HISTORY FOR JULY 1

Today is Tuesday, July 1, the 183rd day of 2008 with 183 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Neptune, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus. The evening stars are Venus, Mars and Saturn.

This Day in History, July 1
On July 1st, 1862, the Russian State Library was founded.

Other Notable Events, July 1
In 1847, the first U.S. postage stamps were issued.

In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game was played in Pittsfield, Mass. Amherst beat Williams, 66-32.

In 1867, Canada was granted its independence by Great Britain. It consisted at the time of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and future provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

In 1874, the Philadelphia Zoological Society, the first U.S. zoo, opened to the public.

In 1893, U.S. President Grover Cleveland underwent secret surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his mouth. The operation didn't become public knowledge until a newspaper article about it was published on Sept. 22, 1917 -- nine years after Cleveland's death.

In 1898, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders led the charge up Cuba's heavily fortified San Juan Hill in a key Spanish-American War battle.

In 1916, in the worst single day of casualties in British military history, 20,000 soldiers were killed, 40,000 wounded in a massive offense against German forces in France's Somme River region during World War I.

In 1932, the Democrats nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt for president. FDR eventually was elected to four consecutive terms.

In 1941, NBC broadcast the first FCC-sanctioned TV commercial, a spot for Bulova watches shown during a Dodgers-Phillies game. It cost Bulova $9.

In 1946, the United States conducted its first post-war test of the atomic bomb, at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

In 1979, Sony introduced the Walkman, known as the Soundabout, in U.S. stores. It sold for about $200.

In 1990, the West and East German economies were united as the deutsche mark replaced the mark as currency in East Germany.

In 1991, the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist.

In 1993, the U.S. Congress completed action on an economic stimulus bill that fell far short of what U.S. President Bill Clinton wanted.

Also in 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton unveiled a plan for logging in federal old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest that would also protect the northern spotted owl.

In 1994, the U.N. Security Council authorized a commission to investigate "acts of genocide" in Rwanda.

In 1996, a dozen members of a paramilitary organization were arrested in Arizona and charged with plotting to bomb government buildings.

In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to China after 99 years as a British territory.

In 2002, cannon fire and bombs from a U.S. Air Force AC-130 struck a town in southern Afghanistan, killing about 50 people, including members of a wedding party. U.S. officials said the plane had been fired on.

Also in 2002, in a rare high-altitude accident, a passenger airliner collided with a cargo plane over Germany, killing all 71 aboard.

In 2003, U.S. President George Bush blamed rogue elements for the daily attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and claimed coalition forces were making steady progress in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2004, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, looking tired and shaky, appeared before a special tribunal in Baghdad for the first time to face charges of crimes against humanity and genocide.

Also in 2004, dynamic Hollywood legend Marlon Brando died of lung failure. He was 80.

In 2005, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, announced she planned to retire.

In 2006, a car bomb killed 62 people and injured another 114 at a popular market in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in northwest Baghdad.

Also in 2006, Israel launched an airstrike that hit the Gaza office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and set the building on fire. Haniyeh wasn't in the building but three security guards were reportedly hurt.

In 2007, British authorities arrested six doctors in the botched bombings in London and at the Glasgow airport in Scotland. The doctors, who worked at Britain's National Health Service, were reported to be from the Middle East or India.

Also in 2007, Moshe Katsav stepped down as president of Israel, a post he had held since 2000. Rape charges against him were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to sexual harassment.

And, violent deaths were reported on the increase in Afghanistan where officials said NATO airstrikes over the last two days of June had claimed 45 civilians and 62 Taliban fighters.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

Notable Birthdays for July 1
Those born on this date include:
- German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz in 1646
- French novelist George Sand, a pseudonym for Amandine Dupin, in 1804
- Pioneer aviator Louis Bleriot in 1872
- Actor Frank Morgan in 1890
- Actor Charles Laughton in 1899
- Blues, gospel musician, composer Thomas Dorsey in 1899
- Film director William Wyler in 1902
- Cosmetics executive Estee Lauder in 1908
- Blues musician Willie Dixon in 1915
- Actress Olivia de Havilland in 1916 (age 92)
- Actress Leslie Caron in 1931 (age 77)
- Filmmaker/actor Sydney Pollack in 1934
- Actress/writer Jean Marsh in 1934 (age 74)
- Actor Jamie Farr in 1934 (age 74)
- Choreographer Twyla Tharp in 1941 (age 67)
- Actress Karen Black in 1939 (age 69)
- Actress Genevieve Bujold in 1942 (age 66)
- Singer Deborah Harry in 1945 (age 63)
- Actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd in 1952 (age 56)
- Britain's Princess Diana in 1961
- Actor Andre Braugher in 1962 (age 46)
- Sex Symbol Pamela Anderson in 1967 (age 41)
- Actress Liv Tyler in 1977 (age 31)


Copyright 2008 by United Press International