Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

July 31

1988
King Hussein of Jordan gives up all claims to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

1987
The Living Daylights premiers in the U.S., 16th in the James Bond series, it starred Timothy Dalton as 007.

1985
AIDS: 13-year-old Ryan White is barred from attending an Indiana public school because he has AIDS.

1971
First moon drive: American astronauts James B. Irwin and David R. Scott take their Lunar Rover for a spin on the moon's surface.

1969
First close-up pictures of Mars: The U.S. space probe Mariner 6 sends back pictures as it makes its closest approach to the planet.

1954
First climb of K2: The peak of the world's second highest mountain (28,238 ft.) is reached by Italian climbers A. Compagnoni and L. Lacedelli.

1952
First transatlantic helicopter flight: Two U.S Air Force pilots - in separate helicopters - arrive in Prestwick, Scotland. They had departed from Massachusetts on July 15.

1914
New York Stock exchange closes: Due to the war in Europe, the stock exchange closes for the first time since 1873. It didn't reopen until December.

1792
First U.S. government building: The cornerstone of the U.S. Mint is laid.

1790
U.S. patent office opens: The first U.S. patent is granted on this day to Samuel Hopkins for improvements in making potash and pearlash.

1965
J.K. Rowling (Joanne "Jo" Rowling), English author of the Harry Potter series, which have sold over 300 million copies.

1962
Wesley Snipes, American actor. Film: New Jack City (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), White Men Can't Jump (1992), Rising Sun (1993), and Blade (1998).

1951
Evonne Goolagong, Australian tennis pro.

1947
Karl Green, English bass player, 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 VII, I Am (1965, #1), and There's a Kind of Hush (1967).

1944
Geraldine Chaplin, American actress, Charlie's daughter.

1943     d. 1979
Ted Cassidy (Theodore Crawford Cassidy), American actor. TV: The Addams Family (Lurch and Thing) and The Incredible Hulk (opening narrator and voice for Hulk's growls and roars).

1943
Susan Flannery, American actress.  TV: Days of Our Lives (Dr. Laura Spencer).

1939
France Nuyen (France Nguyen Vannga), French-Chinese actress. Broadway: The World of Susie Wong (1958, title role). Film: South Pacific (1958). TV: St. Elsewhere (Dr. Paulette Kiem).

1929
Don Murray, American actor. TV: Knots Landing (Sid Fairgate).

1923
Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist, inventor of Kevlar which is five times stronger than steel and is used in bullet-proof vests.

1919     d. 2006
Curt Gowdy, American Hall of Fame sports announcer, "The Voice of the Redsox." TV: The American Sportsman (host).

1916     d. 1979
Bill Todman, American TV producer. TV: To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, The Price Is Right, and Family Feud.

1912
Milton Friedman, American Nobel-winning economist, free market economy advocate.

1882     d. 1953
Herbert Eugene Ives, American inventor of long-distance television transmission (1927). He transmitted live images of Commerce Secretary Hoover from Washington D.C. to New York over long distance wires.

1864     d. 1933
Edward Nash Hurley, American tool maker, founder of Standard Pneumatic Tool Co. of Chicago (1896). He developed the American and European pneumatic tool industry.

1858     d. 1936
Richard Dixon Oldham, Irish geologist and seismologist. He discovered evidence of the Earth's molten core (1906) by studying the the 1897 Indian Earthquake.

1803     d. 1889
John Ericsson, Swedish-born American Naval engineer. He invented the twin-screw propeller and built the first armored turret warship (1862, USS Monitor).

1577     d. 1591
Juliet Capulet, fictional character in the Shakespearean tragedy.

1527     d. 1576
Maximilian II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1564-76).

1998     b. 1906
Leroy Edgar Burney, U.S. Surgeon General (1956-61). He was the first U.S. federal official to acknowledge the connection between smoking and cancer (1957). He himself was a smoker.

1972     b. 1899
Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian statesman, prime minister (1938-39, 1946-49), secretary general of NATO (1957-61), and the first president of the United Nations General Assembly (1946).

1964     b. 1924
Jim Reeves, American Country Music Hall of Famer (1967). Music: Mexican Joe (1953, #1). He had 17 top 10 hits after his death.

1918     b. 1849
Francis E. Stanley, American automaker. He and his twin brother formed the Stanley Steamer Co. (1897-1924), which produced steam-powered automobiles. He also invented a dry photographic plate used by the Eastman Kodak Co.

1886     b. 1811
Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer. He is famous for his Hungarian rhapsodies.

1875     b. 1808
Andrew Johnson, 17th U.S. President (1865-69) and the 16th U.S. Vice-President (1865). He was almost impeached (1868), with the Senate only one vote short of the required two-thirds majority.

1867     b. 1802
Benoît Fourneyron, French inventor, "Father of the Turbine." He designed the first practical water turbine (1827).

1854     b. 1766
Samuel Wilson, American meatpacker, the original "Uncle Sam." During the War of 1812 he stamped his merchandise with "U.S." - the initials of his nickname - causing it to be confused with government approved packages.

1556     b. 1491
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish ecclesiastic, in 1535 he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuit order).

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