 |
July 5th Today in History
|
Famous People & Celebrities Born on July 5th:
- P.T. Barnum
(1810) - Often called "The Greatest Showman on Earth, his initials stand for "Phineas Taylor." Although Barnum is credited with the saying, "There's a sucker born every minute," he never said it. Barnum DID make other notable statements such as, "The bigger the humbug, the better the people will like it" and "Every crowd has a silver lining." One of his first money-making attractions took place in 1830 when he convinced people that an elderly black woman was George Washington's childhood nurse. Barnum's other sideshow attractions included the first Bearded Lady, Jumbo the Giant Elephant and General Tom Thumb, a midget. Barnum had his flops as well as hits. He once wanted to move the ruins of Pompeii to the United States and he tried to buy Niagara Falls so he could put a fence around it and charge admission. Barnum was 70 years old when he started the Barnum & Bailey Circus with partner James Bailey. Barnum was the first carnival-circus operator to sell peanuts as a concession treat. He came up with the idea after running out of regular concession so he raided the supply of peanuts used to feed his circus animals. In 1864 several members of the Republican party encouraged him to run as vice president of the United States. Barnum died in 1891.
- Sylvester W. Graham
(1794) - He's the inventor of the graham cracker.
- Bengt Lagerberg
(1973) - The Cardigans. The Swedish pop band surprised a lot of folks by covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Iron Man" -- but Ozzy himself enjoyed it. The master of metal says that of all the bands who have covered "Iron Man," the Cardigans are the only rockers to do it in a unique way. The group reportedly worships Ozzy so much that the members always lower their voices in reverence whenever they say his name.
- Julie Nixon Eisenhower
(1948) - Daughter of President Richard Nixon.
- Huey Lewis
(1950) - The singer was born Hugh Anthony Cregg III. In 1984 Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr., claiming Parker's "Ghostbusters" tune was a rip off of "I Want a New Drug." Lewis once used the name "Huey Louie" while playing with a San Francisco band known as "Clover." Before Lewis attended college he scored a perfect 800 on the mathematics section of the SAT test. Lewis hits: "Doing It All For My Baby" (1987) "Power of Love" (1985), "Heart And Soul" (1983). Lewis states he was born in 1950 not 1951 as reported by some sources.
- "Goose" Gossage
(1951) - The former major league relief pitcher played for nine teams during his 22 year career -- including two stints with the New York Yankees.
- Edie Falco
(1963) - Plays Carmela Soprano on The Soprano.
Famous and Noteworthy Events on July 5th:
(1865) - The Salvation Army was formed in London by William Booth. Its officers are ordained ministers who have vowed to serve the organization for life. An American branch of the Salvation Army was formed in New York City 15 years later.
(1935) - Workers were guaranteed the right to organize and bargain collectively as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was signed into law.
(1942) - Ian Fleming -- the man who would later create agent 007 James Bond -- graduated from a top-secret espionage training center in Oshawa, Ontario.
(1946) - The bikini swimsuit made its public debut at a Paris fashion show. The suit was created by designer Louis Reard who said his new design was the "ultimate" bathing suit, so he named it after the "ultimate" weapon: the atomic bomb which was tested four days earlier over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. Reard also referred to his creation as "four triangles of nothing."
(1950) - The first American casualty in the Korean conflict occurred on this day.
(1954) - A nervous Elvis Presley made his first commercial recording session at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The session went on for hours without any satisfactory takes, but during a break, a more relaxed Elvis picked up his guitar and played the blues tune "That's All Right (Mama)." Everyone in the studio liked what they heard and the tune became Elvis' first hit.
(1954) - Bill Haley and the Comets broke into the Top 20 with the single "Shake, Rattle and Roll."
(1975) - Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors and became the first African-American to win the Wimbledon men's singles tennis championship.
MORE HISTORIC BIRTHS & EVENTS IN JULY :
|
|
