July 31 is the 213th day of the year. There are 153 days remaining until the end of the year.
1588 English fleet beats off Spanish Armada
1620 Pilgrim Fathers (and, one would assume, Pilgrim Mothers) depart (through Plymouth, England) to America
1703 Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers.
1777 Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de LaFayette, 19, is made major-general of Continental Army due to his charming personality and popularity with the lonely soldiers
1849 Benjamin Chambers patents breech loading cannon. I don’t know if this guy’s named Cannon, but he’s ready to be breech loaded and I’d bet cash money that he’d shoot.
1922 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson rides world's 1st water skis on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes
1953 Department of Health, Education and Welfare is created to completely confound the nation’s health, education and welfare. It is now called the Department of Health and Human Services, but its mission remains the same.
1959 1st exhibit of bongos at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opens. I never thought Cleveland was that out of touch!
1970 Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy. Here is a black tot being enjoyed. I’m hoisting a cup of rum to them!
1972 A shocked Thomas Eagleton withdraws as Democratic VP candidate
1993 Prince Ronald "Ronnie" Mutebi is crowned king of Uganda
1994 Sergei Bubka pole vaults his 35th world record (6.14 m)
1929 Don Murray, US actor,wasn't he just one big hump of delicious...
March 15 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. If the ancient Mayans were correct, there are 281 days remaining until the end of time.
1892 1st escalator is patented by inventor Jesse W. Reno, but not built until 1896
1906 Lovers Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls form Rolls Royce Ltd. and immortalize their favorite sex toy.
1912 Pitcher Cy Young retires from baseball with 511 wins despite throwing like a girl
1916 General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and 15,000 troops chase his runaway boyfriend, Pancho Villa, into Mexico and stay 10 months because those Mexicans are just so darned hospitable
1964 Lyndon Baines Johnson declares a War on Poverty with insufficient weapons for the troops
1968 Bob Beamon, who obviously favors a jock strap over those silly briefs, sets indoor long jump record (27'2-3/4")
1991 Sergei Bubka pole vaults record 20' although his dom knows he could've done 21'
2011 Syrian uprising begins.
1767 Andrew Jackson, 7th US president/Old Hickory/guy on the $20 bill
