This Date in History - July 21

 

Happy birthday in Heaven, Don Knotts.   He used to live up on the fourth floor of the very apartment building I live in today.

356 BC:  THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMUS IN EPHESUS, ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, IS DESTROYED BY ARSON.

So the Astrodome moves up a notch?

230:  POPE PONTIAN SUCCEEDS URBAN I AS THE 18TH POPE.

Urban I?  Was he Black?   Asking for a friend.

285:  DIOCLETIAN APPOINTS MAXIMIAN AS CAESAR AND CO-RULER.

Co-anything never works.

1645:  QING DYNASTY REGENT DORGON ISSUES AN EDICT ORDERING ALL HAN CHINESE MEN TO SHAVE THEIR FOREHEAD AND BRAID THE REST OF THEIR HAIR INTO A QUEUE IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF THE MANCHUS.

And if you're bald?  Are you killed?  Asking for a friend.

1861:  AMERICAN CIVIL WAR - AT MANASSAS, VIRGINIA, THE FIRST MAJOR BATTLE OF THE WAR BEGINS WITH A WIN BY THE CONFEDERATES.

Don't get cocky.

1865:  IN MISSOURI, WILD BILL HICKOK SHOOTS AND KILLS DAVIS TUTT IN WHAT IS REGARDED AS THE FIRST WESTERN SHOWDOWN.

Tutt, tut.

1873:  IN IOWA, JESSE JAMES AND THE YOUNGER GANG PULL OFF THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL TRAIN ROBBERY.

Let the cowboy movies begin.

1899:  AUTHOR ERNEST HEMINGWAY IS BORN.

It tolls for thee.

1904:  LOUIS RIGOLLY BECOMES THE FIRST MAN TO BREAK THE 100 MPH BARRIER ON LAND IN BELGIUM

This will last only until...

1924:  ACTOR DON KNOTTS IS BORN.  

According to neighbors, Andy used to visit here all the time.

1925:  MALCOLM CAMPBELL BECOMES THE FIRST MAN TO 150 MPH IN WALES.

Take that, Rigolly.

1926:  DIRECTOR NORMAN JEWISON IS BORN.

And the director of "Moonstruck" lives to this day.  God bless.

1944:  WORLD WAR II - CLAUS VON STAUFFENBERG AND FOUR FELLOW CONSPIRATORS ARE EXECUTED FOR A PLOT TO ASSASSINATE ADOLF HITLER.

Too bad they were not successful.

1948:  SINGER CAT STEVENS IS BORN.  

His real name is Yusuf Islam.  Fun fact.

1948:  CARTOONIST GARRY TRUDEAU IS BORN.

I was never a fan of "Doonesbury."

1949:  THE US SENTATE RATIFIES THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY.

Back when the US Senate made sense.

1951:  ACTOR ROBIN WILLIAMS IS BORN.

Miss him to this day.

1959:  PUMPSIE GREEN BECOMES THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO PLAY FOR THE BOSTON RED SOX, THE LAST TEAM TO INTEGRATE.

And those assholes up in Massachusetts think they're so damn progressive.

1961:  GUS GRISSOM PILOTING THE MERCURY PROGRAM'S LIBERTY BELL 7 BECOMES THE SECOND AMERICAN TO GO INTO SPACE.

Sadly, he burns up in a fire a few years later.

1967:  ACTOR BASIL RATHBONE DIES.

The game was afoot.

1969:  AT 2;56 UTC, ASTRONAUT NEIL ARMSTRONG BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON TO WALK ON THE MOON.

Remember this moment on my life's highlight rell.

1973:  IN NORWAY, MOSSAD AGENTS KILL A WAITER WHOM THE MISTAKENLY THOUGHT WAS INVOLVED IN THE 1972 MUNICH OLYMPICS MASSACRE.

Stiffing him for a tip was bad enough.

1979:  JAY "TONTO" SILVERHEELS BECOMES THE FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN TO HAVE A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.

Don't put him near John Wayne.

1982:  TV HOST DAVE GARROWAY DIES.

J. Fred Muggs to deliver the eulogy.

1998:  ACTOR ROBERT YOUNG DIES.

Might as well be.

2005:  THE LONDON BOMBINGS OCCUR.

Don't blame this one on Hitler.

2010:  BASEBALL MANAGER RALPH HOUK DIES.

Probably still smoking a cigar.

Dinner last night:  Salad.