Today in History for July 17th: 1856 – The Great Train Wreck of 1856 in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, kills over 60 people. 1867 – Harvard School of Dental Medicine was established in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first dental school in the U.S. that was affiliated with a university. 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; 5 lives are lost. 1938 – Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the "wrong way" to Ireland and becomes known as "Wrong Way" Corrigan. 1944 – Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320. 1944 – During World War II: Napalm incendiary bombs are dropped for the first time by American P-38 pilots on a fuel depot at Coutances, near Saint-Lô, France. 1945 – During World War II: the leaders of the three Allied nations, Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany. 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California. 1976 – The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the New Zealand team. 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. Births 1899 – actor James Cagney, (d. 1986) Cagney was an American actor, first on stage, then in film where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing tough guys. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among its 50 Greatest American Screen Legends. 1917 – comedian Phyllis Diller, (d. 2012) Diller was an American actress and comedienne. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired and eccentrically dressed housewife who made self-deprecating jokes about her age and appearance, her terrible cooking, and a husband named "Fang", while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder. 1918 – singer-songwriter and guitarist Red Sovine, (d. 1980) Sovine, was an American country music singer associated with truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music. The most famous example was his 1976 number one hit "Teddy Bear". 1950 – singer Damon Harris (d. 2013) Harris was an African-American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1975. Twenty years old when he joined the group, Harris was the youngest member of The Temptations during his tenure in the group. 1950 – singer-songwriter and guitarist Phoebe Snow (d. 2011) Snow was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for her chart-topping 1975 hit "Poetry Man".
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 03:43:31 +0000
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