July 12 in Pop Culture History

July 12 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

July 12 History Highlights

  • 1862 – The United States Congress authorizes the US Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious personal military decoration
  • 1930 – Bobby Jones won the first “Grand Slam of Golf” – US Open, British Open, British Amateur, US Amateur.
  • 1962 – The Rolling Stones performed together live for the first time, at London’s Marquee Club.
  • If you were born on July 12th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… October 19th (prior year)

Etch A Sketch

The Etch A Sketch was introduced near the peak of the Baby Boom on July 12, 1960 for $2.99. It went on to sell 600,000 units that year and is one of the best-known toys of that era, and over 100,000,000 have been sold to date.

In 1998, it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong, in Rochester, New York. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Etch A Sketch to its Century of Toys List, commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century.

Etch A Sketch is a mechanical drawing toy invented by André Cassagnes of France and subsequently manufactured by the Ohio Art Company and now owned by Spin Master of Toronto, Canada. Originally featuring a glass visual; frame, it was changed to plastic for children’s safety.

An Etch A Sketch has a thick, flat gray screen in a red plastic frame. There are two knobs on the front of the frame in the lower corners. Twisting the knobs moves a stylus that displaces aluminum powder on the back of the screen, leaving a solid, dark line, then the knobs create lineographic images. To erase the picture, the user turns the toy upside down and shakes it. The left control moves the stylus horizontally, and the right one moves it vertically.

The toy was featured in 1995’s Pixar film, Toy Story.

July 12 is…

Different Colored Eyes Day
Etch A Sketch Day
National Eat Your Jell-O Day
National Pecan Pie Day
New Conversations Day
Orangemen’s Day
Paper Bag Day
Simplicity Day

July 12 Birthday Quotes

“Without training, they lacked knowledge. Without knowledge, they lacked confidence. Without confidence, they lacked victory.”
– Julius Caesar

“Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant. Don’t burden yourself with possessions. Keep your needs and wants simple and enjoy what you have. Don’t destroy your peace of mind by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present. Simplify!”
– Henry David Thoreau

“Most artists look for something fresh to paint; frankly I find that quite boring. For me it is much more exciting to find fresh meaning in something familiar.”
– Andrew Wyeth

“It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.”
– Claude Bernard

“Number one, like yourself.
Number two, you have to eat healthy.
And number three, you’ve got to squeeze your buns.
That’s my formula.”
– Richard Simmons

“Well, do anything, if you do something right, we’ll use it, and if you do something wrong, we’ll fix it, but do something and do it now.”
– Louis B. Mayer

July 12 Birthdays

100 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (died in 44 BC)
1813 – Claude Bernard, French physiologist and academic (died in 1878)
1817 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (died in 1862)
1854 – George Eastman, American businessman, founded Eastman Kodak (died in 1933)
1884 – Louis B. Mayer, Russian-American film producer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (died in 1957)
1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American director, producer, and songwriter (died in 1960)
1899 – E.D. ‘Edgar Daniel’ Nixon, American civil rights leader (died in 1987)
1908 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (died in 2002)
1909 – Joe ‘Curly Joe’ DeRita, American actor, #6 of the 3 Stooges (died in 1993)
1909 – Herbert Zim, American naturalist, author, and educator (died in 1994)
1917 – Andrew Wyeth, American artist (died in 2009)
1923 – James E. Gunn, American science fiction author
1937 – Bill Cosby, American actor, comedian and felon
1943 – Christine McVie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1948 – Walter Egan, American singer-songwriter
1948 – Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer
1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress
1956 – Mel Harris, American actress
1956 – Sandi Patty, American singer
1958 – J. D. Hayworth, American politician and radio host
1958 – Tonya Lee Williams, English-Canadian actress
1969 – Lisa Nicole Carson, American actress
1971 – Loni Love, American comedian and actress
1977 – Brock Lesnar, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
1978 – Topher Grace, American actor
1978 – Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
1980 – Kristen Connolly, American actress
1990 – Rachel Brosnahan, American actress

July 12 History

927 – Æthelstan, King of England, secured a pledge from Constantine II of Scotland that the latter would not ally with Viking kings, beginning the process of unifying Great Britain. This is considered by most historians to the closest thing that England has to a foundation date.

1543 – King Henry VIII of England married his sixth (and last) wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.

1862 – The Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress. In 1990, Congress designated March 25 annually as “National Medal of Honor Day.”

1894 – Eight units for the measurement of electrical magnitudes were adopted in US law when President Grover Cleveland signed an Act of Congress “to define and establish the units of electrical measure” for the ohm, ampere, volt, coulomb, farad, joule, watt, and the henry. #standards

1952 – #1 Hit July 12, 1952 – September 12, 1952: Vera Lynn – Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart

1970 – The US patent (#105,338) for an improved process to produce celluloid, the first synthetic plastic, was awarded to John Wesley Hyatt, Jr.

1920 – The Panama Canal was formally dedicated, although it had the first ship passed through several years earlier.

1962 – The Rolling Stones performed their first concert, at the Marquee Club in London, England, United Kingdom.

1969 – #1 Hit July 12, 1969 – August 22, 1969: Zager and Evans – In the Year 2525

1976 – Family Feud debuted on ABC (later on CBS & in syndication)

1986 – #1 Hit July 12, 1986 – July 18, 1986: Simply Red – Holding Back the Years

1990 – Norther Exposure debuted on CBS

1997Oz premiered on HBO

2002 – Monk premiered on the USA Network

2003 – #1 Hit July 12, 2003 – September 5, 2003: Beyonce featuring Jay-Z – Crazy in Love

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“I love firm hugs. Statues are so affectionate. Well, at least compared to my ex-wife.” – Jarod Kintz

The program Weapon X, which created Wolverine, is actually meant to be read as “Weapon 10.” Captain America is “Weapon 1.”

Peter Finch – Real Name: Ian Mitchell

The longest one-syllable word we could find in the English language is “screeched.”

People who say “no pun intended” usually intended it.

We don’t see any technological predictions of the future like in the ’80s, because we are the future.

James Earl Jones was originally paid $7,000 for voicing Darth Vader

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin

The sounds made by the Brachiosaurs in Jurassic Park were a mix of whale and donkey sounds.

The word ‘skunk’ comes from an Algonquian phrase for “peeing fox.”

The Breakfast Club, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science were all filmed in Highland Park, Illinois.

The Seven Virtues #3- Charity is a concern for, and active helping of, others.

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