1686 - Birthday of Mary Peck Butterworth (1686-1775) in Rehoboth, MA.  She was a colonial counterfeiter. In 1722, Mary Peck Butterworth's husband bought her a huge, fancy house that aroused the suspicion of authorities. (She couldn't buy the house herself because the law forbade married women owning anything on their own. It all belonged to the husband.) Even though the couple was investigated by the authorities - and two of their "gang" turned state's evidence - there were no convictions.   It seems that Mrs. Butterworth developed a currency-counterfeiting process that used cloth that was immediately burned instead using the usual counterfeiting tell-tale copper plates. The cloth "plate" evidence went up in flames after each use so the prosecution's evidence disappeared in smoke. According to the evidence given against her by her relatives who assisted her, she used a hot iron to press a piece of starched cotton over a bill to transfer the pattern. Using the same method she transferred the pattern to paper from the cloth. Then with a series of quills, she inked the note by hand into an almost perfect note. She organized a true kitchen-cottage industry, using her family including her brother and his wife who turned state's evidence. She was said to be a tough task boss. She got so good at the business that she expanded her operation into wholesaling bogus bills at half price.  Members of the organization were arrested, but all were acquitted. It is said she gave up counterfeiting after that.
http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/13384.html
    1775 - Dr. Benjamin Church (1734-78) was named Surgeon General of the Continental Army. He was a traitor and spy who was caught passing information and jailed on November 7, 1775. He had passed on information regarding several battles, including the Battle of Lexington, and was privy to troop movement, strength, and strategy. On a second attempt of sending information to the enemy via a lady friend, his letter was intercepted and the decoded. General Washington conducted the court martial. Church was sentenced to a life term in prison. He began his incarceration, but ill health enabled him to return to Boston where he was paroled. Church received permission to immigrate to the West Indies; the ship that provided his passage was lost at sea. It was later learned with certainty that Church had been in the pay of General Gage and had furnished the British with a detailed description of colonial military plans and equipment several weeks before Lexington and Concord.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1245.html
http://members.aol.com/tjoschultz/baker.html
    1777 - The beautiful Jane McCrea (1752-77) was murdered and scalped for her long blond hair supposedly by Indians allied with the British General Burgoyne. Subsequent investigation indicated she might have been killed by a stray shot and not by Indians. The scalping horrified everyone and helped unite the colonies against British rule. A monument now marks the spot where she was originally buried.   The story of her life and death entered American folklore, and was used by James Fenimore Cooper in “The Last of the Mohicans” and Kenneth Lewis Roberts in “Rabble in Arms”.
http://www.4peaks.com/fkmcrea.htm
    1777 - The Marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious colonists fight the British.
    1789 - Department of State founded. The first presidential cabinet department, called the Department of Foreign Affairs, was established by the Congress. Later the name was changed to Department of State.
    1806 - Attempting to stop a band of young Blackfoot Indians from stealing his horses, Meriwether Lewis shoots an Indian in the stomach.  Lewis awoke to the shouts of one his men as the Indians were attempting to steal their rifles and horses. Lewis sped after two Indians who were running off with several of the horses, calling out for them to stop or he would shoot. One Indian, armed with an old British musket, turned toward Lewis. Apparently fearing that the Indian was about to shoot, Lewis fired first and hit him in the stomach. The Indians retreated, and the men quickly gathered their horses. Lewis then learned that one of his men had also fatally stabbed another of the Blackfoot. Fearing the survivors would soon return with reinforcements, Lewis and his men immediately broke camp. They rode south quickly and managed to escape any retribution from the Blackfoot. Lewis' diplomatic mission, however, had turned into a debacle. By killing at least one Indian, and probably two, Lewis had guaranteed that the already hostile Blackfoot would be unlikely to deal peacefully with Americans in the future.
    1816 - US troops destroyed the Seminole Fort Apalachicola, to punish the Indians for harboring runaway slaves.
    1841 - Linda Richards (1841-1930) birthday in W. Potsdam, NY.  U.S. nurse and educator. She received the first diploma from the first school of nursing opened in the U.S. This pioneering school was run by Dr. Susan Dimock at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. She went on to establish training schools for nurses as well as directing several hospitals.  She retired in 1911 at age 70 when she wrote her autobiography, “Reminiscences of Linda Richards.”
http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/richards.htm
http://www.nurses.info/personalities_linda_richards.htm
http://www.aahn.org/gravesites/richards.html
    1853 - Birthday of Architect Cyrus Lazelle Warner Eidlitz.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul27.html
    1857 - Birthday of Jose Celso Barbosa (1857-1921) at Bayamon, Puerto Rico.  Puerto Rican physician and patriot, his birthday is a holiday in Puerto Rico.
    1866 - Atlantic Telegraph cable successfully completed.
    1868 - Uniforms for mail carriers were authorized by Congress. Before this date, mail carriers could dress in any manner.
    1878 - Birthday of Genevieve Rose Cline (1878-1959) in Warren, OH.  She was the first woman appointed a U.S. federal judge. She earned her law degree at 44. President Harding appointed her as an appraiser of merchandise shipped through customs in Cleveland, Ohio. In spite of strong objections because she was a woman, she won confirmation in the U.S. Senate as Judge in the Customs Court and served in that capacity 1928-1953.
    1898 - Marines from the USS Dixie were the first to raise the American flag over Puerto Rico.
    1905 - Birthday of Leo Durocher (1905-91) at West Springfield, MA. He began his major league baseball career with the New York Yankees in 1925. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" and the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he first served as player-manager in 1939. It was during that season that he used the phrase "Nice guys finish last," which would become his trademark. As a manager, he guided the New York Giants into two World Series, winning in 1954. Following a five-year period away from baseball, he resurfaced as a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961. In 1966, he signed with the Chicago Cubs as manager.   After leaving the Cubs, he spent one season with the Houston Astros, and then retired from baseball in 1973.  Durocher was elected into the Baseball Hall of fame in 1994.
    1909 - The record for the longest airplane flight was set by Orville Wright (1871-1948) who was testing the United States Army’s first airplane. Wright kept the craft aloft for 1 hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds over Fort Myer, Virginia.
    1921 - Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistant at the University of Toronto Medical School, Charles Best, gave insulin to a dog whose pancreas had been removed. In 1922, insulin was first administered to a diabetic, a 14 year old boy.
    1921 - Baseball fan Reuben Berman brought suit in New York County Supreme Court against the New York Giants, alleging that on May 16 the Giants had “wrongfully and unlawfully imprisoned and detained” him and threatened him with arrest. Berman further alleged that he was “greatly humiliated before a large crowd of people…and thereby was caused mental and bodily distress and was thereby greatly injured in his character and reputation and in his physical health” Berman’s crime? He refused to return a foul ball he had caught to a stadium attendant. Allowing fans to keep foul balls was not a general practice, but the court awarded Berman $100 and thus fans were allowed to keep a caught foul ball.
Thank you, Reuben Berman.
    1922 - Birthday of Julius “Papa Cairo” Lamperez (1922-99) in New Orleans. Louisiana Hall of Fame member played steel guitar with Cajun and Western swing bands for 64 years.  The New Orleans native sang on Chuck Guillory & His Rhythm Boys' 1949 hit, "Big Texas"; he later toured with Ernest Tubb, and recorded with Harry Choates and Chuck Guillory.
    1933 - By the summer of 1933, the Great Depression had long since spread from the shores of the United States to vast chunks of Europe. Earlier in the decade, the US's decision to raise revenues by adopting hefty tariffs had shattered Europe's fragile finances. Awash in red ink, Europe's leaders imposed their own stringent set of duties on US goods, causing international trade to grind to a halt and both the US and Europe to sink further into the depths of the Depression.
    1937 - Birthday of vibe player Charlie Shoemake in Houston, TX.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/shoemake_charlie/bio.jhtml
http://talsanmusic.com/charlie/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0703_060.htm
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/full/
0%2C%2C492644%2C00.html
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,1131096,00.html
    1940 - Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare." Three years later, Bugs would be made an honorary Corporal of the US Marine Corps after the release of the short “Super Rabbit” in which he is portrayed a parody of Superman. Bugs abandons his colorful costume, faces the camera, and proclaims that "This looks like a job for a real Superman!" Then he reappears from the phone booth wearing a uniform of the United States Marine Corps. His former antagonists snap to attention and salute Bugs as he marches into the horizon singing the Marine Corps Hymn.
    1942 - In New York City, Peggy Lee (1920-2002) recorded her first hit record. With instrumentals provided by the Benny Goodman band, Peggy sang "Why Don’t You Do Right" for Columbia Records.
    1943 - *PETRARCA, FRANK J., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 145th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Horseshoe Hill, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 27 July 1943. Entered service at: Cleveland, Ohio. Birth: Cleveland, Ohio. G.O. No.: 86, 23 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Petrarca advanced with the leading troop element to within 100 yards of the enemy fortifications where mortar and small-arms fire caused a number of casualties. Singling out the most seriously wounded, he worked his way to the aid of Pfc. Scott, lying within 75 yards of the enemy, whose wounds were so serious that he could not even be moved out of the direct line of fire Pfc Petrarca fearlessly administered first aid to Pfc. Scott and 2 other soldiers and shielded the former until his death. On 29 July 1943, Pfc. Petrarca. during an intense mortar barrage, went to the aid of his sergeant who had been partly buried in a foxhole under the debris of a shell explosion, dug him out, restored him to consciousness and caused his evacuation. On 31 July 1943 and against the warning of a fellow soldier, he went to the aid of a mortar fragment casualty where his path over the crest of a hill exposed him to enemy observation from only 20 yards distance. A target for intense knee mortar and automatic fire, he resolutely worked his way to within 2 yards of his objective where he was mortally wounded by hostile mortar fire. Even on the threshold of death he continued to display valor and contempt for the foe, raising himself to his knees, this intrepid soldier shouted defiance at the enemy, made a last attempt to reach his wounded comrade and fell in glorious death.
    1943 - On a whim, and flying a single engine AT-6, Lieutenant Ralph O'Hair and Colonel Duckworth were the first to fly into a hurricane. It started regular Air Force flights into hurricanes
    1943 - Birthday of soul and gospel singer Mary Love, born Mary Ann Varney, Sacramento, CA
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/mlove.htm
http://www.musicstack.com/search/love,_mary.html
    1948 - Birthday of skater/television personality Peggy Fleming in San Jose, California. She won the national ice skating championships five straight years and won the 1968 Olympic singles title in the most spectacular performance of a woman on ice to that date. She included leaps and maneuvers that no woman had ever done before in competition. She'd spent nearly 20,000 hours in years before age 10 to age 20 to realize her dream, but the victory-memory will always be terribly bruised because her father died of a heart attack only minutes after her victory. Today she is TV commentator and a wine maker along with her husband in Los Gatos, California.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1968/cv022368.html
http://www.peggyfleming.net/
    1949 - Singer Maureen McGovern is born in Youngstown, Ohio. Her biggest hit is the million-selling No. 1 song “The Morning After.''
    1953 - Air Force Captain Ralph S. Parr, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, achieved the last air victory of the Korean War when he destroyed an Il-12 transport plane. In addition, the victory qualified him as the 11th and last double ace of the war, with a total of 10 kills.
    1953 - The Armistice agreement ending war that had lasted three years and 32 days was signed at Panmunjom, Korea
(July 26, US time ), by US and North Korean delegates. Both sides claimed victory at conclusion of two years, 17 days of truce negotiations.
    1955 - Chuck Berry's first hit record, “Maybellene”, entered the R & B charts.
    1955 - Billboard claims that only two singing stars can be considered guaranteed hit makers these days: Nat King Cole and country star Webb Pierce. Throughout his long and illustrious career, one that extended into 1982, Webb Pierce charted 96 singles, 54 Top Ten songs and 13 No.1 singles. In 1955, three of his tunes topped the charts for an unprecedented 46 weeks... almost the entire year. Using a point scale that takes into account both chart positions and longevity, Joel Whitburn ranks Webb Pierce as the No.1 artist of the 50’s, leagues ahead of Jim Reeves (No.14) Eddy Arnold (No.2) Hank Williams (No.6) and Lefty Frizzell (No.16). It is estimated that his record sales to date total over 65 million copies and his influence can still be felt throughout the world at every age level and in every musical genre.
http://www.slipcue.com/music/country/webbsite/webbintro.html
http://www.webbpierce.net/
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~coollz/webbwords.htm
    1957 - The Bobbettes' first and only Top Forty single, "Mr. Lee" enters the pop charts. The tune is about the trio's high school principal.
    1959 - The brothers, Santo and Johnny (Farina), of Brooklyn, New York released their one and only hit record, the instrumental "Sleepwalk," which would be the number one song for two weeks. "Tear Drop," their next song, only went to number 23 on the pop charts.
    1962 - During the unsuccessful Albany, Georgia movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is arrested and jailed for the third time. During months of protests, Albany's police chief jailed hundreds of demonstrators without visible police violence. Eventually the protesters' energy, and the money to bail out protesters, ran out. The movement was lost, until the spring of 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama.
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/mlk.asp
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/autobiography
/chp_16.ht     
1964 - It is announced that the United States will send an additional 5,000 U.S. troops to Vietnam, bringing the total number of U.S. forces in Vietnam to 21,000. While some advisers, such as Undersecretary of State George Ball, recommended a negotiated settlement, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara urged the president to "expand promptly and substantially" the U.S. military presence in South Vietnam. Johnson, not wanting to "lose" Vietnam to the communists, ultimately accepted McNamara's recommendation. This decision led to a massive escalation of the war.
    1965 - The Beach Boys' "California Girls" is released.
    1966 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules a lower court decision and holds that the state doesn't have the jurisdiction to keep the Braves from moving to Atlanta.
    1968 - The Rascals switched from light rock to making a political statement when they released "People Got to Be Free". The song entered the Hot 100 six weeks after Bobby Kennedy was shot and would go on to number one for five weeks, ending up the fifth most popular song of the year.
    1968 - Cass Elliot releases her first solo single following the breakup of The Mamas and Papas. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" had been around since 1931 and had been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Frankie Laine and many others. Cass' version would be the most successful as it rose to number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100.
    1974 - The House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to recommend President Nixon's impeachment on a charge that he had personally engaged in a "course of conduct" designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.
    1974 - "Annie's Song," John Denver’s biggest hit song, written for his wife, reached the top of the "Billboard" singles charts. Denver enjoyed three other number 1 songs: "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Thank God I’m a Country Boy" and "I’m Sorry".
    1974 - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is released.
    1976 - Former Beatle John Lennon won formal permission to remain in the United States as a permanent resident and would be eligible for United States citizenship in five years.
    1979 - Little Richard, billed as the Reverend Richard Penniman, spoke to a revival meeting in San Francisco about the dangers of rock ‘n’ roll
    1984 - Prince's first movie, "Purple Rain" opens nationally.
    1986 - Cyclist Greg Lemond became the first American to win the Tour de France, the most important bicycle race in the world.
    1987 - Freeway shooting incidents were all the news in Los Angeles, California. There had been nine incidents involving vehicles and guns since June 18, 1987. There were actually two motorists shot to death and four others injured.
    1988 - Hot weather prevailed in the north central U.S. Williston, ND reported a record high of 108 degrees. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the eastern U.S., and in southeastern Texas. Richland County, SC, was soaked with up to 5.5 inches of rain.
    1988 - Boston's worst traffic jam in 30 years. “People in Boston either talk about how the Red Sox are doing or the traffic. But since the I-90 tunnel extension to South Boston opened in January and the I-93 northbound tunnel beneath downtown opened in March—two major elements of the now infamous "Big Dig" project—they only have one of the two to complain about. Rush hour, which used to span 10 to 12 hours, has been cut in half.”
http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=264504
    1988 - Radio Shack announces the Tandy 1000 SL computer.
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from Wisconsin and northern Illinois to New England, with 103 reports of large hail and damaging winds through the day. Thunderstorms in Wisconsin produced hail three inches in diameter near Oshkosh, and wind gusts to 65 mph at Germantown
    1996 - During the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia a bomb exploded in an entertainment park killing two and wounding 110. A man was convicted in the newspapers, then let free, and no other suspect nor the person who set off the bomb has been found to this date.
    1996 - Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won the 100 meters at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in the world record time of 9.84 seconds. The previous mark, set on July 6, 1994 by Leroy Burrell, was 9.85 seconds.
    1998 - Sammy Sosa hits his first career grand slam establishing the mark for most career homers before hitting a grand slam (246).
    2000 - Toronto skipper Jim Fregosi wins his 1,000th game as a big league manager as the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, 7-2.
    2006 - Five day San Francisco Bay Area heat wave comes to an
end. While it didn't set many all-time temperature records in the Bay Area, it did set records for the number of consecutive days with temperatures above 110." According to Pechner, who uses data from the National Weather Service and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, there were five consecutive days this month with temperatures above 110: July 21 (111 degrees, Vacaville); July 22 (114 degrees, Morgan Hill); and July 23-25 in Rio Vista (110 degrees, 113 degrees, and 111 degrees, respectively). ((Los Gatos/Saratoga had neighborhoods reporting 108 to 110. And in 2015,
Wednesday it is expected to hit 107 to 110.