“Many public-school children seem to know only two dates: 1492 and the 4th of July, and as a rule they don’t know what happened on either occasion,” wrote Mark Twain those many years ago.
Come to think of it, many things have happened in the heated month of July, many things that folks don’t know about.
I, therefore, dedicate this column to educating both the writer and the reader on some of the fascinating happenings in the ongoing calendar cadence.
In July 1776, we went from wanting a place in the English Parliament, one year earlier, to a goal of complete Independence.
On the 4th of this monumental month, John Hancock signed the new Declaration of Independence (actually the only one to sign it on this date, some waited until September).
When all 56 finally signed the document, events went from bad to worse. Of the signers, five were captured by the British as traitors. Twelve had their homes burned to the ground. Nine lost their lives in the subsequent battles. One returned home to find his wife had died and his 13 children missing.
These were courageous men, and they paid dearly for their courage and their dedication to the liberty we enjoy.
Over the centuries, other giant political moves have occurred. Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997.
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the historic Civil Rights Law. In this same month, in 1984, the opportunity for a woman to be no more than a heart beat away from the Presidency took place. Walter Mondale, the Democratic Presidential candidate chose Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate.
On July 14, 1789, the French Revolution began as the Bastille was dismantled and destroyed.
July was also the month the Atomic bomb was tested in 1945, thus bringing to an end a war that had seemed otherwise destined to go on forever. This month in the 20th century was filled with one scientific surprise after the other. We walked on the moon. We flew the first commercial jet airliner.
The year 1955 was kinder to the senses, for this was the month and the year that Disneyland began to offer Americans a unique way of journeying into fantasy.
In July 1936, Margaret Mitchell sold the rights to her novel Gone with the Wind, and the entertainment world scored yet another victory for exceptional entertainment.
Too, this was the month for the birthing of many of our presidents, as well as for the ending of their presidency by tragedy. July 2, 1881, President James A. Garfield, after only four months in office was shot. He died 80 days later. On July 4, 1826, two former presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died on this same day. In 1946, our former President George Walker Bush was born.
Civil War, Cold War, Crime, Old West, New Age, Wall Street, and World Wars…. Like every month, History marches on and leaves behind all the events that so impact our individual lives.
Indeed, I am making history and so are you. Most likely, our history is not recorded but still it is impacting by what I like to call THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DESTINY OF LITTLE THINGS.
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