July 21 in Pop Culture History

Posted by Joe Hummel IIIPosted 2 months ago July 21, 2023

July 21 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

July 21 History Highlights

1861 – Confederate troops defeated the Union at the (1st) Battle of Bull Run.
1873 – Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang held the first successful train robbery in the American West.
1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
1949 – The United States Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty.
If you were born on July 21st,
You were likely conceived the week of… October 28th (prior year)

Invite an Alien to Live with You Day

Invite an Alien to Live with You Day is a day for Mork and Mindy’s fans. Fans come together on the anniversary of Robin Williams, who played the character “Mork” from Ork in this TV show. The day is also an opportunity to remember and celebrate the life of Robin Willams.

Some of his biggest roles were in The World According to Garp, Moscow on the Hudson, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Flubber, The Birdcage, Good Will Hunting, the Night at the Museum trilogy, and Good Morning, Vietnam. He was nominated for Best Actor for Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, and Good Morning, Vietnam, and won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Good Will Hunting.

July 21 is…

Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
Legal Drinking Age Day
National Be Someone Day
National Junk Food Day
National Tug-Of-War Tournament Day
No Pet Store Puppies Day
Take a Monkey to Lunch Day

July 21 Birthday Quotes

“Before you react, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you quit, try.”
– Ernest Hemingway

“When you work with words, words are your work.”
– Don Knotts

“Where there’s smoke, there’s bound to be mirrors.”
– Garry Trudeau

“We must look to the heavens… for the measure of the earth.”
– Jean Picard

“Self-pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure, and separates the victim from reality.”
– John Gardner

“Rock and roll is a nuclear blast of reality in a mundane world where no one is allowed to be magnificent.”
– Kim Fowley

Take your time, think a lot,
Why think of everything you’ve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
– Cat Stevens

“Nobody with a victim mentality will get anywhere. Ever. They will never succeed.”
– Jon Lovitz

July 21 Birthdays

1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (died in 1682)
1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist, founded Reuters (died in 1899)
1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (died in 1979)
1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (died in 1961)
1922 – Kay Starr, American singer (died in 2016)
1924 – Don Knotts, American actor and screenwriter (died in 2006)
1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (died in 2009)
1933 – John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, and critic (died in 1982)
1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician (died in 2016)
1939 – Kim Fowley, American songwriter, producer and manager (died in 2015)
1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
1951 – Robin Williams (died in 2014)
1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedic actor
1969 – Godfrey, American comedian and actor
1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
1989 – Rory Culkin, American actor
1991 – Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model

July 21 History

356 BC
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was destroyed by arson.

1865
In Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt in what is considered the first Western Showdown.

1902
Willis Carrier showed his air conditioner concept in Buffalo, New York. #popculturehero

1918
German submarine attacked Orleans, Massachusetts, hitting a tugboat and four barges and striking the beach with shells. This was the only time the continental United States was shelled during World War I.

1919
The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashed into Chicago’s Illinois Trust and Savings Building, killing 12 people.

1925
In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.

1938
Mount Sanford – 16,237 ft (4,949 m) – Alaska, USA – First ascent: July 21, 1938, by Terris Moore and Bradford Washburn

1949
The United States Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO).

1952
(Earthquake) California/Arizona/Nevada

1961
Piloting Liberty Bell 7, Gus Grissom became the second American to go into space.

1973
#1 Hit July 21, 1973 – August 3, 1973: Jim Croce – Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

1979
Jay Silverheels became the first Native American to have a star commemorated on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1983
The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location was recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica (-128.6 °F, -89.2 °C).

1990
#1 Hit July 21, 1990 – August 3, 1990: Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown – She Ain’t Worth It

2006
July 21, 2006, Read It and Weep aired on The Disney Channel

2011
NASA’s Space Shuttle program ended with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135.

2012
Erden Eruccompletes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world via several boats.

2018
#1 Hit July 21, 2018 – September 28, 2018: Drake – In My Feelings

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Capital of Montenegro is Podgorica

Swedish wasn’t made the official language of Sweden until 2009.

“Acronym” is not an acronym, there is no homonym for “Homonym”, “Phonetically” is not pronounced phonetically, there is a silent letter “Onomatopoeia”, and there can’t even be a synonym for “Synonym”.

A group of Hawks (at rest) is called a Cast.

“You’re gonna need a beggir boat.” – Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) in Jaws, 1975

All champagne is produced in the Champagne region in France. Otherwise, it is called sparkling wine.

Call me old-fashioned, but if I had dated someone who turned out to be a reptilian lizard shape-shifter, my first question would be wondering if she was actually still a girl.

“Life is a series of commas, not periods.” – Matthew McConaughey

Five Card Poker Odds, nothing wild: Two Pair – Two different sets of matched numbered or “face” cards, 1 in 20

Bugs Bunny’s accent is an equal blend of the Bronx and Brooklyn dialects.

In 100 years, will the laptops of writers be in museums as what they wrote their masterpieces on, like Conan Doyle’s notebook is on display now?