This Date in History - July 3

Happy birthday to Jan Smithers.  You all remember her as the super-hot Bailey Quarters on "WKRP."  Or maybe you don't.

324:  IN THE BATTLE OF ADRIANOPLE, CONSTANTINE I DEFEATS LICINIUS, WHO FLEES TO BYZANTIUM.

To get his security blanket.

987:  HUGH CAPET IS CROWNED KING OF FRANCE, THE FIRST OF THE CAPETIAN DYNASTY THAT WOULD RULE FRANCE TILL THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1792.

That's a nice run for those Capets.  Almost Roosevelt-like.

1608:  QUEBEC IS FOUNDED BY SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN.

So why is the city not called De Champlain?

1754:  GEORGE WASHINGTON SURRENDERS FORT NECESSITY TO FRENCH FORCES.

So, obviously, the fort was not a.....

1767:  NORWAY'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER STILL IN PRINT, ADRESSEAVISEN, IS FOUNDED AND THE FIRST EDITION IS PUBLISHED.

I wonder if there was a Night Owl edition the evening before.

1775:  DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, GEORGE WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY AT CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

So that fort really was not a....

1819:  THE BANK OF SAVINGS IN NEW YORK CITY, THE FIRST SAVINGS BANK IN THE US, OPENS.

Toaster anybody?

1849:  THE FRENCH ENTER ROME IN ORDER TO RESTORE POPE PIUS IX TO POWER.

Who knew that the French had a Pope in the race?

1852:  CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE UNITED STATES 2ND MINT IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

The first mint being created by Wrigley Gum.

1863:  DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, THE FINAL DAY OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG CULMINATES WITH PICKETT'S CHARGE.

I wonder what he charged.  Oh, probably some body bags.

1878:  ACTOR/COMPOSER GEORGE M. COHAN IS BORN.

My father thanks you, my mother thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you.

1884:  DOW JONES AND COMPANY PUBLISHES ITS FIRST STOCK AVERAGE.

And officially became the part of the newspaper that everybody ignores.

1886:  KARL BENZ OFFICIALLY UNVEILS THE BENZ PATENT MOTORWAGEN - THE FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT AUTOMOBILE.

You mean the original car invention was an accident?

1890:  IDAHO IS ADMITTED AS THE 43RD US STATE.

Potatoes are on the house.

1906:  ACTOR GEORGE SANDERS IS BORN.

All About Birth.

1913:  JOURNALIST DOROTHY KILGALLEN IS BORN.

At birth, she was bigger than a breadbox.

1938:  WORLD SPEED RECORD FOR A STEAM RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE IS SET IN ENGLAND.

So the entrant from Petticoat Junction finished out of the money?

1938:  PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT DEDICATES THE ETERNAL LIGHT PEACE MEMORIAL AND LIGHTS THE ETERNAL FLAME AT GETTYSBURG.  

You see how history works?  We had a Gettysburg entry for 1863 and now this.  I love when things make sense.

1941:  ATTORNEY GLORIA ALLRED IS BORN.

Let me know when she finally croaks and relieves us all from the pain.

1944:  DURING WORLD WAR II, MINSK IS LIBERATED FROM NAZI CONTROL BY SOVIET TROOPS.

The Night They Raided Minsk.

1947:  ACTRESS BETTY BUCKLEY IS BORN.

Well, that's your first memory.

1949: ACTRESS JAN SMITHERS IS BORN.

She was once married to James Brolin but eventually was smart enough to cast off this lummox to be Barbra's house mule.

1952:  THE CONSTITUTION OF PUERTO RICO IS APPROVED BY THE CONGRESS OF THE US.

The simple question is.....WHY????

1965:  TRIGGER DIES.

Two days later, Roy Rogers dismounted.

1969:  THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION IN THE HISTORY OF ROCKETRY OCCURS WHEN THE SOVIET N-1 ROCKET EXPLODES ON ITS LAUNCHPAD.

The biggest explosion??  Have you ever seen a Michael Bay movie?

1971:  ROCK STAR JIM MORRISON DIES.

Come on, baby, light his fire.

1979:  US PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER SIGNS THE FIRST DIRECTIVE FOR SECRET AID TO THE OPPONENTS OF THE PRO-SOVIET REGIME IN KABUL.

One of the four days in his administration that Carter actually did something.

1981:  ACTOR ROSS MARTIN DIES.

Sun sets in the Wild Wild West.

1986:  SINGER RUDY VALLEE DIES.

My Time is no longer Your Time.

1988:  UNITED STATES NAVY WARHSIP USS VINCENNES SHOOTS DOWN IRAN AIR FLIGHT 655 OVER THE PERSIAN GULF, KILLING ALL 290 PEOPLE ABOARD.

So that's 2980 people who ultimately won't move to the west side of Los Angeles.

1989:  ACTOR JIM BACKUS DIES.

I wonder if Mr. Magoo saw this coming.

1993:  ACTOR JOE DERITA DIES.

The Curly nobody remembers.

1993:  BASEBALL STAR DON DRYSDALE DIES.

I remember where I was when I heard this.  I had just left a Met game and had turned on my car radio in the Flushing Marina parking lot.

1994:  THE DEADLIEST DAY IN TEXAS TRAFFIC HISTORY.  FORTY-SIX PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN CRASHES.

All of them in one car.

2005:  SAME SEX MARRIAGE IN SPAIN BECOMES LEGAL.

Don and Juan.

2008:  CLOWN LARRY HARMON DIES.

That's a real Bozo no-no.

2012:  ACTOR ANDY GRIFFITH DIES.

And I'm still upset.

Dinner last nigh:  Left over tri-tip.