What Happened On
Toronto Dominion Bank Tower (center)
Photo Credit: SimonP
Toronto Dominion Bank Tower (center)Photo Credit: SimonP
Lawyer Falls to Death Testing Window
July 9, 1993
Canadian Darwin Award winner. Garry Hoy liked to demonstrate the tensile strength of his building's windows by running up against them and bouncing off - A stunt he had performed numerous times. However, on this fateful day, the window glass popped out of the frame and Hoy plummeted to his death from the 24th story of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, earning him a Darwin Award (1996). His unusual death has been featured on the TV shows Myth Busters and 1,000 Ways to Die, and the movie The Darwin Awards.
Hoy, a senior law partner, was described as one of the best and brightest at the firm. The firm closed three years later - Well, if that's your best and brightest…
Weissmuller in 1924 and later as Tarzan
Weissmuller in 1924 and later as Tarzan
Tarzan's Record-Breaking Swim
July 9, 1922
Future Tarzan portrayer Johnny Weissmuller becomes the first person to swim 100 meters in less than a minute (58.6 seconds).
Great Train Wreck of 1918
July 9, 1918
Two trains collide head on near Nashville, Tennessee, killing 101 people and injuring an additional 171. The two passenger trains had each been traveling at about 50-60 mph. It is considered the worst rail accident in U.S. history and was attributed to operator error.
First Successful Heart Surgery
July 9, 1893
African-American doctor Daniel Hale Williams sutures the heart of a stabbing victim at a Chicago hospital. It was performed at Chicago's Provident Hospital, which he founded in 1891 as the first non-segregated hospital in the United States.
Romanov Family c. 1913
Romanov Family c. 1913
Russian Revolution
July 9, 1993
British DNA tests confirm that the bodies dug up in 1991 are of Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and three of his five children. They were killed in 1918 during the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. The bodies of his two other children weren't found until 2007.
Nobelium
July 9, 1957
The discovery is announced. It is element 102 and has an atomic weight of 253.
First Wimbledon Men's Singles Title
July 9, 1877
The first Wimbledon men's singles title is won by Spencer W. Gore.
14th Amendment Ratified
July 9, 1868
Defined U.S. citizenship and granted it to those born or naturalized in the U.S. It also stated that the rights of a citizen could not be removed without due process of the Law.
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Canadian Slavery
July 9, 1793
Upper Canada passes the Act Against Slavery prohibiting slavery.
Declaration of Independence
July 9, 1776
New York votes to accept the U.S. Declaration of Independence, making it unanimous for all 13 colonies.
Birthdays
O.J. Simpson (Orenthal James Simpson)
Born July 9, 1947 d. 2024
American football Hall of Fame running back, sportscaster, actor. He was head of the San Francisco street gang "Gladiators" when he was 13. In 1994, he was arrested for and then found not guilty for the murders of his ex-wife and her 25-year-old male friend.
Photo Credit: Mysid
Photo Credit: Mysid
John Archibald Wheeler
Born July 9, 1911 d. 2008
American theoretical physicist. He popularized the term "Black Hole" (1967, a collapsed star) and coined the term "Wormhole" (1957, a shortcut connecting two separate points in spacetime). Quote: "If you haven't found something strange during the day it hasn't been much of a day."
Thomas Davenport
Born July 9, 1802 d. 1851
American inventor. He built the first practical electric motor (1837) which received the first U.S. patent on an electric machine (1837, Patent No. 132). He used silk from his wife's wedding dress for insulation for the wiring. Davenport was unable to capitalize on his invention and died broke.
Fred Savage
Born July 9, 1976
American actor. TV: The Wonder Years (for which he was youngest person nominated for an Emmy for outstanding leading performer). Film: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2003, Number Three).
Courtney Love (Courtney Michelle Harrison)
Born July 9, 1964
American rock musician, widow of Kurt Cobain.
Kelly McGillis
Born July 9, 1957
American actress. Film: Witness (1985) and Top Gun (1986).
Tom Hanks
Born July 9, 1956
American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Splash (1984), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Big (1988), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Philadelphia (1993, Oscar), Forrest Gump (1994), and Toy Story (1995, Woody). TV: Bosom Buddies (1980-82, cross-dresser Kip/Buffy Wilson).
In 2016, Hanks received a Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor.
Jimmy Smits
Born July 9, 1955
American actor. TV: L.A. Law (Victor Sifuentes) and NYPD Blue (Det. Bobby Simone).
John Tesh
Born July 9, 1952
American entertainer, Emmy-winning composer. TV: Entertainment Tonight (host). Theme Music: Pan American Games (Emmy) and World Track and Field Championships (Emmy).
Dean Koontz
Born July 9, 1945
American author.
Richard Roundtree
Born July 9, 1942 d. 2023
American actor. Film: Shaft (1971, title role) and Earthquake (1974, Miles Quade). TV: Shaft (1973-74, title role).
James Hampton
Born July 9, 1936 d. 2021
American actor. TV: F Troop (1965-67, Private Dobbs) and The Doris Day Show (1968-69, Leroy B. Simpson).
Dr. Oliver Sacks
Born July 9, 1933 d. 2015
English physician, author. His book Awakenings (1973), describing his work in the 1960s with sleeping sickness patients, was made into the 1990 movie starring Robin Williams. He himself had prosopagnosia ("face blindness"), which prevented him from recognizing faces - even his own reflection. Writings: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1985).
Donald Rumsfeld
Born July 9, 1932 d. 2021
U.S. Secretary of Defense (1975-77, 2001-2006), White House Chief of Staff (1974-75), U.S. House of Representatives (Illinois, 1963-69). He holds the distinction of being both the youngest and oldest Secretary of Defense in U.S. history. Quote: "Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war."
Ed Ames (Edmund Dantes Urick)
Born July 9, 1927 d. 2023
American singer, actor. Ed Ames performed with the Ames Brothers, known for their easy-listening hits. Music: Rag Mop (1950, #1), My Cup Runneth Over (1967), Time, Time (1967), and When the Snow Is on the Roses (1967). TV: Daniel Boone (1964-68, Mingo).
Sir Edward Heath
Born July 9, 1916 d. 2005
British prime minister (1970-74). An avid yachtsman, he captained Britain's winning team for the Admiral's Cup in 1971.
Dame Barbara Cartland
Born July 9, 1901 d. 2000
British romance novelist. Her more than 700 books - sometimes written at a rate of one every two weeks - have sold over 750 million copies.
Elias Howe
Born July 9, 1819 d. 1867
American inventor. Elias Howe patented the first practical sewing machine (1846).
Deaths
King Camp Gillette
Died July 9, 1932 b. 1855
American manufacturer. Inventor of the safety razor (1895).
Zachary Taylor
Died July 9, 1850 b. 1784
American politician. 12th U.S. President (1849-50). He was the father-in-law of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He died in office making Vice-President Millard Fillmore president.
Gilbert Stuart
Died July 9, 1828 b. 1755
American artist. His best known work is the unfinished portrait of George Washington (1796) that is used on the $1 bill. His portrait paintings have also been used on U.S. postage stamps. Stuart painted portraits of more than 1,000 people, including the first six U.S. Presidents.
Although Washington's portrait was never completed or delivered to Washington, after Washington's death Gilbert cashed in on Washington's fame by making 130 copies of the painting and selling them for $100 each.
Edmund Burke
Died July 9, 1797 b. 1729
Irish statesman, philosopher. The famous quote: "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing", is generally attributed to him. Although similar ideas are found in his writings, this exact quote is not.
He is widely regarded as the philosophical founder of modern conservatism.
Quote: "The writers against religion, whilst they oppose every system, are wisely careful never to set up any of their own."
Rip Torn (Elmore Rual Torn)
Died July 9, 2019 b. 1931
American actor, comedian.
H. Ross Perot
Died July 9, 2019 b. 1930
American billionaire. He gave George H. W. Bush a run for his money in 1992.
Sanford (left) with cast members Sherman Hemsley and Mike Evans
Sanford (left) with cast members Sherman Hemsley and Mike Evans
Isabel Sanford (Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford)
Died July 9, 2004 b. 1917
American Emmy-winning actress. Isabel Sanford was the first African-American actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1981). TV: The Jeffersons (1975-85, Louise "Weezy" Jefferson).
Rod Steiger
Died July 9, 2002 b. 1925
American Oscar-winning actor. Film: In the Heat of the Night (1967, Oscar) and The Amityville Horror (1979).
Will Rogers Jr. (William Vann Rogers)
Died July 9, 1993 b. 1911
American actor, son of the famous humorist Will Rogers. U.S. Representative (California 1943-44. He resigned to enlist in the army for WWII). Film: The Story of Will Rogers (1952, in which he played his real-life father).
Eric Sevareid
Died July 9, 1992 b. 1912
American Emmy-winning broadcast journalist for CBS.
Earl Warren
Died July 9, 1974 b. 1891
American Chief Justice of the United States. Quote: "It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of one of those liberties which make the defense of our nation worthwhile."
Arch Ward
Died July 9, 1955 b. 1896
American sports editor for the Chicago Tribune. He originated the idea of major-league all-star baseball (1933) and football games (1934). He also created the Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament.
Jan van Eyck
Died July 9, 1441 b. circa 1386
Flemish painter. Works: The Adoration of the Lamb (altarpiece at Ghent Cathedral) and the Arnolfini Marriage Portrait.