Historical Events
Wimbledon Men's Tennis
Jul 2 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Czech Jaroslav Drobný beats Ken Rosewall of Australia 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7 for his only Wimbledon singles title
Wonderful Town
Jul 3 Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's musical "Wonderful Town", starring Rosalind Russell, closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 559 performances, and 5 Tony Award wins
US Women's Golf Open
Jul 3 US Open Women's Golf, Salem CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins by a record 12 strokes from Betty Hicks in her comeback event 14 months after radical colon cancer surgery
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Maureen Connolly wins her 3rd consecutive Wimbledon singles title beating fellow American Louise Brough 6-2, 7-5
- Jul 4 Dr Sam Sheppard's wife Marilyn is murdered (he is accused of the crime)
- Jul 4 FIFA World Cup Final, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland: Helmut Rahn scores twice as West Germany beats Hungary, 3-2
- Jul 4 Meat and all other food rationing officially ends in Britain, nine years after the end of World War II
- Jul 4 WMSL (WYUR, now WAFF) TV channel 48 in Huntsville, AL (ABC) begins
- Jul 5 B-52A bomber makes its maiden flight
That's All Right
Jul 5 Singer Elvis Presley's 1st professional recording session (with guitarist Scotty Moore & bass player Bill Black) takes place at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee. The trio record four songs including their historic cover of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's song "That's All Right". [1]
- Jul 5 The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
- Jul 6 KMOS TV channel 6 in Sedalia-Warrensburg, MO (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jul 6 Tunisian government of M'zali, resigns
Sports History
Jul 7 British runner Jim Peters, 17 minutes ahead of any rival, collapses on the final stadium lap of the Commonwealth Games marathon in Vancouver
- Jul 7 Formation of the TANU party (Tanganyika African National Union) in Tanzania
- Jul 8 KMOX (now KMOV) TV channel 4 in Saint Louis, MO (CBS) 1st broadcast
- Jul 8 Military junta selects colonel Armas President of Guatemala
British Golf Open
Jul 9 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: 23-year-old Australian Peter Thomson wins first of his 5 Open titles by a stroke from Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, and Syd Scott
- Jul 11 114°F (45.6°C), Sedgwick, Colorado (ties state record; broken in 2019)
- Jul 11 1st White Citizens Council organizes in Indianola, Mississippi
- Jul 12 ANC President Albert Luthuli banned by South African Minister of Justice from attending public gatherings and confined to the magisterial district of Lower Tugela, Natal
- Jul 12 Major League Baseball Players Association founded
Event of Interest
Jul 12 President Eisenhower put forward a plan for an interstate highway system
- Jul 13 21st All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 11-9 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland
- Jul 13 Dean Stone gets credit for AL win, although he didn't retire a batter, he threw out Shoendienst trying to steal home, AL-11 NL-9
- Jul 14 117°F (47°C), East St Louis, Illinois (state record)
- Jul 14 118°F (48°C), Warsaw & Union, Missouri (state record)
- Jul 15 110°F (43°C) at Balcony Falls, Virginia (state record)
- Jul 15 1st commercial jet transport plane built in US tested (Boeing 707)
- Jul 15 KOCO TV channel 5 in Oklahoma City, OK (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Jul 15 WBOC TV channel 16 in Salisbury, MD (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Jul 17 1st major league game where majority of team is black (Dodgers)
- Jul 17 Construction of Disneyland commences in Anaheim, California
- Jul 17 Theodor Heuss re-elected president of West Germany
- Jul 18 Cards losing 8-1 to Phillies begin stalling in 5th, they forfeit game
- Jul 19 Elvis Presley's debut single, a cover of Arthur Cruddup's "That's All Right" is released
Maureen Connolly's Tragic Accident
Jul 20 American tennis champion Maureen Connolly's right leg is crushed in a horse riding accident ending a brilliant career at just 19
- Jul 20 West German secret service head Otto John defects to East Germany (DDR)
- Jul 21 Geneva Accords for Indochina signed, dividing French colonial territories into the countries of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Cambodia, and Laos
- Jul 22 US Virgin Islands adopt constitution (Revised Organic Act)
- Jul 22 WTHI TV channel 10 in Terre Haute, IN (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jul 26 WCET TV channel 48 in Cincinnati, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jul 27 Armistice divides Vietnam into two countries
- Jul 27 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Keller GC: Chick Herbert scores a 4 & 3 win over defending champion Walter Burkemo in the Tuesday final
On the Waterfront
Jul 28 "On the Waterfront", directed by Elia Kazan starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1955)
Music History
Jul 28 Ernest Bloch's 4th string quartet premieres
Fellowship of the Ring
Jul 29 Publication of "Fellowship of the Ring" 1st volume of "Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien by George Allen and Unwin in London
- Jul 30 5th British Empire Games and Commonwealth Games open in Vancouver, Canada
- Jul 30 Bob Kennedy hits the 1st grand slam for the new Baltimore Orioles
- Jul 30 Elvis Presley joins the Memphis Federation of Musicians, Local 71
- Jul 31 First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio
- Jul 31 Milwaukee first baseman Joe Adcock becomes only the 3rd player in 20th century to hit 4 HRs in 9-inning game (Lou Gehrig & Gil Hodges) in 15-7 Braves' win over Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field; MLB record 18 total bases
Famous Birthdays
- Jul 1 Chip Hanauer, American hydroplane racer (world champion 1982), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jul 1 Khalid Hasan, Pakistani cricket leg-spin bowler (1 Test; 16 years, 352 days, then youngest Test player), born in Peshawar, Pakistan (d. 2013)
- Jul 1 Mike Reid, American golfer (Senior PGA C'ship 2005, The Tradition 2009), born in Bainbridge, Maryland
- Jul 1 Randall Hall, American rock guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1987-94), born in Jacksonville, Florida
- Jul 2 Wendy Schaal, American actress (It's a Living, Julie-Fantasy Is), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jul 4 Chang-dong Lee, South Korean filmmaker and novelist (Secret Sunshine, Poetry), born in Daegu, South Korea
- Jul 4 Jim Beattie, American baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Hampton, Virginia
- Jul 5 Jimmy Crespo, American guitarist (Aerosmith), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jul 5 John Wright, New Zealand cricketer (opening batsman 1978-92), born in Darfield, New Zealand
- Jul 5 Leni Björklund, Swedish politician (Minister for Defence, 2002-06), born in Örebro, Sweden
- Jul 6 Allyce Beasley, American actress (Agnes Dipesto-Moonlighting), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jul 6 James Kiberd, American actor (Trevor Dillon-Loving, All My Children), born in Providence, Rhode Island
Willie Randolph (69 years old)
Jul 6 MLB second baseman and manager (NY Mets), born in Holly Hill, South Carolina
Andre Dawson (69 years old)
Jul 10 American Baseball HOF outfielder (8 × MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1987 Chicago Cubs; NL Rookie of the Year 1977 Montreal Expos; 8 × Gold Glove Award), born in Miami, Florida
- Jul 10 Gene Holder, American rock bassist (the dBs; Yo La Tango), born in North Carolina
- Jul 10 José González, Peruvian soccer goalkeeper (20 caps; Alianza Lima), born in Lima, Peru (d. 1987)
- Jul 10 Neil Tennant, English singer and songwriter (Pet Shop Boy - "West End Girl"), born in North Shields, Northumberland, England
- Jul 12 Wolfgang Dremmler, German soccer defensive midfielder (27 caps West Germany; Eintracht Braunschweig, FC Bayern Munich), born in Salzgitter, Germany
- Jul 13 Danitra Vance, American comedienne (SNL, 1985), and actress (Jumpin' At The Boneyard), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1994)
- Jul 13 David Thompson, American NBA guard, 1975-84, 4X All-Star (Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics), born in Shelby, North Carolina
- Jul 13 Louise Mandrell, American country singer (Mandrell Sisters), born in Corpus Christi, Texas
- Jul 13 Ray "Candles" Bright, Australian cricket slow-left armer (1977-86)
- Jul 13 Rick Chartraw, American NHL ice hockey defenseman, 1974-84 (Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and 2 other teams), born in Caracas, Venezuela
- Jul 13 Sezen Aksu [Yıldırım], Turkish pop singer-songwriter ("Şımarık" - "Kiss Kiss"), born in Sarayköy, Turkey
- Jul 14 Jos Zoomer, Dutch rock drummer (Vandenberg), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jul 14 R. Sarathkumar, Indian actor (Nattamai), director and politician, born in New Delhi, India
- Jul 15 Boris Polak, Israeli sports shooter (1994 World Champion), born in Moldova
- Jul 16 Jeanette Mott Oxford, American activist and politician, born in Eldorado, Illinois
Angela Merkel (69 years old)
Jul 17 German politician, Chancellor of Germany (2005-2021), born in Hamburg, West Germany
Eduardo Romero (1954-2022)
Jul 17 Argentine golfer (Tradition 2006, US Senior Open 2008), born in Córdoba, Argentina
- Jul 17 J. Michael Straczynski, American television screenwriter, producer, comic book writer and director (Babylon 5; Jeremiah; Changeling), born in Paterson, New Jersey
- Jul 18 Imtiaz Ali, West Indian cricketer (brother of Inshan One Test WI v India 1976), born in Maraval, Trinidad
- Jul 18 Ricky Skaggs, American country singer ("Heartbroke"; "Toy Hearts"), born in Cordell, Kentucky
- Jul 18 Robert Cameron, CFL punter (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
- Jul 18 Tobias Picker, American composer (Emmeline), born in New York City
- Jul 19 Srđa Trifković, Serbian-American journalist and foreign affairs editor (Chronicles), born in Belgrade, Serbia
- Jul 20 Jay Jay French [Segall], American rock guitarist (Twisted Sister), born in New York City
- Jul 20 Moira Harris, American stage and screen actress (Steppenwolf Theater; One More Saturday Night), born in Pontiac, Michigan
- Jul 22 Al Di Meola, American jazz-fusion guitarist (Return To Forever; Elegant Gypsy), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jul 22 Pierre Lebeau, Canadian actor
- Jul 23 Marisa DeFranco, Canadian pop keyboard player (The DeFranco Family - "Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat"), born in Port Colborne, Ontario
- Jul 23 Saúl Lorenzo Rivero, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (9 caps; Liverpool de Montevideo, Atlético Español México), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2022)
- Jul 24 Philippe Alliot, French Formula One race driver, born in Voves, France
- Jul 24 Vasile Dîba, Romanian sprint canoeist (Olympic gold K-1 500m 1976; ICF World C'ships 5 x gold), born in Jurilovca, Romania (d. 2024)
- Jul 25 Ken Greer, Canadian rock guitarist (Red Rider - "Lunatic Fringe"; "Big League"), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Jul 25 Lynne Frederick, English actress (Schizophrenia), born in Middlesex, England (d. 1994)
Walter Payton (1954-1999)
Jul 25 American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), born in Columbia, Mississippi
- Jul 26 Lawrence Watt-Evans, American sci-fi author (Hugo, Sword of Bheleu), born in Arlington, Massachusetts
Vitas Gerulaitis (1954-1994)
Jul 26 Lithuanian-American tennis player (Australian Open 1977; Wimbledon doubles 1975), born in Brooklyn, New York
Hugo Chávez (1954-2013)
Jul 28 President of Venezuela (1998-2013), born in Sabaneta, Barinas State, Venezuela
- Jul 28 Mikey Sheehy, Irish Gaelic football right corner-forward (11 x Munster titles, 8 x All-Ireland, 3 x NFL, 7 x All Star; Kerry), born in Tralee, Ireland
- Jul 28 Steve Morse, American rock guitarist (Dixie Dregs; Deep Purple, 1994-present), born in Hamilton, Ohio
- Jul 29 Gary Springer, American actor (Bernice Bobs Her Hair), born in New York City
- Jul 30 Ken Olin, American actor (Thirtysomething; Brothers & Sisters), and director (Alias; This Is Us), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Weddings
Groucho Marx
Jul 17 Master of quick wit and widely considered one of the best comedians of the modern era Groucho Marx (63) weds actress Eden Hartford (24); divorce in 1969
- Jul 31 American comedian Steve Allen (32) weds American actress Jayne Meadows (35), in Waterford, Connecticut, until his death in 2000
Steve Allen
Jul 31 American television personality and songwriter Steve Allen (32) weds American actress Jayne Meadows (33) in Waterford, Connecticut (second marriage for both), until his death in 2000
Famous Deaths
- Jul 3 Siegfried Handloser, German military physician (WWI; WWII - Chief of Armed Services Medical Services, 1942-44), and convicted Nazi war criminal, dies of cancer at 69
- Jul 6 Dirk Verbeek, Dutch actor and director (Hofstad Stage), dies at 70
- Jul 7 Vincas Krevė-Mickevičius, Lithuanian poet, philologist and playwright (founder of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences), dies at 71
- Jul 9 Henri Dillon, French composer (Arlequin), dies in combat in Indo-China at 41
- Jul 10 Calogero Vizzini, Sicilian Mafia boss, dies at 76
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
Jul 13 Mexican painter who explored questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender and race in Mexican society, dies of a pulmonary embolism at 47
- Jul 13 Grantland Rice, American sportswriter (New York Herald Tribune 1914-30, Colliers 1925-37), dies from a stroke at 73
- Jul 13 Irving Pichel, American actor and director ("Madame Butterfly"; "Oliver Twist"), dies at 63
- Jul 14 Jacinto Benavente y Martinez, Spanish playwright (Nobel Prize for Literature 1922), dies at 87 [1]
- Jul 14 Jackie Saunders, American silent screen actress (b. 1892)
- Jul 17 Dirk Berend Nanninga, Dutch painter, dies at 85
George "Machine Gun" Kelly (1895-1954)
Jul 18 American gangster during the Prohibition era, dies at 59
- Jul 19 Jean Roger-Ducasse, French composer, dies at 81
- Jul 20 Blair Moody, American journalist (US Senator (D)-Michigan, 1951-52), dies at 52
- Jul 24 Mary Church Terrell, American educator and civil rights activist (co-founder and President National Association of Colored Women, dies at 90
- Jul 26 Ruth Bryan Owen, American politician (first woman appointed as a U.S. ambassador, Denmark 1933-36), dies at 68
- Jul 29 Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (World Alllround Speed Skating champion 1905), dies at 75
- Jul 31 Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (b. 1923)
