Today's Puzzle
Why do bees stay in their hives during winter?
What Happened On
Seinfeld
July 5, 1989
Seinfeld, the TV "show about nothing", premieres on NBC. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.
19-year-old nude dancer Micheline Bernardini modeling the Bikini
Photo Credit: Auto Universum
19-year-old nude dancer Micheline Bernardini modeling the BikiniPhoto Credit: Auto Universum
The Bikini
July 5, 1946
The new swimsuit design is introduced at a Paris fashion show. Invented by French designer Louis Réard. None of his regular models would wear it, so he hired a 19-year-old nude dancer to model it. He named the garment after the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, hoping the swimsuit would be as explosive as the nuclear bomb tested there four days earlier.
Salvation Army logos past and present and founders William and Catherine Booth
Salvation Army logos past and present and founders William and Catherine Booth
Salvation Army
July 5, 1865
William Booth and his wife Catherine Booth found the East London Christian Mission. It was renamed the Salvation Army in 1878.
Photo Credit: Andrew Dunn
Photo Credit: Andrew Dunn
Newton's Principia Mathematica
July 5, 1687
Sir Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. It is considered one of the most important works in the history of science.
The Principia contains
• Newton's laws of motion, which are the foundation of classical mechanics;
• Newton's law of universal gravitation;
• A derivation of Johannes Kepler's laws of planetary motion.
Iran-Contra Affair
July 5, 1989
Lt. Col. Oliver North is sentenced to two years probation, 1,200 hours of community service, and fined $150,000 for his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. He had been convicted of aiding and abetting in the obstruction of Congress, destroying classified government documents, and receiving an illegal gratuity. The destruction of classified documents charge was overturned in 1990.
Ashe in 1975
Photo Credit: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo
Ashe in 1975Photo Credit: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
Largest Tank Battle of World War II
July 5, 1943
The Battle of Kursk in the Soviet Union, employing over 2,000,000 men and 6,000 tanks.
The Wagner Act
July 5, 1935
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Wagner Act, guaranteeing workers the right to organize and collectively bargain with their employers. It also created the National Labor Relations Board. It did not cover those working for the government, and those in the railway or airline industries.
First Payment by the FDIC on a Closed Bank
July 5, 1934
Mrs. Lydia Lobsiger receives the first FDIC insurance check, after the failure of the Fond Du Lac State Bank, East Peoria, Illinois the previous May. The coverage was capped at $2500 per account holder.
Birthdays
Bill Watterson (William Boyd Watterson II)
Born July 5, 1958
American cartoonist. Creator of Calvin and Hobbes (1985-95).
Billy "Froggy" Laughlin (William Robert Laughlin)
Born July 5, 1932 d. 1948
American actor. One of "The Little Rascals" (1940-44, gravelly-voiced Froggy), appearing in 29 Our Gang films. At 16 years old, he was hit and killed by a truck while delivering newspapers riding a motor scooter. He had been given the scooter by his parents only two weeks earlier. Laughlin was riding double on the scooter with a friend driving it when his friend made a u-turn in front of a truck. His friend received only minor injuries.
His "froggy" voice was actually his impersonation of Popeye, which he was overheard doing by a talent scout.
P. T. Barnum (Phineas Taylor Barnum)
Born July 5, 1810 d. 1891
American showman. "The Great American Showman" and founder of Barnum & Bailey's Circus (1881). He is credited with the saying, "There's a sucker born every minute." Some of his acts included Jo-Jo the Dog Faced Boy, Tom Thumb, and Jenny Lind. His first hoax was the Fiji Mermaid (1842), which was a creature with the head of a monkey and the tail of a fish. He opened America's first aquarium. Known as the "Prince of Humbugs", Barnum saw nothing wrong with entertainers using hoaxes, as long as the public was getting value for their money. However, he became a debunker of spiritualists and mediums, exposing the methods they used to deceive people. He even offered $500 to any medium who could prove they had the power to communicate with the dead.
Barnum also served as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut (1875-76) and as a Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (1866-69).
Damn the Torpedoes!
David Glasgow Farragut
Born July 5, 1801 d. 1870
American naval officer, made his famous proclamation in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay: "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!", (paraphrased as "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead"). In 1862, he became the first person to achieve the newly created rank of U.S. Navy Admiral.
Etienne de Silhouette
Born July 5, 1709 d. 1767
French finance minister, his name became synonymous with reducing things to their simplest form.
Huey Lewis (Hugh Anthony Cregg III)
Born July 5, 1950
American singer. Music: The Heart of Rock & Roll (1983) and The Power of Love (1985, #1).
Robbie Robertson (Jaime Royal Robertson)
Born July 5, 1943 d. 2023
Canadian Hall of Fame musician, singer, songwriter. Lead guitarist and primary songwriter for The Band and lead guitarist for Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. He wrote The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (1972, #5 for Joan Baez) and Up on Cripple Creek (1969).
Shirley Knight (Shirley Knight Hopkins)
Born July 5, 1936 d. 2020
American Tony-Emmy-winning actress. TV: thirtysomething (1987-90, Hope's mother), and Desperate Housewives (2005-07, Bree Van De Kamp).
Katherine Helmond
Born July 5, 1929 d. 2019
American actress. TV: Soap (1977-81, Jessica Tate), Who's the Boss? (1984-92, Mona), and Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2004, Debra's mother). Film: Brazil (1985).
Milburn Stone
Born July 5, 1904 d. 1980
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Gunsmoke (1955-75, Doc Galen Adams).
Dwight Filley Davis
Born July 5, 1879 d. 1945
American politician, tennis player, U.S. Secretary of War (1925-29). He was awarded (1923) the Distinguished Service Cross, was a national tennis doubles champion (1899-1901), and founder of the Davis Cup (1900).
Clara Zetkin
Born July 5, 1857 d. 1933
German communist leader, women's rights activist. She created the International Women's Day, which has been celebrated on March 8th since 1910.
Cecil John Rhodes
Born July 5, 1853 d. 1902
English colonial statesman. He established Rhodesia and Rhodes scholarships. His will declared that his estate should be used to secure British world domination, and that Rhodes scholars should strive to unify English-speaking people.
Graham Cracker
Sylvester W. Graham
Born July 5, 1794 d. 1851
American dietary reformer. For whom graham crackers are named. His followers, called Grahamites, believed in abstinence from alcohol, frequent bathing, daily teeth brushing, vegetarianism, avoided spices and white bread, and practiced sexual abstinence. He regarded masturbation as an evil that inevitably led to insanity. He taught that animal products, such as milk and meat, led to lust and sexual urges.
Deaths
Photo Credit: Dr Haggis
Photo Credit: Dr Haggis
Invented the Flexible Ice Cube Tray
Lloyd Groff Copeman
Died July 5, 1956 b. 1881
American inventor. He invented the modern electric stove and the flexible ice cube tray (1948). He held over 700 patents.
He is the grandfather of singer Linda Ronstadt.
The Earliest Surviving Photograph of a Real-World Scene - Niépce's view from the window at Le Gras (c1826)
The Earliest Surviving Photograph of a Real-World Scene - Niépce's view from the window at Le Gras (c1826)
First Photographer
Joseph Nicéphore Niepce
Died July 5, 1833 b. 1765
French inventor. He created the first true photographs (1826) and the world's first internal combustion engine (1807), which he developed with his older brother Claude. He also took what is now the earliest surviving photograph of a real-world scene - Niépce's view from the window at Le Gras (c1826).
Kenneth Lay
Died July 5, 2006 b. 1942
American businessman, founder and chairman of Enron. He was found guilty of 10 counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the collapse of Enron.
James Stockdale (James Bond Stockdale)
Died July 5, 2005 b. 1923
American naval officer, Vice Admiral, presidential running mate. He led the first bombing strike on North Vietnam (1965) and flew 201 missions before he was shot down and held prisoner for 7½ years - four of which were in solitary confinement. He was the highest-ranking Naval POW of Vietnam.
He was Ross Perot's 1992 vice-presidential running mate.
Ted Williams
Died July 5, 2002 b. 1918
American baseball Hall of Famer, American League's MVP (1946, 49). He served as a pilot in WWII and the Korean War. An avid fisherman, he hosted a TV fishing show and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
Harrison Evans Salisbury
Died July 5, 1993 b. 1908
American Pulitzer-winning reporter, Soviet expert, and editor of the New York Times. He was the first American reporter in Hanoi during the Vietnam War.
Georgia Brown (Lillian Klot)
Died July 5, 1992 b. 1933
English singer, actress. Best known for her portrayal of Nancy in Oliver! (1960).
Mildred Dunnock
Died July 5, 1991 b. 1901
American actress. Stage: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1956, originated the role of Big Mama). Film: Death of a Salesman (1951, Willy Loman's wife), and Baby Doll (1956).
Howard Nemerov
Died July 5, 1991 b. 1920
American Pulitzer-winning poet, third U.S. poet laureate.
Founder of Singapore
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles
Died July 5, 1826 b. 1781
English colonial official. Founder of Singapore (1819).