Events On This Day In History July 14 1789 - This was the day the French Revolution began -- at the fall of the Bastille. It is still celebrated in many countries throughout the world and is a public holiday in France; generally called Bastille Day or Fete National. It is considered the day freedom was born in France. 1868 - Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, CT patented the tape measure. Alvin’s measurements: 40-46-42. 1908 - The Adventures of Dolly opened at the Union Square Theatre in New York City. It was the first film release for director D.W. Griffith. 1911 - For the first time, a pilot flew an airplane onto the lawn of the White House! Harry N. Atwood flew in to accept an award from President William Taft. There wasn’t a National Airport at the time, you see. Today, if you land a plane on the White House lawn, you do so at your own risk. If you don’t get shot out of the sky first, you’ll probably receive a hail of bullets from the Secret Service as a welcoming salute. It’s not that people don’t keep trying. In 1994, a small plane crashed on the lawn and slammed into the White House, killing the pilot. 1914 - Robert H. Goddard of Worcester, MA patented liquid rocket fuel on this day. 1942 - Helen O’Connell and Bob Eberly sang their last duet together as they recorded the famous Brazil with the Jimmy Dorsey band. 1951 - In his last race, Citation became the winningest thoroughbred in horse racing as he won the Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park. Citation earned a total of $1,085,760 in his career. 1951 - The first sports event to be shown in color was the Molly Pitcher Handicap at Oceanport, New Jersey. The historic event was seen over CBS-TV this day, but not by many. A color TV system for wide use wouldn’t be available until the 1960s. 1957 - Funnyman Stan Freberg debuted a new weekly comedy program on CBS radio beginning this night. Freberg was a late entry into the radio program race, though he was well known for many famous radio commercials over the years. The Freberg show only lasted a short time and that newfangled contraption, television, was blamed for the show’s quick demise. 1962 - Bobby Vinton’s Roses are Red became the top song in the U.S. The song stayed at the top for four weeks and was the first of four #1 hits for Vinton. The others were: Blue Velvet, There! I’ve Said It Again and Mr. Lonely. Roses are Red was also Vinton’s first million-seller. He had two others: I Love How You Love Me (which made it to #9 in 1968) and My Melody of Love (which hit #3 in 1974.) 1967 - Eddie Mathews of the Houston Astros hit career homer #500. 1968 - Hank Aaron hit his 500th career home run -- in Atlanta, GA -- leading the Braves to a 4-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. (In April of 1974, Hammerin’ Hank eclipsed the old home-run mark [714] held by Babe Ruth.) 1981 - The All-Star Game was postponed because of a 33-day-old baseball players strike. Still, some 15,000 fans showed up to boo the players and to see an imaginary game! The 52nd All-Star classic was not held until August 9th (in Cleveland Municipal Stadium). 1985 - Baltimore defeated Oakland, 28-24, to clinch their second consecutive United States Football League championship. The game was also significant, in that it brought the curtain down on the league’s spring schedule. Total losses were estimated at $63 million for all 14 teams. The USFL quickly faded away when owners refused to incur further losses. Plans calling for the league to resume play in the fall of 1986 never materialized. 1987 - The second-longest game in All-Star Game history was played as the National League defeated the American League in a 2-0 shutout in 13 innings. The game was played in Oakland, CA and lasted 3 hours, 39 minutes.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:40:47 +0000
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