This Week In History: July 6 – July 12

Headlines & Tidbits from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s

American Experience:

1938 – Howard Hughes started his flight around the world, which took him 91 hours to complete

1944 – World’s largest circus tent catches fire at the Ringling Brother’s and Barnum & Bailey Circus afternoon performance; 168 die (Hartford, Connecticut)

1953 – New York Airways offers the first scheduled commuter passenger service by helicopter in the United States.

1955 – Congress authorizes all US currency to say “In God We Trust”

1957 – The Surgeon General announces that there is evidence to support the theory that cigarette smoking is linked to lung cancer.

1969 – US troop withdrawal begins in Vietnam

1985 – Customer dissatisfaction with the new formula of Coke leads the Coca-Cola Company to announce it will bring back the original Coca-Cola to sit on shelves with the New Coke. It will be called Coca-Cola Classic.

Movies & TV:

1954 – “Dial M for Murder”, a Hitchcock film, was in theaters starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings

1956 – Dick Clark made his 1st appearance as host of “American Bandstand”

1968 – “One Life To Live” debuts on ABC at 3:30 pm

1971 – “Love Story” starring Ryan O’Neil and Ali McGraw was in the theaters

1974 – Walter Cronkite of CBS is rated the most trusted and objective newscaster on television in a national poll

Music & Radio:

1946 – “The Adventures of Sam Spade” debuted on ABC radio.

1949 – “Dragnet” premieres on NBC radio

1954 – Elvis Presley records his 1st hit, “That’s All Right”

1955 – “Rock Around Clock” by Bill Haley & Comets hits #1 on Top 100 chart

1965 – Rock group “Jefferson Airplane” forms

1965 – The Rolling Stones hit the top spot on the “Billboard” chart with “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”

1965 – The Beatles album “Beatles’ “VI” goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks

1967 – Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” is released

1967 – Doors’ “Light My Fire” hits #1

Hollywood Headlines:

1955 – Clark Gable Weds Kay Spreckels

1956 – After 16 years of marriage, Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier announce they are expecting their first child.

1975 – 10 Days after they married, Cher files for divorce from Gregg Allman

Sports:

1951 – Sugar Ray Robinson was defeated for only the second time in 133 fights by Randy Turpin.

1956 – Stan “The Man” Musial of the St’ Louis Cardinals beat out Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams to win Player of The Decade

1973 – Billy Jean King wins her 5th Wimbledon title, defeating Chris Evert

Technology & Inventions:

1949 – The first practical rectangular television picture tube was presented, priced at $12

1960 – The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale, selling over 50 million units during the next 25 years.

1962 – The “Telstar” satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, FL. It was the first active satellite for communications and could transmit telephone and data communications.

Automobile News:

1982 – The last of the Checker taxicabs to be made came off the assembly line of the Checker Motors Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan