Month: July 2022 (Page 3 of 5)

On July 13, 1787, the Congress of the Confederation adopted the Northwest Ordinance, which established a government in the Northwest Territory, an area corresponding to the present-day Midwest.

In 1863, deadly rioting against the Civil War military draft erupted in New York City. (The insurrection was put down three days later.)

In 1939, Frank Sinatra made his first commercial recording, “From the Bottom of My Heart” and “Melancholy Mood,” with Harry James and his Orchestra for the Brunswick label.

In 1955, the last woman was hanged for murder in Great Britain.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall to be U.S. Solicitor General, the first Black jurist appointed to the post. (Two years later, he was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

In 1985, “Live Aid,” an international rock concert in London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney, took place to raise money for Africa’s starving people.

In 2013, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter first appears, sparking a movement.

On July 12, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)

In 1943, Russians halt German advance in a decisive battle at Kursk.

In 1960, the Etch A Sketch drawing toy, invented by French electrician Andre Cassagnes, was produced by the Ohio Art Co.

In 1962, The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig at The Marquee in London.

In 1965, the Beach Boys single “California Girls” was released by Capitol Records.

In 1984, U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket, as running mate to Democratic candidate Walter F. Mondale.