What Happened On
Andrea Doria listing after the impact. The starboard lifeboats have been launched, while the portside lifeboats are still attached
Andrea Doria listing after the impact. The starboard lifeboats have been launched, while the portside lifeboats are still attached
Sinking of the Andrea Doria
July 26, 1956
The Italian liner Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with the Swedish liner Stockholm the night before. 46 of the more than 1,700 people aboard were killed. Five members of the Stockholm crew were killed. When the two ships realized they were on a collision course, the Andre Doria steered to left while the Stockholm steered to the right, thus keeping them on a collision course.
After the collision, the Andrea Doria began listing due to taking on water on the side of the impact (starboard) and due to empty fuel tanks on the opposite side (port). Safety procedures called for filling empty fuel tanks with seawater after their fuel was used up to prevent such an occurrence. This safety precaution had not been done during the ship's voyage in order to reduce the cost of refueling. The listing prevented the port side lifeboats from being launched and prevented people from entering the starboard side lifeboats before lowering them to the water, making their usage more dangerous. Two people died as a result of falling into the lifeboats. Other ships came to the rescue and provided lifeboats to evacuate the ship. All of the survivors were evacuated before the ship sank. Otherwise, the death toll would have been significantly higher.
It was Italy's largest, fastest, and supposedly safest ship at the time. One of its lifeboats was found on a New York beach in 1981.
Highland Park Optimist Club wearing smog-gas masks at banquet, Los Angeles, c1954
Highland Park Optimist Club wearing smog-gas masks at banquet, Los Angeles, c1954
Los Angeles Smog
July 26, 1943
The first case of "eye-irritating" smog in Los Angeles is reported. Visibility was reduced to less than three blocks. It came on so sudden and severe that many Los Angeles residents believed the Japanese were attacking them with chemical warfare.
It took until the early 1950s to determine that automobiles were part of the smog problem. Arie Haagen-Smit, a chemist at the California Institute of Technology, determined that ozone was the primary source of the haze. Ozone is created when partially unburned exhaust from automobiles and the hydrocarbons from oil refineries are hit by sunlight. Haagen-Smit demonstrated that the ozone was the cause of the bleach smell and the source of the eye irritation and respiratory problems.
First Televised Suicide
July 26, 1938
John Warde jumps from a New York City building. He became upset by a comment made by his sister and went out on the 17th-floor ledge, where he stayed for 11 hours. Hundreds of police officers and firefighters showed up to rescue him. A policeman dressed as a bellboy tried to talk him into coming back in. Just as the officer felt he was making progress, a photographer ran into the room to take a photo, causing Warde to jump. 10,000 people had gathered below and witnessed the fall to his death. A camera crew filmed his leap and later broadcast the footage, making Warde's death the first televised suicide. These events were adapted into the movie Fourteen Hours (1951); however, after screening the movie to a preview audience the ending was changed, sparing his life.
White House Will be Adorned by a Moron
July 26, 1920
H.L. Mencken's famous prediction appears in The Baltimore Evening Sun newspaper.
"But when a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or count himself lost. …All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.
The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
FBI
July 26, 1908
The Bureau of Investigation (BOI) is formed. It changed its name to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935. Its first official task was surveying houses of prostitution in preparation for the upcoming "White Slave Traffic Act" or Mann Act of 1910.
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp Kills George Hoyt
July 26, 1878
George Hoyt and other drunken cowboys shoot their guns wildly in Dodge City. No one was injured, but assistant marshal Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and several citizens began firing at them as they fled the scene. Hoyt was mortally wounded and fell from his horse. Earp claimed that he saw Hoyt through his gun sights and fired the fatal shot, killing him that day. Other accounts say he died August 21 after developing gangrene and having his leg amputated.
New York
July 26, 1788
New York becomes the 11th U.S. state.
We Are Not the Enemy - National Security Act of 1947
July 26, 1947
The National Security Act of 1947 is signed into law by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. It created the "National Military Establishment" (NME). The name was later changed to Department of Defense since NME's pronunciation sounded too much like "Enemy." The act also created the CIA and formed the Air Force as its own military branch.
World War II - Potsdam Declaration
July 26, 1945
Issued by the U.S. and Great Britain, it called for Japan's unconditional surrender. They didn't accept.
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Duggan
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Duggan
Second Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. Designated a Basilica
July 26, 1926
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, New York is officially designated a Minor Basilica via apostolic decree by Pope Pius XI. Construction had begun in 1921 and was completed in 1925 at a cost of $3.2 million, but was entirely paid for by donations.
The first Roman Catholic Basilica in the U.S. was the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, which was also designated a Basilica in 1926.
Benjamin Franklin Becomes Postmaster
July 26, 1775
The colonial leader, Benjamin Franklin, is chosen Postmaster General by the Continental Congress.
Birthdays
Photo Credit: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo
Photo Credit: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo
Mick Jagger (Michael Philip Jagger)
Born July 26, 1943
British singer, with The Rolling Stones. He petitioned hard to play Alex in the film A Clockwork Orange, with his bandmates playing the droogs and The Beatles providing the score - But, it didn't come to pass.
Carl Jung
Born July 26, 1875 d. 1961
Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Jung is the founder of analytical psychology.
George Clinton
Born July 26, 1739 d. 1812
American Revolutionary soldier. 4th U.S. Vice-President (1805-12), 1st and 3rd governor of New York (1777-1795, 1801-1804). As New York governor, he strongly opposed the creation of Vermont as a new state, believing the land belonged to New York. Clinton was the first U.S. Vice President to die, and the first to die in office.
Vitas Gerulaitis
Born July 26, 1954 d. 1994
Lithuanian American tennis player. Known as "The Lithuanian Lion." After finally winning a match after having lost the previous 16 matches to Jimmy Connors, Gerulaitis said, "And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row."
He died of carbon monoxide poisoning when an improperly installed pool heater filled the guest house he was sleeping in with carbon monoxide.
Helen Mirren
Born July 26, 1945
English Oscar-Tony-winning actress. TV: Mystery! (Det. Chief Inspector Jane Tennison of "Prime Suspect").
Kiel Martin
Born July 26, 1944 d. 1990
American actor. TV: Hill Street Blues (1981-87, Det. J.D. LaRue).
Chappaquiddick Drowning Victim
Mary Jo Kopechne
Born July 26, 1940 d. 1969
American teacher, secretary. She drowned when U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.
The two had been attending a party for six girls that had served on Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. Ted Kennedy stated Kopechne asked for a ride back to her hotel. Yet, she didn't bring her purse or hotel key with her, having left them at the party. According to Kennedy, he got lost and drove off the side of Dike Bridge, which had no guard rails. He attempted to rescue Kopechne, but was unable to. He then walked back to the party and enlisted the help of several others to rescue her. Unsuccessful, he then returned to his hotel room and went to bed, not notifying authorities until the following morning.
National Lampoon was sued for a satirical VW ad about this event.
Stanley Kubrick
Born July 26, 1928 d. 1999
American director. Film: Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), and Full Metal Jacket (1987).
James Best (Jewel Franklin Guy)
Born July 26, 1926 d. 2015
American actor. TV: Dukes of Hazzard (1979-85, Roscoe P. Coltrane).
Jason Robards, Jr.
Born July 26, 1922 d. 2000
American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actor. Film: All the President's Men (1976, Oscar) and Julia (1977, Oscar).
Pink Panther Movie Producer
Blake Edwards (William Blake Crump)
Born July 26, 1922 d. 2010
American film writer, director, producer. Producer of the Pink Panther movies (1963). Film: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961, director).
Vivian Vance (Vivian Roberta Jones)
Born July 26, 1909 d. 1979
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: I Love Lucy (1951-57, Ethel Mertz) and The Lucy Show (1962-68, Vivian Bagley). In 1954, Vance became the first actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen
Gracie Allen (Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen)
Born July 26, 1895 d. 1964
America comedian. Wife and partner of George Burns. "Say good night, Gracie." Their career spanned vaudeville, radio, movies, and television. Allen had one green eye and one blue eye (heterochromia). TV: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-58).
The Doors of Perception
Aldous Huxley
Born July 26, 1894 d. 1963
British author. Writings: Brave New World (1932) and The Doors of Perception (1954, describing his psychedelic drug experiences and from which the music group The Doors took their name).
André Maurois (Émile Herzog)
Born July 26, 1885 d. 1967
French author. Writings: Ariel: The Life of Shelly (1923), which became the first Penguin Book.
Author of Brewster's Millions
George Barr McCutcheon
Born July 26, 1866 d. 1928
American author. He wrote the novel Brewster's Millions (1902), which has been the basis for at least six movies, including the 1985 version starring Richard Pryor and a 1937 radio version starring Jack Benny.
George Bernard Shaw
Born July 26, 1856 d. 1950
Irish playwright. Shaw was an ardent supporter of the Fabian Society which promoted non-violent methods to gain equal rights for women and the fair treatment of the working class. Writings: Androcles and the Lion (1912) and Pygmalion (1913), which won both a Nobel Prize (1925) and an Oscar (1938) and was later produced as My Fair Lady.
Quote: Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
Saint Stanislaus
Born July 26, 1030 d. 1079
Bishop of Krakow, and patron saint of Poland.
Deaths
Queen of Motown
Mary Wells
Died July 26, 1992 b. 1943
American soul singer. Known as the "Queen of Motown." Music: The One Who Really Loves You (1962) and My Guy (1964, #1).
Real-Life Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Ed Gein
Died July 26, 1984 b. 1906
American murderer. The character Leatherface in the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based partly on his crimes. He confessed to killing two women and robbing graves from which he made trophies and keepsakes from the body parts.
The movie Psycho was based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name, which was also loosely based on Ed Gein. The character Norman Bates and Ed Gein each had deceased, domineering mothers, had sealed off a room in their home as a shrine to their mother, and dressed in women's clothes.
Other famous movie killers were also loosely based on his crimes, such as Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.
James Murray
Died July 26, 1915 b. 1837
Scottish-born lexicographer. Chief editor (1879-1915) of the original Oxford English Dictionary, a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. It is considered to be one of the greatest literary achievements of all time.
Sam Houston
Died July 26, 1863 b. 1793
American soldier, politician. Governor of Tennessee (1827-29) and first president of the Republic of Texas (1836-38, also reelected as its 3rd president 1841-44), governor of Texas (1859-61). He was the only American elected governor of two different U.S. states.
His defeat of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto paved the way for Texas' independence. The city of Houston, Texas is name in his honor.
George Romney
Died July 26, 1995 b. 1907
American politician, automotive executive, ex-Governor of Michigan. As chief executive of AMC from 1954-62, he bucked current trends and introduced the compact car (a word he coined).
Father of the 82nd Airborne
Matthew Bunker Ridgway
Died July 26, 1993 b. 1895
American four-star general, "Father of the 82nd Airborne" and Army chief of staff (1953-55). He created the 82nd Airborne - the Army's first airborne division - during World War II.
Inventor of the Gallup Poll
George Gallup (George Horace Gallup)
Died July 26, 1984 b. 1901
American pollster. Inventor of the Gallup Poll (1935), which legitimized the use of polls to predict elections.
Farina of The Little Rascals
Allen Clayton Hoskins Jr.
Died July 26, 1980 b. 1920
American actor, Farina of The Little Rascals. He appeared in 105 Our Gang films (1922-31) - more than any one else in the series.
Gene Byrnes
Died July 26, 1974 b. 1889
American cartoonist, creator of Reg'lar Fellers.
Robert Todd Lincoln
Died July 26, 1926 b. 1843
U.S. Secretary of War (1881-85). The eldest son of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. He was present when President James A. Garfield was shot in 1881 and when President William McKinley was shot in 1901. He also claimed that Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth who assassinated his father, saved him from serious injury at a railroad station in Jersey City in about 1863.
William Jennings Bryan
Died July 26, 1925 b. 1860
American orator, called the Great Commoner. He made his famous "Cross of Gold" speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, and was one of the prosecuting attorneys at the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Otto I
Died July 26, 1867 b. 1815
King of Greece (1835-62). His unpopular rule caused him to be deposed in the revolution of 1862.
Paul II
Died July 26, 1471 b. 1417
Italian religious leader, 211th Pope (1464-71).
Saint Celestine I
Died July 26, 432 b. ????
religious leader, 43rd Pope (422-432).