Today is Friday, July 5th, the 187th day of 2024. There are 179 days left this year.
Today’s History Highlights:
On July 5, 1996, Dolly the sheep was born, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell by scientists at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
This day too:
In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his three-volume work Principia Mathematica, which set out the mathematical principles of natural philosophy.
In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.
In 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a speech at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, called “What is the Fourth of July to the Slave?”
In 1865, a division of the U.S. Treasury Secret Service was established in Washington, DC, with the mission of combating counterfeit currency.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.
In 1937, Hormel introduced a canned meat product called Spam, and since then, more than 9 billion cans have been sold.
In 1940, during World War II, Britain and the Vichy government of France severed diplomatic relations.
In 1943, the Battle of Kursk began during World War II, and in the weeks that followed, Soviet forces repeatedly defeated German forces until they were eventually defeated and forced to retreat.
In 1946, the modern bikini, designed by Frenchman Louis Réard, was unveiled for the first time in Paris.
In 1947, Larry Doby made his debut for the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the American League, three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League.
In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, “That’s All Right,” at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon ratified the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors to become the first black player to win the Wimbledon singles title.
In 1977, Pakistani troops led by General Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
In 1980, Bjorn Borg became the first man to win five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.
Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos as an online marketplace for books.
In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida, found 25-year-old Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her then-2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
In 2013, Pope Francis recognized two of the 20th century’s most influential popes as saints in the Roman Catholic Church, approving the miracles necessary to canonize Pope John Paul II and granting an exemption from Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII.
Today’s birthdays: Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 76. Rock star Huey Lewis is 74. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 73. NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton is 68. Cartoonist Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) is 66. Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 65. Actor Edie Falco is 61. Actor Gillian Armenante is 60. Actor Kathryn Elbe is 59. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg is 56. Rapper RZA (RIH’-zuh) is 55. Author Gary Shteyngart is 52. R&B singer Joe is 51. Rapper Lois Da 5’9 is 47. International Tennis Hall of Famer Amelie Mauresmo is 45. Actor Ryan Hansen is 43. Country musician Dave Haywood (Female A) is 42. Actor Danay Garcia is 40. Soccer player Megan Rapinoe is 39. Actor Jason Dolley is 33. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Otani is 30.
