1584 - In a letter from Giovanni da Verrazano, the Florentine explorer, to Francis I, king of France “...took a Native American childe from...(an) olde woman to bring into France, and going about to take...(a) young woman which was very beautiful and of tall stature, they could not possibly, for the great outcries that she made, bring her to the sea; and especially having great woods to pass through and being farre from the ship, we purposed to leave her behinde, beareing away the childe only.”  The diaries and letters of the day describe encounters with Indians, capturing them for slaves, describing Native American life. 
http://www.lihistory.com/vault/hs215a1v.htm
    1758 – French forces hold Fort Carillion against the British at Ticonderoga, NY.
    1775 - Representatives of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Providence, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina signed a petition, known as The Olive Branch Petition”, from the Congress to the King (George III), a final attempt by moderates in the Second Continental Congress to avoid a complete break with England. After the American Revolutionary War, over 300,000 loyalist citizens to King George returned to England (more than a third of the population was “loyal” to the king.) Many also elected to remain in the United Colonies, as it was then called.
    1776 - The first public reading of the Declaration was given by Colonel John Nixon to the assembled residents at Philadelphia's Independence Square.   He had been chosen by the sheriff of Philadelphia (in those days, the highest ranking citizen of a town as per English tradition). The next day, the Declaration was read before George Washington's troops in New York City.
    1831 – John Pemberton (1831-88) the man who invented Coca-Cola, was born in Knoxville, GA.
    1838 – Birthday of Eli Lilly (1838-98) in Baltimore.  He was a soldier, chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Eli Lilly and Company.  Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the civil war; he recruited a company of men to serve with him in an artillery battery, was later promoted to colonel, and was given command of a cavalry unit. He was captured near the end of the war and held as a POW until its conclusion.
    1839 – John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was born in Richford, NY.  He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry, and with other key contemporary industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie, defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded Standard Oil Company and actively ran it until he officially retired in 1897.  As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and the first American worth more than a billion dollars, controlling 90% of all oil in the United States at his peak.  Adjusting for inflation, his fortune upon his death in 1937 stood at $336 billion, accounting for more than 1.5% of the national economy, making him the richest person in US history.
    1844 - Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln (1844-1921) was born in South Attleboro, MA.  She was a teacher at the Boston Cooking School who authored “Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book: What to Do and What Not to Do in Cooking”, published by the Boston firm of Roberts Brothers in 1884. She later observed, "This was done primarily to meet the need of a textbook for our pupils and save the copying of recipes".  It contained the daringly innovative recipe measurement methods as well as explaining the how's of cooking, hygiene, and nutrition.  Considered one of the pioneers of the Domestic Science movement in the US, she was among the very first to address the scientific and nutritional basis of food preparation.  It was also cone of the first American cook books to provide scientific information about nutrition and the chemistry of cooking. It also helped to set a pattern for the rational organization of cookbooks, and was among the first in America to provide recipes formulated with consistent measurements. It should be seen as the fore-runner to the world-famous “Boston Cooking School Cook Book” by Fannie Merritt Farmer, Mrs. Lincoln's most prominent student who eventually succeeded her as principal of the Boston Cooking School.
Most publishers frowned on such books because women were thought to be born with the innate knowledge of cooking. Publishers thought such directions were unnecessary and women would refuse to buy the "insulting" books. “The Boston Cooking School Cook Book” became an instant best seller.
http://www.foodhistory.com/ur/lincolnmj/
http://members.aol.com/acalendar/May/cia.html
    1846 - U.S. annexed California, to become a state on Sept 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850.  San Francisco was a town of 96 votes
with fifty dwellings.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist10/cowan.html
    1850 - The overland gold rush to California through Fort Laramie, WY, involved 42,300 emigrants and 9720 wagons between January 1 and July 8.
Over 90% of the population of California was male.  Nine years later men still outnumbered women six to one.
    1853 - Admiral Perry and US Navy “visit” Japan
http://www.grifworld.com/first.html
http://www.grifworld.com/planning.html
http://www.baxleystamps.com/litho/ry_litho_narrative.shtml
    1856 - Charles E. Barnes of Lowell, MA, obtained a patent on an “improved automatic cannon.”  It was operated by a crank, the speed of firing depending upon the speed with which the crank was turned. It was primitive and before the “metal gun cartridge.”  Richard J. Gatling of Indianapolis, Indiana obtained a patent on November 4, 1862, on “an improvement in revolving battery guns.” The first gun, which fired 250 shots a minute, was made in Indianapolis. Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling, a medical doctor with numerous patents in farm equipment to his credit, devised the famous Model 1862 “Revolving Battery Gun” now simply referred to as the Gatling gun.  Although not first to manufacture a multi-fire weapon, he was the first to produce a reliable, rapid fire, “machine gun.”  The rest, as they say, is history. The Gatling gun was a hand-crank-operated weapon, comprised of six barrels revolving around a central shaft. The original gun was actually designed to fire the standard military issue paper cartridge of the day, .58 caliber.  The paper cartridge was placed inside a steel or brass chamber with percussion nipple on the back end just like muzzle loading rifles and pistols of the time.
The cartridges were gravity-fed through a hopper mounted on the top of the gun. Six cam-operated bolts alternately wedged, fired, and dropped the bullets, which were contained in steel chambers. Gatling used the six barrels to partially cool the gun during firing. Since the gun was capable of firing 600 rounds a minute, each barrel fired 100 rounds per minute.
1862 - Major General Benjamin F. Butler purchased 12 Model 1862 Gatling guns for $1,000 each, in 1863 and employed them at the Battle of Petersburg. http://library.uml.edu/clh/Butler/Bencart.Html
Butler is the same fellow hated in New Orleans for his actions while he occupied the city.  I could find no information about the first use of the Gatling gun, except : “His failure to act decisively with the Army of the Potomac against Petersburg, and following his ability to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory during the first expedition against Fort Fisher, North Carolina in December 1864, led to General Butler's forced resignation from the Army.” As an interesting side note, what we see in movies today and usually displayed or shot is not the original model 1862.  Most probably, it is a model 1873 or later version.  All in all, the 1862 Gatling gun is one of the greatest design achievements in military armament ever created ranking up with breech loading weapons and metallic cartridges in significance to modern warfare.  In January of 1865, Gatling proposed is his improved model 1865 gun to the U.S. Government, which was subsequently tested by the Ordnance Department. This model was adopted officially in 1866.  It served the frontier, enabling the Union Calvary to be of small number in domineering the West. After receiving government approval, Gatling began to sell his guns throughout the world, where they achieved world-wide fame.  Twenty five countries, twenty nine calibers, and 55 years later, the hand-crank Gatling gun was finally retired from U.S. military service just months prior to the U.S. entered World War I.  Even then, it remained deployed into the middle 1920's stateside.  Tucked away in storage for over 30 years, an original model 1883 in 45-70 caliber, was able to successfully fire 5,600 rounds per minute by hooking it up to an electric motor.  This ultimately became the forerunner of today's Vulcan system capable of firing 6000 rounds per minute of 20 mm cannon shells.
    1861 - Winfield Scott, general in chief of the Union army, announced that the Washington telegraph office would no longer carry “dispatches concerning the operations of the army not permitted by the commanding general.” All stories had to be cleared first with the Army as “press accounts of the activities in Washington, DC, might prove helpful to the enemy.
    1863 - JEB Stuart at The Battle of Gettysburg.  Taken From” The Life and Campaigns of Major-General JEB Stuart", by H. B. McClellan, A.M. Late Major, Assistant Adjutant-General.  “From the 8th to the 12th of July, Stuart covered the front of Lee's army, which had now taken a strong position, and was securely entrenched while waiting for the waters of the Potomac to fall. These days were occupied by severe fighting between Stuart's command and the divisions of Buford and Kilpatrick, at Boons-boro', Beaver Creek, Funkstown, and on the Sharpsburg front. The cavalry fought mostly dismounted, and was aided on either side by small bodies of infantry. It would be tedious to enter into all the details of these battles, in which both parties claim the victory, and with apparent sincerity. Stuart reports an aggregate loss of 216 in these engagements, while Generals Buford and Kilpatrick and Colonel Huey report a loss of 158. Stuart accomplished the object he had in view, which was to delay the advance of the enemy until General Lee was secure in his chosen position. On the 12th of July, Stuart uncovered Lee's front, against which the Federal army advanced, but found it so strong that it declined to make an attack. These days will be remembered by the members of General Stuart's staff as days of peculiar hardship. Scanty rations had been issued to the men, but nothing was provided for the officers. The country had been swept bare of provisions, and we could purchase nothing. For four or five days in succession we received our only food, after nightfall, at the hands of a young lady in Hagerstown, whose father, a Southerner, sympathized with the Confederacy. But for the charity of this lady, whose name we shall always gratefully remember, we would have suffered the pangs of severe hunger. The attention of students of psychology is called to an incident which occurred at this time. After a day of incessant fighting, Stuart and his officers reached the house of this friend about nine o'clock in the night. While food was being prepared Stuart fell asleep on the sofa in the parlor. When supper was announced he refused to rise. Knowing that he had eaten nothing within twenty-four hours, and that food was even more necessary for him than sleep, I took him by the arm and compelled him to his place at the table. His eyes were open, but he ate sparingly and without relish. Thinking that the supper did not suit him, our kind hostess inquired:--
 "General, perhaps you would relish a hard-boiled egg?"  "Yes," he replied, "I'll take four or five."  This singular reply caused a good deal of astonishment on the part of all who heard it, but nothing was said at the time. The eggs were produced; Stuart broke one and ate it, and then rose from the table. When we returned to the parlor I sat down at the piano, and commenced singing, "If you want to have a good time, join the cavalry." The circumstances hardly made the song appropriate, but the chorus roused the general, and he joined in it with a hearty good will.
    1863 - Confederate General Lee decided to take the war to the enemy, specifically Washington, DC, which he hopes to capture and thus have the war ended. On June 13, he defeated Union forces at Winchester, Virginia, and continued north to Pennsylvania. General Hooker, who had been planning to attack Richmond, was instead forced to follow Lee. Hooker, never comfortable with his commander, General Halleck, resigned on June 28, and General George Meade replaced him as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
On July 1, a chance encounter between Union and Confederate forces began the Battle of Gettysburg. In the fighting that followed, Meade had greater numbers and better defensive positions. He won the battle, but failed to follow Lee as he retreated back to Virginia. Militarily, the Battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Confederacy; it is also significant because it ended Confederate hopes of formal recognition by foreign governments. The days following Lee's retreat saw major battles won by the Union Army in General Grant's long time plan to cut off supplies to Confederate troops. On November 19, President Lincoln dedicated a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield as a national cemetery, and delivered his memorable "Gettysburg Address."
Photographs of the battleground began immediately after the battle of July 1-3. This group of photographs also includes a scene of Hooker's troops in Virginia on route to Gettysburg.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?cwar:2:./temp/~ammem_
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    1889 - John L. Sullivan, heavyweight champion of the world, defeated Jake Kilrain in the 75th round of a fight in Richburg, MS. This was the last bare-knuckles title fight after which boxing was governed by the Marquess of Queensbury rules.
    1889 – The Wall Street Journal was published for the first time.
   1908 - Jazz alto saxophonist and singer Louis Jordan (1908-75), whose records in the 1940's with his Tympany Five helped shape the R'n'B of the following decade, was born in Brinkley, Arkansas. After playing with several big bands, Jordan formed his combo in 1938. For the next decade, they produced blues and novelty records such as "Caledonia," "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," a million-seller in 1946. Jordan's 1943 hit "Five Guys Named Moe" became the title of a 1990's Broadway musical based on his songs.  Many blues and R'n'B artists grew up listening to Jordan's music, and among those acknowledging his influence are Chuck Berry and Ray Charles.
http://www.louisjordan.com/index.asp
http://www.louisjordan.com/index.asp 
http://www.zoo.co.uk/~primer/pdjordan.html
http://www.jandr.com/JRMusicDiscPage.process?P_Id=P+++++6859
    1908 – Former Vice President and Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller (1908-79) was born in Bar Harbor, ME.
    1911 - Nan Jane Aspinwall rode into New York City carrying a letter to Mayor William Jay Gaynor from San Francisco Mayor Patrick Henry McCarthy, becoming the first woman to cross the US on horseback. She began her trip in San Francisco on Sept 1, 1910, and covered 4,500 miles in 301 days.
    1914 - Birthday of Billy Eckstine (1914-93) in Pittsburgh, bandleader and bass-baritone singer.  After performing with the Earl Hines band for almost 20 years, Eckstine formed his own band in 1944.  At one time or another in the band's ranks included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey and vocalist Sarah Vaughn---some of the greatest bebop musicians of all time.  Among Eckstine's hits were “Fools Rush In,” “ Everything I Have Is Yours,” “ Blue Moon,” and “Body and Soul.”
http://www.steveandeydie.com/ 
http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/micro/185/30.html
    1918 – “Peter Gunn”, Craig Stevens (1918-2000) was born in Liberty, MO.
    1932 - The stock market fell to its lowest point in the Great Depression.  The Great Crash had begun in 1929, and this was the darkest day. Dow Jones Industrial Average, 41.22.
   http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul08.html
    1933 - Birthday of author James Giblin.
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=3229
http://www.mccsc.edu/~jcmslib/yhb/authors/giblin.html
    1935 - Birthday of Steve Lawrence, pop singer, born Sidney Liebowitz in Brooklyn, New York. His "Go Away Little Girl" was a number-one hit in 1962. Lawrence, who got his start as a singer on the "Tonight" show in 1954, had more than 20 chart records. He and his wife, Eydie Gorme, often recorded and performed together.
    1941 - With a dramatic two-out, bottom of the ninth inning, three-run home run by Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, the AL All-stars beat the National League at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, 7-5.
    1947 - Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash landed in Roswell, NM in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
    1948 – The Air Force accepted its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF).
    1949 – Wolfgang Puck was born in Austria.
    1949 – Top Hits
“Some Enchanted Evening” – Perry Como
“Again” – Gordon Jenkins
“Bali Ha’I” – Perry Como
“One Kiss Too Many” – Eddy Arnold
    1949 – Hank Thompson (1925-69), the first black to play with the St. Louis Browns, became the New York Giants’ first African-American player. The former Kansas City Monarchs’ standout broke in to the majors 12 days after Larry Doby’s American League debut with the Indians in 1947.  Thompson became the only player to participate in breaking the segregation barrier on two different teams.
    1953 – SHEA, RICHARD T., JR. Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company A 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sokkogae, Korea, 6 to 8 July 1953. Entered service at: Portsmouth, Va. Born: 3 January 1927, Portsmouth, Va. G.O. No.: 38, 8 June 1955. Citation: 1st Lt. Shea, executive officer, Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 6 July, he was supervising the reinforcement of defensive positions when the enemy attacked with great numerical superiority. Voluntarily proceeding to the area most threatened, he organized and led a counterattack and, in the bitter fighting which ensued, closed with and killed 2 hostile soldiers with his trench knife. Calmly moving among the men, checking positions, steadying and urging the troops to hold firm, he fought side by side with them throughout the night. Despite heavy losses, the hostile force pressed the assault with determination, and at dawn made an all-out attempt to overrun friendly elements. Charging forward to meet the challenge, 1st Lt. Shea and his gallant men drove back the hostile troops. Elements of Company G joined the defense on the afternoon of 7 July, having lost key personnel through casualties. Immediately integrating these troops into his unit, 1st Lt. Shea rallied a group of 20 men and again charged the enemy. Although wounded in this action, he refused evacuation and continued to lead the counterattack. When the assaulting element was pinned down by heavy machine gun fire, he personally rushed the emplacement and, firing his carbine and lobbing grenades with deadly accuracy, neutralized the weapon and killed 3 of the enemy. With forceful leadership and by his heroic example, 1st Lt. Shea coordinated and directed a holding action throughout the night and the following morning. On 8 July, the enemy attacked again. Despite additional wounds, he launched a determined counterattack and was last seen in close hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. 1st Lt. Shea’s inspirational leadership and unflinching courage set an illustrious example of valor to the men of his regiment, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the noble traditions of the military service. 
    1957 – “Teddy Bear” became Elvis Presley’s eighth US number one hit in the past fifteen months. 
    1957 – Top Hits
“Teddy Bear” – Elvis Presley
“Love Letters in the Sand” – Pat Boone
“Over the Mountain; Across the Sea” – Johnnie & Joe
“Four Walls” – Jim Reeves
    1958 – The first gold record album presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was awarded. It went to the soundtrack LP, “Oklahoma!”. The honor signified that the album had reached one million dollars in sales. The first gold single issued by the RIAA was “Catch a Falling Star”, by Perry Como, in March of 1958. A gold single also represents sales of one million records. 
    1958 – Hank Ballard records a self-penned tune called “The Twist” at Vee-Jay Records’ studios in Gary, Indiana. A re-recorded version released by King Records would make a modest splash on the R&B charts in 1959, but it would take Chubby Checker to make a giant hit out of it in 1960. 
    1960 – Storer Broadcasting Company purchased WINS radio in New York City for $10 million. It was the highest price paid for a radio station (to that time). Many great radio personalities including Murray the K, Bruce Morrow and Alan Freed were stars on WINS Radio. WINS, under Storer ownership, also aired some very clever promotions, including the time they drove the New York media crazy. It was a discovery (thought to be a rare find) in the back seat of a New York taxicab: a clay tablet that looked to be Egyptian and had carvings on it. Upon closer examination, it read, “Everybody’s mummy listens to 10-10 WINS!” 
    1963 – James Brown went to #2 on the US album chart with “Live At The Apollo”. The LP spent a total of 33 weeks on the chart. 
    1963 – Freddie and The Dreamers record “I’m Telling You Now”, which would climb to number 2 in England. When it was released in the US the following year, during the height of the British Invasion, it made the Top Ten. 
    1965 – The Dave Clark Five followed the Beatles onto the silver screen with a movie of their own called “Catch Us If You Can”. The film was renamed to “Having a Wild Weekend” for its US release and featured the group performing “Catch Us If You Can”, “Having a Wild Weekend” and “I Can’t Stand It”. 
    1965 – Top Hits
“I Can’t Help Myself” – Four Tops
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – The Rolling Stones
“For Your Love” – The Yardbirds
“Before You Go” – Buck Owens
    1965 – Roy Wilkins becomes executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 
http://www.tccom.com/wilkins/
    1967 - Tennis player Billie Jean King of the United Sates won three titles at Wimbledon.  She beat Anny Haydon Jones for the singles title, teamed with Rosie Casals for the women's doubles title and joined with Owen Davidson to capture the mixed doubles title.
    1968 - The first movie directed by an African-American director to be released in the United States was “Story of a Three Day Pass,” directed by Melvin Van Peeble.  His story of an African-American serviceman on leave in France, based on his book of the same name, led to his being signed by Columbia Pictures to make more files for African-American audiences.
http://www.info-france-usa.org/culture/cinema/festival/vanpeebles.html 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6304446195/e22digital.6/102-8917386-9557756
http://pages.prodigy.net/ja-cas/filmmakers.html
    1970 - The Everly Brothers Summer TV series debuts on CBS-TV for the first of a ten week run. 
    1970 - The San Francisco Giants’ Jim Ray Hart hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple and home run in one game). Hart became the first National League player in 59 seasons to collect six runs batted in (RBI) during a single inning. The Giants walloped the Atlanta Braves 13-0. 
    1970 – President Nixon delivered a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
    1972 - 34 year old Bill Withers had the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Lean On Me", his second US Top Ten hit after "Ain't No Sunshine" in September, 1971. The song reached #18 in the UK. 
    1973 - Top Hits
“Will It Go Round in Circles” - Billy Preston
“Kodachrome” - Paul Simon
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” - Jim Croce
“Why Me” - Kris Kristofferson
    1978 - Following in the disco footsteps of his older Bee Gee brothers, Andy Gibb gets into the act with "Shadow Dancing." The album peaks at #18, while the title track reaches number one
    1978 - Bjorn Borg of Sweden won 3rd consecutive title at Wimbledon
    1978 - After a six month stay, the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever” is finally knocked out of the top spot on the Billboard album chart by Gerry Rafferty's "City To City", which contained the single "Baker Street".
    1981 - Top Hits
“Bette Davis Eyes” - Kim Carnes
“All Those Years Ago” - George Harrison
“The One that You Love” - Air Supply
“I was Country When Country Wasn't Cool” - Barbara Mandrell
    1984 - John McEnroe made short work of Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon. Connors managed to win only four games and tied for the second lowest number of games won by a Wimbledon men's singles finalist since 1922. McEnroe won the event in just 1 hour 20 minutes. 
    1985 - Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers announced his retirement on this, his 33rd birthday. A 1974 second-round draft choice from Kent State University in Ohio, Lambert played 11 seasons with the Steelers. He racked up several awards including the NFL's Rookie of the Year [1974], Defensive Player of the Year [1976]; and nine consecutive Pro Bowls [1975-1983]. Jack Lambert was a major chunk of the Steel Curtain and owns four Super Bowl rings to prove it. 
    1985 - Both "Playboy" and "Penthouse" magazines went on sale with nude pictures of Madonna
    1987 – The Iran-Contra hearings began, covered live on television.   While Lt. Col. Oliver North was being interviewed, contrary to internet mailings, Senator Al Gore was not on the committee, nor did Osama Bin Laden’s name come up. 
    1987 - Kitty Dukakis, wife of Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who was the following year to become the Democratic candidate, revealed addiction to amphetamines for 26 years 
    1988 - Thirty cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Beckley, WV, equaled their all-time record with a high of 93 degrees. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms spawned seven tornadoes in Adams and Logan counties of eastern Colorado, and hail caused 2.3 million dollars damage in Adams, Logan and Washington counties
    1988 - Singer/composer Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992
    1989 - Top Hits
“Satisfied” - Richard Marx
“Buffalo Stance” - Neneh Cherry
“Baby Don't Forget My Number” - Milli Vanilli
“I Don't Want to Spoil the Party” - Roseanne Cash
    1989 - Sixteen cities in the central and western U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 103 degrees at Denver, CO, equaled their record for July, and a 110 degree reading at Rapid City, SD, equaled their all-time record high. Denver reported a record five straight days of 100 degree heat, and Scottsbluff, NE, reported a record eight days in a row of 100 degree weather.
    1990 - Germany beats Argentina 1-0 for soccer's 14th World Cup at Rome 
    1990 - Stefan Edberg beats Boris Becker for Wimbledon title
    1994 - Elton John and Billy Joel kicked off a 14 city tour in Philadelphia. They shared vocals on each other's hits, including John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and Joel's "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind."
    2000 - The Yankees sweep their cross-town rivals in the first double-ballpark doubleheader since 1903, with identical scores:  4-2 in an afternoon tilt at Shea and 4-2 in an evening contest at Yankee Stadium. It proves to be quite an interesting day in New York as Mike Piazza is hospitalized after being beaned by Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, now with the Yankees, gets first Shea win since 1994 when he was a Met, and a bizarre obstruction call on Mets' first baseman Todd Zielle causes the first game to be played under protest.
    2000 - After Jose Cruz Jr. hits #20 in a 6-3 win over the Expos, the Blue Jays become the first team in major league history to have four batters to hit 20 or more homers before the All-Star break.
    2005 - In Singapore, the International Olympic Committee takes a secret vote on the approval of the 28 current summer Olympic events scheduled to be played at the 2012 Summer Games in London. Baseball and softball are eliminated making it the first time since polo was dropped in1936 that sports have been cut.
    2010 - Using an on-line ballot, fans select Nick Swisher of the Yankees and Reds' first baseman Joey Votto to fill the last two roster spots in this year’s All-Star game. The New York outfielder, who edged Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis for the final AL spot, used his Twitter account to campaign for votes and to thank his fans for their support.
    2011 - The final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program was launched as Space Shuttle Atlantis.