It’s painter Marc Chagall’s birthday (1887-1985). Today is Friday, July 7, 2017 the 188th day of the year with 177 days remaining.
- Sunrise: 5:55am
- Sunset: 8:35pm
...giving us 14 hours and 39 minutes of daylight. 94% of the waxing moon will be visible, rising at 7:27pm
Tides at the Golden Gate
- High: 12:40am/11:09pm
- Low: 5:28am/5:06pm
Special international celebrations today…
- The King's Birthday - Nepal
- Independence Day - Solomon Islands
- Saba Saba - Tanzania
- Running of the Bulls - Spain
- Unity/Victory Day - Yemen
It’s also…
- Father-Daughter Take A Walk Together Day
- Global Forgiveness Day
- Taos Pueblo Pow Wow
- Tell The Truth Day
- National Strawberry Sundae Day
- Chocolate Day
On this day in…
1754 - Kings College opened in New York City. It was renamed Columbia College 30 years later.
1846 -US annexation ofCalifornia was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.
1862 - The first railroad post office was tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri.
1885 - G. Moore Peters patented the cartridge-loading machine.
1917 - AleksandrKerensky formed a provisional government in Russia.
1920 - A device known as the radio compass was used for the first time on a US Navy airplane near Norfolk, VA.
1930 - Construction began on Boulder Dam, later Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River.
1937 - Japanese forces invaded China.
1946 - Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint.
1949 - "Dragnet" was first heard on NBC radio.
1950 - The U.N. Security Council authorized military aid for South Korea.
1969 - Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to a measure that made the French language equal to English throughout the national government.
1981 -U.S. President Reagan announced he was nominatingArizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on theU.S. Supreme Court.
1983 - Eleven-year-old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, left for a visit to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov.
1987 - Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began.
1994 -Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in Seattle, Washington under the name "Cadabra."
Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...
- Gustav Mahler 1860 - Composer
- Marc Chagall 1887
- Hanns Eisler 1898
- George Cukor 1899
- Satchel Paige 1906
- Gian Carlo Menotti 1911
- Pinetop Perkins 1913 - Musician
- Ruth Ford 1915
- William Kunstler 1919
- Ezzard Charles 1921
- Pierre Cardin 1922
- Mary Ford 1924
- Charlie Louvin 1927
- Doc Severinsen 1927 - Bandleader
- Vincent Edwards 1928
- David McCullough 1933 - Author
- Ringo Starr 1940 - Musician
- Warren Entner 1944 - Musician (The Grass Roots)
- Joe Spano 1946 - Actor
- Linda Williams 1947 - Country singer
- Shelley Duvall 1949 - Actress ("The Shining")
- David Hodo 1950 - Musician (The Village People)
- Cherry Boone 1954
- Jessica Hahn 1959
- Billy Campbell 1959 - Actor
- Mark White 1962 - Musician (Spin Doctors)
- Vonda Shepard 1963 - Singer, songwriter ("Ally McBeal")
- Ricky Kinchen 1966 - Musician (Mint Condition)
- Jim Gaffigan 1966 - Actor, comedian
- Jorja Fox 1968 - Actress ("C.S.I.")
- Cree Summer 1970
- Kirsten Vangsness 1972 - Actress ("Criminal Minds")
- Michelle Kwan 1980 - Figure skater