Today is Saturday July 11th. I scoured the internet to find interesting facts and events that occurred on this day from as far back as 1859 to 2009. I hope these facts and events make you smile and help you learn something you might not have known. So here we go!
We start with 1859. In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.We will show you a Picture from 1859 and even a historical video about Big Ben.
1955 – U.S.A. ‘In God We Trust’
1955 : President Eisenhower signed a bill requiring use of the inscription ‘In God We Trust’ on all paper money. “On this day in 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase “under God” inserted into the pledge of allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency. The phrase had been placed on U.S. coins since the Civil War when, according to the historical association of the United States Treasury, religious sentiment reached a peak. Eisenhower’s treasury secretary, George Humphrey, had suggested adding the phrase to paper currency as well.
Although some historical accounts claim Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah’s Witness, most presidential scholars now believe his family was Mennonite. Either way, Eisenhower abandoned his family’s religion before entering the Army, and took the unusual step of being baptized relatively late in his adult life as a Presbyterian. The baptism took place in 1953, barely a year into his first term as president.
Although Eisenhower embraced religion, biographers insist he never intended to force his beliefs on anyone. In fact, the chapel-like structure near where he and his wife Mamie are buried on the grounds of his presidential library is called the “Place of Meditation” and is intentionally inter-denominational. At a Flag Day speech in 1954, he elaborated on his feelings about the place of religion in public life when he discussed why he had wanted to include “under God” in the pledge of allegiance: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”
The first paper money with the phrase “In God We Trust” was not printed until 1957. Since then, religious and secular groups have argued over the appropriateness and constitutionality of a motto that mentions “God,” considering the founding father’s dedication to maintaining the separation of church and state”.(History) https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-eisenhower-signs-in-god-we-trust-into-law
To learn more about Dwight Eisenhower please click the link. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/dwight-d-eisenhower/
July 12, 1962: The Day Information Went Global
“Telstar was launched by NASA on July 10, 1962, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and was the first privately sponsored space-faring mission. Two days later, it relayed the world’s first transatlantic television signal, from Andover Earth Station, Maine, to the Pleumeur-Bodou Telecom Center, Brittany, France.
Developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories for AT&T, Telstar was the world’s first active communications satellite and the world’s first commercial payload in space. It demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting information via satellite, gained experience in satellite tracking and studied the effect of Van Allen radiation belts on satellite design. The satellite was spin-stabilized to maintain its desired orientation in space. Power to its onboard equipment was provided by a solar array, in conjunction with a battery back-up system.
Although operational for only a few months and relaying television signals of a brief duration, Telstar immediately captured the imagination of the world. The first images, those of President John F. Kennedy and of singer Yves Montand from France, along with clips of sporting events, images of the American flag waving in the breeze and a still image of Mount Rushmore, were precursors of the global communications that today are mostly taken for granted.
Telstar operated in a low-Earth orbit and was tracked by the ground stations in Maine and France. Each ground station had a large microwave antenna mounted on bearings, to permit tracking the satellite during the approximately half-hour period of each orbit when it was overhead. The signals from Telstar were received and amplified by a low-noise “maser” (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation), the predecessor of the modern laser. After demonstrating the feasibility of the concept, subsequent communications satellites adopted a much higher orbit, at 22,300 miles above the Earth, at which the satellite’s speed matched the Earth’s rotation and thus appeared fixed in the sky. During the course of its operational lifespan, Telstar 1 facilitated over 400 telephone, telegraph, facsimile and television transmissions. It operated until November 1962, when its on-board electronics failed due to the effects of radiation”. (NASA) https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/telstar.html
1962- The Telstar satellite, the first active communications satellite, is launched by AT&T, inspiring the Tornadoes’ instrumental hit of the same name later that year.
The Newlywed Game – ABC – August 7, 1969
1969- David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” single is rush-released to beat the moon landing, which happens nine days later.
1996- The night before a show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin dies at age 34 after shooting heroin with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who is fired from the band a few days later (he returns to the fold in 1999). The Sarah McLachlan song “Angel” is inspired by Melvoin’s death.
2009
2009- “Boom Boom Pow,” after spending 12 weeks at #1, is replaced by another Black Eyed Peas song, “I Gotta Feelin’.”
I hope this post has Entertained you and Educated you as well. If this post amused you or made you think, please Share it with your friends and Groups. If you want to continue seeing my posts and don’t want to miss any, be sure to Subscribe via my Home page. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Until we meet again, Stay safe and Sane.
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