Discover what happened on July 7 in history, along with notable events, inventions, milestones, and moments that shaped America and the world.
What Happened on July 7 in History?
Important events on this day include the first sale of sliced bread, the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, the founding of Amazon, the first public playing of Elvis Presley’s debut record, and the completion of the world’s largest sandcastle.
JULY 7 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1862 – The first railroad post office was tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri.
1863 – The United States began its first military draft. An exemption cost $100.
1920 – For the first time a device known as a radio compass was used on a U.S. Navy airplane near Norfolk, VA.
1928 – Sliced bread was sold for the very first time at the Chillicothe Baking Co. in Chillicothe, MO.
1930 – Construction began on Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam) on the Colorado River.
1946 – Future President Jimmy Carter married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith.
1947 – A supposed crash of an alien spaceship happened near Roswell, New Mexico.
1949 – “Dragnet” was first heard on NBC radio.
1954 – A disc-jockey at a radio station (WHBQ) in Memphis, TN, by the name of Dewey Phillips, became the first D.J. to play an Elvis Presley’s record “That’s All Right”.
1967 – The Monkees kicked off a national tour. The opening act was Jimi Hendrix.
1981 – President Ronald Reagan nominated Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
1994 – Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in Seattle, WA. It was originally called “Cadabra.”
1994 – Viacom purchased Paramount Pictures for $10 billion.
1998 – A jury in Santa Monica, CA, convicted Mikail Markhasev of murdering Ennis Cosby (Bill Cosby’s only son) during a roadside robbery.
2000 – Amazon.com announced that they had sold almost 400,000 copies of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire”. That made it the biggest selling book in e-tailing history.
2007 – Live Earth concerts took place on all seven continents. The purpose of the concerts was to bring awareness to the problem of global warming.
2007 – J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is published.
2009 – A memorial service was held for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. 17,500 people were admitted in to the event. The service was viewed, on TV and online, by over a billion people throughout the world
2011 – Rodrick Dantzler went on a shooting spree in Grand Rapids, MI. He killed seven people, including two children. After leading police on a chase and a standoff, he eventually shot and killed himself. It was the worst mass murder in Grand Rapids’ history.
2017 – Early morning storms moved through southwest Michigan. Wind gusts near 100 mph caused damage and one death.
2017 – Tesla Motors produced its first mass-market car, the Model 3. The first 30 vehicles were delivered to customers later in the month.
2019 – The United States women’s national soccer team defeated the Netherlands 2–0 at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Lyon, France.
2021 – The world’s biggest sandcastle was completed in Denmark. It was 69.4 feet high and required nearly 5,000 tons of sand.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 7:
Doc Severinsen – 99 years old (1927) – Trumpet player and conductor
Adele Goldberg – 81 years old (1945) – Computer scientist and academic
Howard Rheingold – 79 years old (1947) – Author and critic
Len Barker – 71 years old (1955) – Baseball player and coach
Jonathan Dayton – 69 years old (1957) – Director and producer
Billy Campbell – 67 years old (1959) – Actor
Kevin A. Ford – 66 years old (1960) – Colonel and astronaut
Ralph Sampson – 66 years old (1960) – Basketball player and coach
Vonda Shepard – 63 years old (1963) – Singer-songwriter and actress
Mo Collins – 61 years old (1965) – Actress, comedian and screenwriter
Jim Gaffigan – 60 years old (1966) – Comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
Jorja Fox – 58 years old (1968) – Actress
Cree Summer – 57 years old (1969) – American-Canadian actress
Christian Camargo – 55 years old (1971) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter
Lisa Leslie – 54 years old (1972) – Basketball player and actress
Kirsten Vangsness – 54 years old (1972) – Actress and writer
Tony Benshoof – 51 years old (1975) – Luger
Adam Nelson – 51 years old (1975) – Shot putter
Chris Andersen – 48 years old (1978) – Basketball player
John Buck – 46 years old (1980) – Baseball player
Michelle Kwan – 46 years old (1980) – Figure skater
Synyster Gates – 45 years old (1981) – Guitarist
Asia O'Hara – 44 years old (1982) – Drag performer
Ana Kasparian – 40 years old (1986) – Journalist and producer
Sevyn Streeter – 40 years old (1986) – Singer-songwriter
Kaci Brown – 38 years old (1988) – Singer-songwriter
Landon Cassill – 37 years old (1989) – Race car driver
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 7:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
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