “The Preacher and the Slave” first appeared in the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW’s) Little Red Songbook. – 1911

Long-haired preachers come out every night,Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right;But when asked how ’bout something to eatThey will answer in voices so sweetChorusYou will eat, bye and bye,in that glorious land above the sky;Work and pray, live on hay,You’ll get pie in the sky when you dieAnd the Starvation Army, they play,And they sing and they clap and they pray,Till they get all your coin on the drum,Then they tell you when you’re on the bumChorus
Workingmen of all countries, uniteSide by side we for freedom will fightWhen the world and its wealth we have gainedTo the grafters we’ll sing this refrainChorus

Transit workers in New York began what is to be an unsuccessful 3-week strike against the then-privately owned Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway. Workers were forced to sign yellow-dog contracts which mandated they join a company union. Most transit workers labored seven days a week, up to 11.5 hours a day. – 1926

Explosions and fires destroyed the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea, killing 167 oil workers—the worst loss of life ever in an offshore oil disaster. The operator, Occidental, was found guilty of having inadequate maintenance and safety procedures, but no criminal charges were ever brought. – 1988

Fourteen firefighters were killed battling the South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. – 1994

Happy Independence Day

 

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

 God Bless America

ReporterGov. DeSantis cuts recurring state funding for Florida public media - WGCU

Why we must build direct ties with our audiences—before it’s too late  - E&P Magazine

The Daily Athenaeum to be distributed with Charleston Gazette-Mail - The Daily Athenaeum

Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media files for bankruptcy, sues distribution partner - Hollywood R

The Associated Press at 179: Innovation, resilience and the fight for press freedom - E&P Magazine

Important Events From This day in History July 3

 

1998 UK Rolls Royce Sold To Volkswagen

1998 : After many months of negotiations, together with a bidding war with BMW and high court battles Rolls Royce is sold to Volkswagen for £479m. Volkswagen has stated that the manufacture of Rolls Royce cars will continue at Rolls-Royce's Crewe headquarters in England. The Saga of who owned the rights to produce cars with the famous Rolls Royce emblem continued for the next few years as unknown to Volkswagen they had not bought the rights to use the RR Logo. Over the next few years BMW and Volkswagen did come to an arrangement where Volkswagen own and build Bentleys with Volkswagen Engines at the old Rolls Royce factory in Crewe in England and BMW own and produce Rolls Royce Cars with BMW engines at Goodwood in England.

1968 Vietnam Heavy U.S. Casualties

1968 : Figures released show that more Americans were killed during the first six months of 1968 than in all of 1967 and were a direct result of the communist Tet Offensive. Combined with heavy U.S. casualties and disillusionment with President Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam war his popularity with the people continued to decrease causing him to decide he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election.

1922 U.S.A. Forest Fires Olympia and Seattle

1922 : Forest fires in the state of Washington blaze through cities like Olympia and Seattle. The lumber companies throughout the state were in danger of significant losses to their industry unless heavy rains became a part of the forecast.

1939 Japan China Conflict

1939 : Dispatches report that Japanese and Soviet sponsored Outer Mongolian troops clash in the Manchoukuoan territory. Reports also disclosed that the Japanese offensive was in an effort to drive out Outer Mongolian troops back past the Khalka River.

1940 British Destroy French Fleet

1940 : Following the German invasion and occupation of France, French warships fled to the port of Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria. Britain gave the french Vichy government the options of the following for it's French Navy.

1. Join British naval forces in the fight against Germany

2. Hand the ships over to British crews

3. Disarm the French Navy Ships

4. Scuttle the ships

The French refused, so Britain fearing the French Ships would be used by the Germans to help with an invasion of England circled the port with British Warships and opened fire on the French fleet, killing 1,250 French sailors, damaging the battleship Dunkerque and destroying the Bretagne and the Provence.

1957 Nikita Khrushchev Purges Opposition

1957 : Nikita Khrushchev takes control in the Soviet Union by purging his most serious opponents from positions of authority in government.

1958 U.S.A. Hurricanes Connie and Diane

1958 : Following deadly floods caused by Hurricanes Connie and Diane in August 1955 President Eisenhower signs the Rivers and Harbors Flood Control Bill, allocating funds for improvement of flood-control and water-storage systems including specific provisions for hurricane flood protection.

1962 Algeria Independence

1962 : Following a referendum for independence on July 1st with a nearly unanimous decision. President De Gaulle of France pronounced Algeria an independent country on 3rd July (but the official date for celebration of independence is 5th July).

1966 England Vietnam Anti War Protests

1966 : The Vietnam Anti-War Protesters demonstration outside the US Embassy turns violent and 30 protesters are arrested.

1970 Spain Plane Crash

1970 : A British Dan Air charter flight heading for Spain's Costa Brava resort crashed into a mountain near Barcelona, Spain, killing 112 people.

1971 France Jim Morrison

1971 : The lead singer of "The Doors" Jim Morrison is found dead in a bathtub in his apartment in Paris with heart failure aggravated by excessive drinking.

1986 U.S.A. Statue of Liberty

1986 : After appointing a commission to save, restore and preserve the 150 feet tall Statue of Liberty in 1984, President Ronald Reagan led ceremonies to unveil the newly restored Statue of Liberty.

1987 France Butcher of Lyon

1987 : The Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie / Butcher of Lyon and the former head of Gestapo who was extradited from Bolivia to face charges is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1988 US Shoots Down Iranian Passenger Jet

1988 : The U.S. Navy cruiser Vincennes shoots down an Iranian passenger jet that it mistakes for a hostile Iranian fighter aircraft in the Persian Gulf.

2000 UK Ken Livingstone

2000 : Ken Livingstone has taken up full powers as London's first directly elected mayor and told his supporters "The first duty of the mayor is to London."

2006 Mexico Elections

2006 : As results came in from Mexico’s federal elections conducted on July 2nd, the winner was unclear, with both the National Action Party and the Democratic Revolution Party claiming a win in the presidency. By September of 2006 the election results were confirmed with Felipe Calderon, the National Action Party’s candidate, as the new president of Mexico. This election also marked the first time the Institutional Revolutionary Party was third place in Congressional elections, the party was the ruling party for 71 years.

2006 Spain Valencia Train Crash

2006 : An underground train in Valencia, Spain crashed killing 41 people. The train derailed just as it approached Jesus Station. The crash is believed to have been caused by a broken wheel and excess speeds.

2008 U.S.A. Latest Jobless Figures

2008 : The latest US employment figures show US companies have cut workers for the sixth month in a row (June 62,000 jobs cut) fueling fears that the world's largest economy is heading towards a recession.

2008 U.S.A. Man Gives Birth

2008 : Thomas Beatie has given birth to a baby girl on this day. Beatie, born a female, was legally a male when he became pregnant. Despite going through the gender reassignment process, Beatie chose to keep his female reproductive organs in order to still be able to give birth to children.

2009 Sarah Palin Resigns as Governor of Alaska

2009 : Sarah Palin, former running-mate for John McCain, announced that she will resign from her office of governor of Alaska. The announcement was unexpected and it was suspected that the announcement came in time for Palin to prepare herself to run in the 2012 presidential election.

Today in Labor History July 3, 2025

 

Hard rock miner in Telluride, Colorado

2000 workers, many of whom are children, from 20 textile mills in Paterson, NJ, went on strike. They demanded 11 hour days (down from 13.5 hours). Employers refused to negotiate and broke the strike by declaring a reduction in work hours to twelve hours daily during the week and nine hours on Saturdays. – 1835

Feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She was a prominent feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. Her best-remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” which she wrote after a severe bout of postpartum psychosis. – 1860

A gun battle ensued when striking hard rock miners in Telluride, Colorado confronted scabs at the mine. Three died and six were injured. Later that day, the striking miners rounded up the scabs and ordered them to leave the country. The strike was settled three days later when owners agreed to the miners’ demands for $3/day and an either -hour day. – 1901

Important Events From This day in History July 2

 

2005 World Wide Live 8 Concerts

2005 : Live 8 concerts happen in members of the G8 cities around the world and South Africa to highlight the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty, hoping to put pressure on the meeting of political leaders of the G8 countries. The Live 8 concerts are organised by Bob Geldof and a number of other well known pop icons. Unlike other earlier concerts to raise money for those starving these concerts were designed to highlight, educate and put pressure on the Leaders of the G8 countries to do more for the world's poor. Even before the concerts some measure of success is gained when the G8 finance ministers agree to cancel the debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries.

The concerts occur in the following cities:

London - Hyde Park : Paul McCartney, U2, George Michael, Pete Doherty, Elton John, Bob Geldof, Madonna, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, The Who, Sting, REM, Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox

There were 150,000 people in the main arena and another 50,000 watching on large screens in other parts of Hyde Park.

Philadelphia - Philadelphia Museum of Art : Will Smith, Destiny's Child, Jay Z, Bon Jovi, Kaiser Chiefs, Black Eyed Peas, Jimmy Smits, Toby Keith, Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, Def Leppard, Sarah McLachlan, Slipknot, Keith Urban, Stevie Wonder

It is estimated 1 million people were at the concert as it was a no ticket concert.

Paris - Palais de Versailles : Passi, Faudel, Alpha Blondy, Craig David, Andrea Bocelli, Shakira, Zucchero, The Cure, Youssou N'Dour1, Dido

Berlin - the Siegessäule : A-Ha, Die Toten Hosen, Wir sind Helden, Katherine Jenkins, Audioslave, Green Day, Claudia Schiffer, Chris de Burgh, Brian Wilson, Renee Olstead, Sasha, Daniel Powter, Joana Zimmer, Roxy Music, Faithless, Otto

Rome - at the Circus Maximus : Zucchero, Duran Duran, Elisa, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Planet Funk, Le Vibrazioni, Cesare Cremonini, Nek, Piero Pelù, Jane Alexander (Interstitial), Biagio Antonacci, Fiorella Mannoia

Barrie - at Park Place : Dan Aykroyd and Tom Green, Tom Cochrane, Sam Roberts, Bryan Adams, Simple Plan, Bruce Cockburn, Les Trois Accords, Randy Bachman, Deep Purple, Great Big Sea, Celine Dion,- Blue Rodeo, Gordon Lightfoot, Our Lady Peace, Jet, Jann Arden, Mötley Crüe, The Tragically Hip, Neil Young

Chiba - Makuhari Messe : Rize, McFly, Good Charlotte, Dreams Come True, Do As Infinity, Björk

Johannesburg - Mary Fitzgerald Square : Lucky Dube, Vusi Mahlasela, Malaika, Nelson Mandela, Oumou Sangare, Orchestra Baobab, Mahotella Queens, Zola

Moscow - Red Square : Agata Kristi, Fairy Taiga, Bi-2, Linda, Moral Code X, Pet Shop Boys

1934 Germany Hitler Purges Traitors

1934 : Adolf Hitler conducts a purge of traitors in the Nazi party . Hundreds of people were executed after undergoing a 3 minute trial to face the charges of being traitors. Hitler seemingly secured his power in the nation by forcing the power from the conservatives. Vice Chancellor von Papen, a conservative and critic of Nazi policies, was set to resign the next day.

1937 Amelia Earhart Goes Missing

1937 : Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick Noonan go missing during their attempt to fly around the world between New Guinea, and Howland Island, an island in the center of the Pacific Ocean. No trace of the aircraft including Earhart or Noonan was ever found.

1945 US Bombs Japanese Cities

1945 : The American Air Force drops over 1000 tons of explosives on each of four Japanese cities . The attack was carried out by nearly 600 B-29 Super fortresses at 3 am. The places that were hit were the Kure Naval Base, Shimonoseki port, Ube, and Kumamato.

1958 Cuba Americans In Danger

1958 : Americans staying in Cuba become more fearful as Cuban rebels, headed by Fidel Castro, continued to kidnap people. Rebels were unaffected by the presence of United States Marines sent to rescue kidnapped Americans, but they did indicate that they may release 3 Canadian citizens. Cuban rebels showed no indication of releasing Americans or stopping the kidnappings which had grown to a rate of 10 American kidnappings per day over a period of five days.

1964 U.S.A. Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964 : The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Johnson. The bill had a rough time going through the Senate when the "Southern Bloc" of southern Senators led by Richard Russell launched a filibuster lasting 54 days to prevent its passage. Said Russell "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed segregation in schools, public places, and employment. The bill also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering both race and gender for the first time in history.

1966 US Sinks North Vietnamese Torpedo Boats

1966 : United States navy planes sink 3 North Vietnamese torpedo boats. The Vietnamese boats were set to attack an American destroyer, but the navy planes were able to repel the attack while only suffering some damage to one plane whose pilot made it back safely.

1975 India Crackdown On Criminals

1975 : The Indian government promised to crack down on smugglers, land speculators, and tax evaders in the country. The prime minister, Indira Gandhi , promised severe punishment for the criminals. Also, the president, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, declared that the government would have much power over the arrests and punishments that violators of the law would receive. The prime minister also promised help to millions of landless peasants.

1979 U.S.A. Susan B. Anthony Dollar

1979 : The Susan B. Anthony dollar became available at banks and is the Dollar of the Future.

1982 U.S.A. Larry Walters

1982 : Larry Walters using 45 helium filled weather balloons to lift him and his lawn chair three miles high , he controlled his descent using a BB gun shooting holes in balloons to control his height.

Today in Labor History July 2, 2025

 Attorney General Olney obtained an injunction in federal court barring Pulman union leaders from supporting a strike and demanding the strikers cease their activities or face being fired. Eugene Debs and other leaders of the American Railway Union ignored the injunction, and federal troops were called up to enforce it. – 1894

The NYC Teachers Union resigned from the National Education Association to protest a proposed ban on Communist teachers. – 1950

President Johnson signed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forbidding unions and employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, gender, nationality, or religion. – 1964

The Labor Department reported that U.S. employers cut 467,000 jobs over the prior month, driving the nation’s unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5%. – 2009

Newspaper Being Printed (1938)

 

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

FCC fines Sinclair $500,000 - TV Tech

Are journalists projecting their own opinions onto the public? - Nieman Lab

Talent matters: Global shows the value of a powerful, podcast portfolio - Journalism UK

Snopes workers announce intent to unionize, citing majority support - Media Guild West

Good News: Better Libel Insurance Now Available for Smaller Newsrooms - 2nd Rough Draft

Important Events From This day in History July 1

  

1997 Hong Kong Handover

1997 : Hong Kong is handed back to the Chinese authorities after 156 years as a British colony. Tung Chee-hwa was sworn in as Hong Kong's new leader.

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1916 France The Somme

1916 : After bombing the area of no mans land between German and English Forces in Somme region of France the English soldiers went over the trenches expecting little German resistance , but the Germans had large numbers of Machine Guns trained on the area and by the end of the day 20,000 British soldiers were dead and another 40,000 had injuries, this became one of the worst military decisions in history and the offensive was eventually stopped after 4 1/2 months with 600,000 British and French soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in the action.

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1956 U.S.A. Interstate Highways

1956 : President Eisenhower called for $50 billion to be spent over 13 years for the construction of over 42,500 miles of interstate highways using the Interstate Highway Revenue Act which was to be funded by taxing gasoline, currently this tax is 19 cents for each gallon of gas.

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1920 Germany Debt 200,000,000,000

1920 : The nation of Germany reports its total debt as 200,000,000,000 marks as of this day in history. In addition to the nation's large amount of debt, food riots breakout in various locations including Lubec throughout the country.

1932 U.S.A. Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt

1932 : Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

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1932 China Japanese Troops

1932 : Japanese troops took over a Chinese customs office in a city on the Chinese Eastern Railroad . The Japanese forced the Chinese customs official and his staff to evacuate the building.

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1942 Egypt Rommel's Afrika Korps

1942 : After suffering earlier defeats at the hands of Rommel's Afrika Korps British troops after receiving much needed supplies and additional troops from New Zealand, Canada and Australia went on the offensive against Rommel's Afrika Korps at El Alamein in Egypt, thus stopping his advance and becoming a turning point in the war in North Africa.

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1943 Sicily Allied Bombing

1943 : The allied Northeast African air forces bomb all of Sicily during a 24 hour raid. The attack was planned as an attempt to weaken Italy's outer defense during World War II.

Today in Labor History July 1, 2025

 

The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Pickets

Steel workers in Cleveland, led by the Poles and Czech wire mill workers, began a violent strike in what was to be an 88-week strike against wage cuts. – 1885

The Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers staged what was to become an unsuccessful three-month strike against U.S. Steel Corp. Subsidiaries. – 1901

The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) organized the “Great Revolt”, a strike involving 50,000 cloakmakers that lasted over 4 months. Following the lead from women, the mostly male cloakmakers won uniform wages, a shorter workweek and paid holidays. As with the result of the strikes in 1909 and 1910, the ILGWU swelled in membership. – 1910

Some 1,100 streetcar workers went on strike in New Orleans, spurring the creation of the po’ boy sandwich by local sandwich shop owners and one-time streetcar men. “Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming,” Bennie Martin later recalled, “one of us would say, ‘Here comes another poor boy.’” Martin and his brother Clovis fed any striker who showed up. – 1929

The Great Railroad strike of 1922, commonly know as the “Big Strike” was a nationwide strike of railroad workers. Launched by seven of the sixteen railroad labor organizations in existence at the time, the strike lasted just over a month before collapsing. At least ten people, most of them strikers or family, were killed in connection with the strike. – 1922

The Hawaiian longshore strike brought together Japanese, Filipino and other ethnic plantation workers into one labor union. – 1937

The United Auto Workers (UAW), under the leadership of Walter Reuther, left the American Federation of Labor (AFL). They left because of conflicts between Reuther and AFL president George Meany. Reuther died in a plane crash in 1970, and the UAW did not rejoin the AFL until 1981. – 1968

The National Association of Post Office & General Service Maintenance Employees, the United Federation of Postal Clerks, the National Federation of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees and the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers merge to become the American Postal Workers Union. – 1971

The International Jewelry Workers Union merged with Service Employees International Union. – 1980

The Graphic Arts International Union merged with the International Printing & Graphic Communications Union to become the Graphic Communications International Union, now a conference of the Teamsters. – 1983

Copper miners began a  years-long, bitter strike against Phelps-Dodge in Clifton, Arizona. Democratic Governor Bruce Babbitt repeatedly deployed state police and National Guardsmen to assist the company over the course of the strike, which broke the union. – 1983

The Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union merged with International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees. – 1995

The International Chemical Workers Union merged with the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. – 1996

The Newspaper Guild merged with the Communications Workers of America. – 1997

The United American Nurses affiliated with the AFL-CIO. – 2001

Important Events From This day in History June 30

 

1953 U.S.A. The Corvette

1953 : The first all-fiberglass-bodied American sports car, the Corvette was produced on this day and with it's sleek lines is among the best car design ever produced by the American Car Industry.

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1900 U.S.A. New Jersey Ships Fire

1900 : A major fire broke out on a Pier in New Jersey (Pier 3 in Hoboken) engulfing 4 German ships that were docked and spreading to over 27 ships before the fire was bought under control.

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1931 U.S.A. Al Capone

1931 : Al Capone's attorney has asked for and been granted a one month period for Al Capone to put his business affairs in order and spend time with his family prior to sentencing for tax evasion and jail time.

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1934 Germany Party Purge

1934 : Adolf Hitler orders a purge of his own political party, assassinating hundreds of Nazis whom he believed had the potential to become political enemies in the future later known as the Night of the Long Knives.

1936 U.S.A. Gone With The Wind

1936 : The book Gone with the Wind is Published. In 1939 Gone With The Wind was made into the Oscar Winning Film.

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1937 Hitler Tells American Businessmen No War

1937 : Adolf Hitler meets a number of American Businessmen in Berlin and tells them there will be no war Germany can not afford a war and does not a war, most believe his sincere style.

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1937 Great Britain 999

1937 : 999 emergency service is started in London When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention.

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1950 U.S.A. Korea War

1950 : President Harry S. Truman orders U.S. armed forces to assist in defending South Korea from invading North Korean armies.

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1950 Russia Blames South Korea

1950 : America has asked the Russians to act as peace mediators in Korea but Russia has stated that the blame lies with South Korea for an unprovoked attack on North Korea.

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1954 Total Eclipse Of The Sun

1954 : The total eclipse of the sun is seen around the world in Europe, United States, and Asia including Pakistan and India. The longest duration of total eclipse was two minutes 35 seconds. Solar eclipses are normally only seen by a small specific area of the world so this was unusual as it was seen from so many continents.

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1969 Biafra 3 Million Starving

1969 : Food aid and medical supplies from the International Committee of the Red Cross to war torn Biafra been banned by Nigeria. It is estimated as many as three million people who are going to starve to death in the next few weeks unless something is done. Two weeks later due to International Pressure Nigerian leader, General Gowon, allowed the Red Cross to airlift urgent medical supplies and food to Biafra.

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1971 Space Soyuz 11

1971 : Three Soviet cosmonauts who had spent 23 days orbiting the earth began reentry procedures and when they fired the explosive bolts to separate the Soyuz 11 , a critical valve was jerked open and the capsule was suddenly exposed to the nearly pressure less environment of space seconds later, the cosmonauts were dead.

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1976 U.S.A. Artificial Heart Use Predicted

1976 : During the 125th Annual Convention of American Medical Association a pioneer in Cardio Vascular has predicted that by the turn of the century we will be able to use an artificial heart for heart attack victims.

Today in Labor History June 30th, 2025

 

Eugene V Debs

The Chicago Streetcar Strike began on this day and continued through July 7 – 1885

Following a series of speeches in which he condemned US involvement in World War I, labor leader Eugene Debs was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio for violating the Espionage Act with the “intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States.” At his trial, Debs said, “I would oppose war if I stood alone.” He was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. – 1918

Alabama outlawed the leasing of convicts to mine coal, a practice that had been in place since 1848. In 1898, 73 percent of the state’s total revenue came from this source. Twenty-five percent of all black leased convicts died. – 1928

The Walsh-Healey Act took effect today. It required companies that supply goods to the government to pay wages according to a schedule set by the Secretary of Labor. – 1936

The storied Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, a union whose roots traced back to the militant Western Federation of Miners, and which helped found the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), merged into the United Steelworkers of America. – 1967

Up to 40,000 New York construction workers demonstrated in midtown Manhattan, protesting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s awarding of a $33 million contract to a nonunion company. Eighteen police and three demonstrators were injured. “There were some scattered incidents and some minor violence,” Police Commissioner Howard Safir told the New York Post. “Generally, it was a pretty well-behaved crowd.” – 1998

Nineteen firefighters died when they were overtaken by a wildfire they were battling in a forest northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It was the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the US in at least 30 years. – 2013

Important Events From This day in History June 29

 

1974 Argentina Evita

1974 : President Isabel Peron, Juan Peron's third wife, was the Western Hemisphere's first female head of government after becoming President when her husband died. Argentina was suffering from serious economic and political strife and she was unable to form a government and the countries problems continued to worsen. After a military coup in 1976 she was imprisoned for five years on a charge of abuse of power and upon her release in 1981 settled in Madrid.

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1956 U.S.A. Federal Aid Highway Act

1956 : Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 bill into law. The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act was for the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways over a 20-year period and was the largest public works project ever undertaken. For each highway created 90 percent of construction costs were paid by the Federal budget and 10% from the local state.

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1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake

1925 : The picturesque Santa Barbara was rocked by an earthquake causing heavy loss of life when the dam burst and water mains burst causing some of areas of the city to be flattened . The quake was felt as far away as San Francisco and Los Angeles with many millions of dollars worth of damage across California, The earthquake was also felt in other states including Montana with more damage.

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1936 U.S.A. Public Works Program

1936 : 3 millions job program launched as part of the relief and public works program the WPA average wage has been set at $25.00 per month, this was a major part of the bills passed in the 1930s to help the country during the Great Depression.

1936 U.S.A. Drought Midwest

1936 : Following the severe drought in the Midwest with a continuing lack of rain in the corn belt many fear soaring food prices.

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1941 Germany Invades Russia

1941 : German divisions make major advances on Leningrad, Moscow, and Kiev due to the surprise attack and the use of the Luftwaffe.

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1943 U.S.A. Manhattan Project

1943 : Following problems between Manhattan Project physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves, the military leader in charge of the project. President Roosevelt sent a letter to Oppenheimer congratulating him on the progress of the project and asking for his understanding for the conditions he and his fellow scientists were working under due to the strict security required on a project of this importance and magnitude.

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1947 U.S.A. Inflated Car Prices Due To Shortages

1947 : Buying a new car from a main new car dealer can mean months or even years to wait but if you go to your local used car dealer you can find the latest 1947 models brand new but at a price of between $500 and $1000 more than the list price, they go direct to the factories and buy them then transport around the country.

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1964 Vietnam New Zealand Support

1964 : New Zealand shows support for Americas involvement in Vietnam by sending 24 engineers.

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1966 Vietnam Hanoi Bombing

1966 : The US steps up it's use of bombers and for the first time bombs major North Vietnamese population centers of Hanoi and Haiphong.

Today in Labor History June 29, 2025

 

What was to be a 7-day streetcar strike began in Chicago after several workers were unfairly fired. Wrote the police chief at the time, describing the strikers’ response to scabs: “One of my men said he was at the corner of Halsted and Madison Streets, and although he could see fifty stones in the air, he couldn’t tell where they were coming from.” The strike was settled to the workers’ satisfaction. – 1885

Michael Schwab, who was convicted for the Haymarket bombing, died from tuberculosis, having been pardoned and released from prison just a few months prior. – 1898

An Executive Order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Labor Relations Board.  A predecessor organization, the National Labor Board, established by the Depression-era National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933, was struck down by the Supreme Court. – 1934

IWW struck Weyerhaeuser and other Idaho lumber camps. – 1936

Jesus Pallares, founder of the 8,000-member coal miners union, Liga Obrera de Habla Esanola, was deported from the US as an “undesirable alien.” One hundred miners were arrested during the 1934 La Liga strike against the Gallup American Company in New Mexico. – 1936

The Boilermaker and Blacksmith unions merged to become International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers. – 1954

The US Supreme Court ruled in CWA v. Beck that in a union security agreement, a union can collect as dues from non-members only that money necessary to perform its duties as a collective bargaining representative. – 1988