Poor Gabriel's Almanac

Interesting things that happened July 3rd:

Birthdays on this date:

In 1423 Louis XI, king of France (1461-83)
In 1567 Samuel de Champlain, explorer
In 1731 Samuel Huntington, Governor of Conn. (1786-96), Pres. of Continental Congress (1779-1781), 1st US President (1781 - Art. of Confederation)
In 1870 Richard B. Bennett (C), 11th Canadian prime minister (1930-35)
In 1883 Franz Kafka (in Czechoslavakia), author (Metamorphosis, The Trial)
In 1906 Francis Steegmuller, biographer
In 1909 Earl Butz, US secretary of Agriculture (1971-76)
In 1913 Dorothy Kilgallen, panelist
In 1927 Ken Russell, movie director
In 1930 Pete Fountain, jazz musician
In 1935 Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt, US astronaut (Apollo 17)
In 1937 Tom Stoppard, playwright
In 1943 Geraldo Rivera, sensationalist, newsman
In 1947 Betty Buckley, broadway actor (1776, Cats, Carrie -- The Musical)
+ Dave Barry, humorist
In 1951 Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haitian "President-for-Life" (1971-86)
In 1957 Laura Branigan, singer

Events worth noting:

+ Dog Days begin.
+ Feast of St. Leo II, pope (681-83)
In 1608 City of Quebec founded by Samuel de Champlain.
In 1775 Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.
In 1806 Michael Keens exhibits the first cultivated strawberry.
In 1819 First savings bank in US (Bank of Savings in NYC) opens its doors.
In 1841 John Couch Adams decides to determine the position of an unknown planet by the irregularities it causes in the motion of Uranus.
In 1848 Slaves freed in Danish West Indies (now US Virgin Islands).
In 1861 Pony Express arrives in San Francisco with overland letters from New York.
In 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, PA, ends with the Pickett/Pettigrew charge broken. (A major victory for the North.)
In 1890 Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union.
In 1898 US Navy defeats Spanish fleet outside the harbor at Santiago, Cuba.
In 1915 US military forces occupy Haiti, remain until 1934.
In 1939 Lou Gehrig day, Gehrig makes 'luckiest man' speech.
In 1950 First time American and North Korean forces clash in the Korean War.
In 1962 Algeria becames independent after 132 years of French rule.
In 1974 Soyuz 14 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3.
In 1976 Israel launches rescue of passengers and Air France crew members, being held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda by pro-Palestinian hijackers.
In 1980 73,096 in Cleveland watch Indians beat Yankees 7-0
In 1982 Martina Navratilova defeats Chris Evert Lloyd at Wimbeldon.
In 1983 Calvin Smith of US becomes fastest man alive (36.25 kph for 100 m).
In 1984 Dolphin rocket launched off San Clemente Island.
+ Supreme Court rules Jaycees may be forced to admit women as members.
In 1985 CBS announced it would buy back 21 percent of its own stock.
In 1986 Pres. Reagan presided over relighting of renovated Statue of Liberty.
In 1988 U.S. Navy ship (USS Vincennes) mistakenly downs an Iran Air A300 airbus, killing all 290 aboard.

And remember ...

Baked Beans Month
Hot Dog Month
Ice Cream Month
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month

To get back issues, send "get today today.MMDD" (where MMDD is something like 0703) in a message to majordomo@mystery.com.

Although efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, several errors have been found in the past. Don't place any bets on the basis of what you find here. If you spot an error, write to Poor Gabriel at gabe@mystery.com .