What Happened On
George Carlin Arrested for Seven Words
July 21, 1972
The comedian George Carlin is arrested in Milwaukee for performing his Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television routine. The charges were dismissed when the judge declared that the language was indecent but Carlin had the freedom to say it as long as he caused no disturbance.
Ulysis Sanabria and a Flying Spot Scanner used for head shots in another competing mechanical television system
Ulysis Sanabria and a Flying Spot Scanner used for head shots in another competing mechanical television system
First Regularly-Scheduled 7-Day a Week TV Broadcasts
July 21, 1931
CBS begins broadcasting from their experimental station W2XAB in New York, New York. Their first program was hosted by New York Mayor Jimmy Walker and featured Kate Smith, the Boswell Sisters, and George Gershwin. The station used a 60-line mechanical television system and had the first regular seven-day broadcasting schedule in U.S. television, broadcasting 28 hours a week. Their schedule included programs such as The Television Ghost (1931-33), Helen Haynes (1931-32), and Piano Lessons (1931-32).
Monkey Trial
July 21, 1925
John Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in Tennessee and fined $100. The previous March, Tennessee made it a misdemeanor to "teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." High school teacher John Scopes defied this law by teaching evolution in his classroom. Famous lawyer, and three-time U.S. presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan volunteered for the prosecution. Attorney Clarence Darrow joined the ACLU for the defense. Darrow called as his sole witness for the defense the prosecuting attorney Bryan, in an attempt to discredit his literal interpretation of the Bible. Bryan was ridiculed and forced to make contradictory statements. In an unusual twist, the defense attorney in his closing remarks asked the jury to convict his client. This accomplished two things: It allowed the case to be taken to the Tennessee Supreme Court and it prevented the prosecutor from delivering his closing speech that he had spent weeks preparing. Scopes was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of $100. Even though Bryan the prosecutor won, he was publicly humiliated and many believe the public ridicule contributed to his death six days later. The conviction was eventually overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
John Dillinger's First Offense
July 21, 1923
Twenty-year-old John Dillinger commits his first criminal offense; a car theft in Indiana for which he was never caught. He abandoned it 17 miles away.
After serving eight and a half years, Dillinger was released from prison in 1933 when a petition of 188 signatures was presented to the governor. Even his victim signed the petition. He immediately began his famous crime spree using skills he learned in prison, robbing his first bank the following month.
Jesse and Frank James
Jesse and Frank James
Jesse James' First Train Robbery
July 21, 1873
The outlaws Jesse James, his brother Frank James, and the Younger brothers rob their first train. Wearing Ku Klux Klan masks, they derailed a Rock Island Line train west of Adair, Iowa. The train engineer and fireman died as a result of the wreck. They stole $2,000 from the safe and $1,000 from the passengers. There was supposed to be a shipment of gold on the train, but it had been delayed.
This marked the first time in the U.S. train robbers had stopped a moving train to rob it. A $10,000 reward was offered for their capture.
They had formed their gang in 1866, and up to now had been robbing mostly banks and stagecoaches.
Civil War - First Battle of Bull Run
July 21, 1861
The first major battle of the war, and from which Confederate General Stonewall Jackson received his nickname for delaying his attack. The Union, expecting a quick victory, was routed by the South. Confederate President Jefferson Davis credited the spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow for the victory due to the information she gathered. Some speculate she gathered the information from then Senator and future Vice President Henry Wilson, with whom she was having an affair.
London Transport Bombings
July 21, 2005
Four terrorist bombings are targeted at the London Underground and a public bus. The only casualty was from an asthma attack.
WorldCom Bankruptcy
July 21, 2002
The American telecommunications giant WorldCom files for bankruptcy protection. It was the largest such filing in U.S. history.
Coldest Recorded Day
July 21, 1983
-128.6° F (-89° C) in Vostok, Antarctica (It'll be a cold day in July before I…) Source: Guinness Book of World Records
North Atlantic Treaty
July 21, 1949
The North Atlantic Treaty is ratified by the U.S. Congress. The treaty forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
First Jet Fighter to Land and Take Off from a Ship
July 21, 1946
An FD-1 Phantom lands and then takes off again from the USS Roosevelt (CVB-42).
First Ship Sunk by Aircraft
July 21, 1921
First ship sunk by an aircraft, in a demonstration by Brig. Gen. William S. Mitchell.
Thomas Cavendish Around the World Voyage
July 21, 1586
Thomas Cavendish starts his voyage around the world. He completed the voyage in September, 1588, making him the second Englishman to lead an expedition around the world.
Birthdays
Robin Williams
Born July 21, 1951 d. 2014
American actor. Film: The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), and Aladdin (1992, the voice of the genie). TV: Mork & Mindy (1978-82, Mork from Ork).
Cat Stevens (Steven Demitri Georgiou)
Born July 21, 1948
British singer. Music: Wild World (1971) and Oh Very Young (1974).
In 1976, while nearly drowning off the coast of Malibu, California, he shouted, "Oh, God! If you save me I will work for you." He claims that a wave then appeared and carried him back to shore. This event sparked a quest for spiritual truth with him looking into Buddhism, Zen, I Ching, numerology, tarot cards, and astrology. Stevens' brother, a convert to Judaism, gave him a copy of the Qur'an as a birthday gift and Stevens was taken with its content, eventually converting to the Muslim faith. In 1978, he changed his name to Yusuf Islam and put his music career on hold until the 1990s. He has used his wealth to support a number of Muslim-based charities.
Don Knotts
Born July 21, 1924 d. 2006
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Search For Tomorrow (1953-55, the mute Wilbur Peabody), The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68, Barney Fife), and Three's Company (1979-84, Mr. Furley). Film: The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), and The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975).
Ernest Hemingway
Born July 21, 1899 d. 1961
American Nobel and Pulitzer-winning author. Writings: The Sun Also Rises (1926), To Have and Have Not (1937), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea (1952, Pulitzer).
Inventor of Long-Distance Television Transmission
Herbert Eugene Ives
Born July 21, 1882 d. 1953
American inventor. He invented long-distance television transmission (1927). He transmitted live images of then U.S. Commerce Secretary and future U.S. President Herbert Hoover from Washington D.C. to New York over long-distance wires.
He is also known for the 1938 Ives-Stilwell experiment, which provided direct confirmation of special relativity's time dilation, although he himself did not accept special relativity, and argued instead for an alternative interpretation of the experimental results.
In 1924, Ives sent and received the first color facsimile, a color photograph of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.
Jon Lovitz
Born July 21, 1957
American comic. TV: Saturday Night Live.
Gary Trudeau
Born July 21, 1948
American Oscar-Pulitzer-winning cartoonist, creator of Doonesbury. He was the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning (1975, prior winners were single-panel cartoonists).
Kenneth Starr
Born July 21, 1946 d. 2022
American lawyer. He investigated the death of the deputy White House counsel Vince Foster, the Whitewater land transactions by U.S. President Bill Clinton, and submitted the Starr Report to Congress, which led to Clinton's impeachment on charges arising from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Barry "Bean" Whitwam
Born July 21, 1946
English drummer, with Herman's Hermits. Music: I'm Into Something Good (1964, #1 in UK), Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1965, #1), I'm Henry VIII, I Am (1965, #1), and There's a Kind of Hush (1967).
Les Aspin
Born July 21, 1938 d. 1995
American politician, U.S. Congressman (1971-93, Wisconsin), U.S. Secretary of Defense (1993-94). He established the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuality in the military.
First Woman U.S. Attorney General
Janet Reno
Born July 21, 1938 d. 2016
U.S. Attorney General (1993-2001, the first woman to hold the office). Known for her controversial handling of the Waco disaster and Elian Gonzalez incident.
Paul Burke
Born July 21, 1926 d. 2009
American actor. He and Harry Connick, Sr., New Orleans District Attorney, were indicted on racketeering charges for aiding and abetting a gambling operation (1989). They were both acquitted of the charges, while two other defendants in the case were found guilty. TV: Naked City (Adam Flint), Twelve O'Clock High (Joe Gallagher), and Dynasty (Congressman Neal McVane).
George Frederick Dick
Born July 21, 1881 d. 1967
American physician. He and wife determined the cause of scarlet fever (1924) and developed an immunization for it.
Jean Picard
Born July 21, 1620 d. 1682
French astronomer, regarded as the founder of modern astronomy in France. He is noted for his accurate measurement of Earth's polar radius, which he calculated to be 3,932.6 miles (6328.9 km). Modern calculations place the value at 3,950 miles (6357 km).
Sixtus IV
Born July 21, 1414 d. 1484
Italian religious leader, 212th Pope (1471-84).
Deaths
Bennett c1950 (left) and in 2011
Bennett c1950 (left) and in 2011
Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto)
Died July 21, 2023 b. 1926
American singer. Music: Because of You (1951, #1), Cold, Cold Heart (1951, #1), and I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962).
Taco Bell Chihuahua (Gidget)
Died July 21, 2009 b. 1994
American mascot. She was the mascot for Taco Bell (1997-2000, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui). She was originally cast as the girlfriend of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, but was chosen at the last minute for the lead. She also appeared in the 2003 movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde as Bruiser's Mom.
Alan Shepard (Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.)
Died July 21, 1998 b. 1923
American astronaut. He was one of the seven original Project Mercury astronauts, the first American in space (1961), the 5th man to walk on the Moon (1971), and the first to play golf on the Moon (1971).
First Person to Appear on Network Television Via Videotape
Dorothy Collins (Marjorie Chandler)
Died July 21, 1994 b. 1926
Canadian-born actress. She was the first person to appear on network television via videotape. In 1956, a two and a half minute video-taped segment of her performing aired during the live broadcast of The Jonathan Winter's Show. The videotape recorder was new and NBC engineers wanted to see if the viewing public could tell the difference between a videotape and the live portion of the show. They played the segment as if it were part of the live show, and it passed the test.
TV: Your Hit Parade (1951-59, co-host and the Lucky Strikes Lady) and Candid Camera (1960-62, self).
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Henning von Tresckow (Hermann Henning Karl Robert von Tresckow)
Died July 21, 1944 b. 1901
German army officer. Tresckow helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler during World War II. He was involved in at least five assassination attempts on Hitler, including an attempt in 1943 by placing a bomb on his plane, and was one of the architects behind the 1944 assassination attempt in which a briefcase bomb was detonated during one of Hitler's meetings. Tresckow committed suicide after this last failed attempt.
Quote: "I cannot understand how people can still call themselves Christians and not be furious adversaries of Hitler's regime." (April 1943).
John Heard
Died July 21, 2017 b. 1946
American actor. Film: Head Over Heels (1979) and Home Alone (1990, boy's father).
Father of Advertising
David Ogilvy
Died July 21, 1999 b. 1911
English advertising genius, called "The Father of Advertising." His slogan, "Only Dove is one-quarter moisturizing cream" helped Dove become the top-selling soap in the U.S. Writings: Confessions of an Advertising Man.
Robert Young
Died July 21, 1998 b. 1907
American actor. TV: Father Knows Best (Jim Anderson) and Marcus Welby, M.D. (title role).
Owen Wister
Died July 21, 1938 b. 1860
American author. Writings: The Virginian (1902, which has been made into movies and a TV series).
Robert Burns
Died July 21, 1796 b. 1759
Scottish poet. He penned the words to Auld Lang Syne (c1789).