Today's Puzzle
Name a common abbreviation that has more syllables than what it abbreviates
What Happened On
Live Aid
July 13, 1985
The pair of concerts, held in Philadelphia and London, attract 1.5 billion TV viewers and raise $120,000,000 to aid the hungry. It was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to provide relief for the 1983-85 Ethiopian famine.
Live Aid was a follow-up to the previous year's successful charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which was also the brainchild of Geldof and Ure.
New York City Blackout
July 13, 1977
Lightning strikes send millions of NYC residents into darkness. 4,500 people were arrested and $61 million of damage occurred in the ensuing riots.
Elvis' First British #1 Hit
July 13, 1957
Elvis Presley has his first British #1 hit, All Shook Up.
The single had topped the U.S. Billboard Top 100 in April, staying there for eight weeks.
Hollywood Sign
July 13, 1923
The famous Los Angeles landmark is officially dedicated. It originally read "Hollywoodland" and was intended as a temporary advertisement for a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, but due to increasing recognition, the sign was left up.
Each letter of the original sign was 30 ft (9.1 m) wide and 50 ft (15.2 m) high. The sign was studded with about 4,000 light bulbs and flashed in segments, with "HOLLY," "WOOD," and "LAND" each lighting up individually, and then the whole sign. The sign cost $21,000 ($320,000 in 2019 dollars).
In both 1976 and 2017, the sign was altered by vandals to read "HOLLYWeeD", following the passage of California laws decriminalizing cannabis.
First Movie Pie Thrown in the Face
July 13, 1913
A Noise From the Deep premieres, in which actress Mabel Normand throws a custard pie at 'Fatty' Arbuckle hitting him in the face, starting a long comedic tradition of throwing pies in people's faces.
Note: In the 1909 silent movie Mr. Flip, actor Ben Turpin's character Mr. Flip is hit with a hand-held, not thrown, pie, which is believed to be the first pie in the face gag in cinematic history.
Fight between rioters and military
Fight between rioters and military
Civil War - Draft Riots
July 13, 1863
50,000 people attack New York City's draft office. About 100 people are killed during the next four days of violence, blacks being the target of most of the violence on civilians.
First Federal Law Prohibiting Slavery in a U.S. Territory
July 13, 1787
The Northwest Ordinance is enacted. The banning of slavery in the territory had the effect of establishing the Ohio River as the boundary between free and slave territory in the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. It also established the precedent that the United States would expand westward by admitting new states, rather than by expanding existing states.
It also guaranteed freedom of worship and trial by jury.
Reagan
July 13, 1985
U.S. President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove a cancerous polyp from his colon.
Early Wynn's 300th Victory
July 13, 1963
Early Wynn pitches his 300th baseball victory. It would also be his last victory.
Baseball - First Night-Time All-Star Game
July 13, 1943
The AL deafeats the NL 5-3 at Shibe Park.
First Lighter-Than-Air Transatlantic Flight
July 13, 1919
Major George H. Scott arrives in Mineola, New York. He had started from Firth of Fourth, Scotland on July 2.
Mississippi River
July 13, 1832
The source of the Mississippi river is discovered by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.
Birthdays
Rubik's Cube Inventor
Erno Rubik
Born July 13, 1944
Hungarian inventor. Creator of the Rubik's Cube (1974), which has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible combinations (43 quintillion). It is the world's best-selling puzzle.
Harrison Ford
Born July 13, 1942
American actor. Film: American Graffiti (1973, drag racer Bob Falfa), Star Wars (1977, Han Solo), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Indiana Jones), and Blade Runner (1982).
Bob Crane
Born July 13, 1928 d. 1978
American actor. TV: Hogan's Heroes (1965-71, Col. Robert Hogan). Crane was found murdered in his apartment. He had been bludgeoned to death and an electrical cord was tied around his neck. Blood matching Crane's was found in his friend John Henry Carpenter's rental car (DNA testing was not available at the time). Carpenter had been visiting Crane the night before the murder. Due to lack of evidence, Carpenter was not tried for the murder until 1994, when new evidence arose. Photos of Carpenter's rental car showed what appeared to be brain matter. Carpenter was acquitted and maintained his innocence until his death.
Father Flanagan (Edward Joseph Flanagan)
Born July 13, 1886 d. 1948
Irish-born American Roman Catholic monsignor, founder of the orphanage Boys Town (1917). His motto was "There is no such thing as a bad boy." Father Flanagan didn't believe in the reform school model, thus Boys Town had its own boy-mayor, schools, and other facilities where boys between the ages of 10 and 16 could receive an education and learn a trade.
The film Boys Town (1938), starring Spencer Tracy, was based on his life. The film earned both Flanagan and Tracy Oscars, with Flanagan's inscribed, "To Father Flanagan, whose great humanity, kindly simplicity, and inspiring courage were strong enough to shine through my humble effort. Spencer Tracy."
KKK Leader - Turned Black Rights Activist
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Born July 13, 1821 d. 1877
American Confederate cavalry commander. Known as "The Wizard of the Saddle" for his cavalry tactics, he is considered the greatest cavalry commander in American history. He led the attack on Fort Pillow, in what became known as the "Fort Pillow Massacre" after his troops reportedly killed over 200 Union soldiers after they surrendered, many of whom were black soldiers who had formerly been slaves.
He was one of the early leaders of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) during the reconstruction period after the American Civil War. However, his attitude towards blacks changed as he grew older, with him renouncing his involvement with the KKK and advocating for black's rights. Much of his change in attitude towards black rights was due to what he considered despicable actions by the KKK, the organization he helped create.
American Revolution: …if they mean to have a war, let it begin here
John Parker
Born July 13, 1729 d. 1775
American farmer, soldier. He led the minutemen at Lexington during the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, the first battle of the American Revolution. Tradition reports he ordered "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."
Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini
Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini
Julius Caesar
Born July 13, 100 B.C. d. 44 B.C.
Roman general, statesman. He was assassinated by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Brutus. A fortune teller had warned Caesar, "beware the Ides of March." The Ides of March falls on the 15th, the day Caesar was assassinated.
Jean-Luc Picard
Born July 13, 2305
fictional character, captain of the USS Enterprise D and E in TV and film as played by Patrick Stewart.
Jean Luc Picard shares a birthday with actor Patrick Stewart share the same birthday (365 years apart), and the noted French astronomer Jean Picard, regarded as the founder of modern astronomy in France and is noted for his accurate measurement of Earth's diameter.
Michael Spinks
Born July 13, 1956
American boxer, IBF heavyweight boxing champion (1985). He is the only light-heavyweight champion to have won a world heavyweight title.
Padilla as Jai with Tarzan
Padilla as Jai with Tarzan
Manuel Padilla, Jr.
Born July 13, 1955 d. 2008
American actor. TV: Tarzan (1966-68, Jai) and The Flying Nun (1967, Marcello). Film: American Graffiti (1973, Carlos).
Louise Mandrell
Born July 13, 1954
American country singer. Music: Put It On Me (1978) and Everlasting Love (1979).
Richard "Cheech" Marin
Born July 13, 1946
American Grammy-winning comedian, of Cheech and Chong. Film: Up in Smoke (1978) and Born in East L.A. (1987). He was the first Celebrity Jeopardy! champion (1992). His father was a 30-year veteran of the LAPD.
Stephen Jo Bladd
Born July 13, 1942
American drummer, with J. Geils Band (1967-85, 2006). Music: Must Have Got Lost (1974), Freeze-Frame (1981), and Centerfold (1981, #1).
Roger McGuinn (James Joseph McGuinn)
Born July 13, 1942
American guitarist, singer, with The Byrds. Music: Mr. Tambourine Man (1965, #1) and Turn! Turn! Turn! (1966).
Robert Forster (Robert Wallace Forster Jr.)
Born July 13, 1941 d. 2019
American actor. TV: Banyon (1971-73, Miles Banyon). Film: Medium Cool (1969, John Cassellis), The Black Hole (1979, Captain Dan Holland), The Delta Force (1986, Abdul Rafai), and Jackie Brown (1997, Max Cherry).
Patrick Stewart
Born July 13, 1940
English actor. TV: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-94, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard).
Patrick Stewart shares a birthday with his character Jean-Luc Picard (365 years apart) and the noted French astronomer Jean Picard, regarded as the founder of modern astronomy in France and is noted for his accurate measurement of Earth's diameter.
First Woman Secretary of the Air Force
Sheila Widnall
Born July 13, 1938
American aeronautical engineer. First woman secretary of the Air Force (1993-97).
Jack Kemp
Born July 13, 1935 d. 2009
American politician, NFL quarterback. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1989-93) and U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1971-89). Quote: "We must win the war on poverty by enlisting the greatest weapon ever invented: Free Enterprise."
Clement X
Born July 13, 1590 d. 1676
Italian religious leader, 239th Pope (1670-76).
John Dee
Born July 13, 1527 d. 1608
English mathematician, astrologer. He was astrologer to the queen (1551) and was the first to use crystal balls for fortune telling (1580).
Deaths
Automobile Safety Pioneer
Claire Straith
Died July 13, 1958 b. 1891
American cosmetic surgeon, safety pioneer. After witnessing the injuries and disfigurements of his patients from automobile crashes, he promoted the use of padded dashes, recessed dash knobs, and seat belts. With the notable exceptions of Chrysler and Tucker, most manufacturers rejected his suggestions, opting for style over safety.
Conducted First Clinical Trial and Discovered that Citrus Prevented Scurvy
James Lind
Died July 13, 1794 b. 1716
Scottish physician. He conducted the world's first clinical trial to prove his theory that eating citrus fruits eliminated scurvy. Before then, scurvy killed more British sailors than combat.
Shannen Doherty (Shannen Maria Doherty)
Died July 13, 2024 b. 1971
American actress. TV: Little House on the Prairie (1982-83, Jenny Wilder), Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-94, Brenda/Wendy), and Charmed (1998-2001, Prue Halliwell),
Richard Simmons (Milton Teagle Simmons)
Died July 13, 2024 b. 1948
American fitness guru. Creator of Deal-a-Meal (1986) and Sweatin' to the Oldies (1988). Feeling that the regular gyms catered only to already fit people, Simmons opened a chain of gyms that catered to overweight people. He himself lost 123 pounds (56kg) after reaching a peak of 268 pounds (122 kg).
TV: General Hospital (1979-2013, as himself), The Richard Simmons Show (1980-84, host), and guest on numerous talk and game shows. As an art student, he appeared uncredited in the Federico Fellini films Satyricon (1968) and The Clowns (1970).
George Steinbrenner (George Michael Steinbrenner III)
Died July 13, 2010 b. 1930
American baseball owner, principal owner of the N.Y. Yankees from 1973-2010, during which time they won seven World Series titles.
Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt)
Died July 13, 2006 b. 1919
American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Sayonara (1957, Oscar).
Mickey Owen (Arnold Malcolm Owen)
Died July 13, 2005 b. 1916
American baseball catcher. He hit the first pinch-hit home run in an All-Star game (1942). He dropped a third strike in the 1941 World Series that allowed the Yankees to win the game and go on to beat the Dodgers in the series. Ironically, that same season he had set the record for most errorless chances by a catcher with 508 perfect attempts.
Davey Allison (David Carl Allison)
Died July 13, 1993 b. 1961
American race car driver, NASCAR 1987 Rookie of the Year. He died from injuries received from a crash while trying to land his newly-purchased helicopter at Talladega Superspeedway.
Gabriel Lippmann
Died July 13, 1921 b. 1845
French Nobel-winning physicist. He received the Nobel Prize (1908) for producing the first color photographic plates.
Major General John Charles Fremont
Died July 13, 1890 b. 1813
American explorer, mapmaker, Governor of Arizona (1878-81), U.S. Senator (California 1850-51), Military Governor of California (1847). He explored the Western U.S., and was the first Republican candidate for U.S. president (1856). He was court-martialed and convicted of mutiny by the U.S. Army (1847-48) over a dispute of who was military governor of California. President James K. Polk commuted his sentence of dishonorable discharge and reinstated him into the Army; however, Fremont resigned his commission in protest.
During the Civil War, he issued the Fremont Emancipation which freed the slaves of Missouri. For this, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln relieved him of command.
Stephen Hopkins
Died July 13, 1785 b. 1707
American politician. Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and three-time governor of Rhode Island (1755-68).
Leo VII
Died July 13, 939 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 126th Pope (936-939).
John III
Died July 13, 574 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 61st Pope (561-574).