July 20 in Pop Culture History

July 20 Facts, Fun Trivia and History

July 20 History Highlights

  • 1874 – A plague of locusts swarmed the American Midwest.
  • 1944 – Adolf Hitler survived a bombing assassination attempt.
  • 1968 – The Special Olympics was started.
  • 1969 – American Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
  • 1969, Micheal Collins, one of the Apollo 11 astronauts, became the loneliest human ever when he orbited the dark side of the moon and lost all radio contact with Earth and his fellow astronauts for 48 minutes. #moonlanding
  • 2012 – A mass shooting occurred in an Aurora, CO movie theater, killing 12 and wounding 58 people.
  • If you were born on July 20th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… October 27th (prior year)

National Fortune Cookie Day

Although associated with Chinese-American food, Japanese-American Makoto Hagiwara (August 15, 1854 – September 12, 1925) is often credited with the invention of the fortune cookie in California in 1915. He was a Japanese-born American landscape designer responsible for the maintenance and expansion of the Japanese Tea Garden and Tea House at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, from 1895 until his death in 1925. Chinese immigrant David Jung also claimed to create the cookie in 1918.

In the 19th century, a cookie very similar in appearance to the modern fortune cookie was made in Kyoto, Japan. The Japanese version of this treat differs from its Western counterpart by being larger and darker; containing sesame seeds instead of vanilla butter for flavor; and also because it is part of an ancient temple tradition that dates back nearly 1,500 years ago called omikuji.

Five potential Fortune Cookie origins

July 20 is…

Nap Day
National Fortune Cookie Day
National Lollipop Day
National Moon Walk Day
Space Exploration Day
Ugly Truck Day
World Jump Day

July 20 Birthday Quotes

“Happiness is not a destination or an experience. It’s a decision.”
– Carlos Santana

“Without Knowledge, Skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, Strength cannot be brought to bear and without Strength, Knowledge may not be applied.”
– Alexander the Great

“I feel that nothing important ever happens that is not revealed to me beforehand.”
– Anne Hutchinson

“I used to work in jobs I hated because I needed the money to buy a guitar. I know what it feels like to be depressed. On the other hand, I also know what it feels like to have money, to be successful, to be independent, but I can tell you that money and success never solve your problems.”
– Chris Cornell

“The only way you find what your limits are is by pushing them.”
– Terri Irwin

“Maybe at this stage in my career, it’s from that younger generation that I have most to learn.”
– Diana Rigg

“There is divinity in your DNA. Live your light.”
– Carlos Santana

July 20 Birthdays

356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (died in 323 BC)
1591 – Anne Hutchinson, English Puritan preacher (died in 1643)
1822 – Gregor Mendel, Austro-German monk, geneticist and botanist (died in 1884)
1924 – Lola Albright, American actress and singer (died in 2017)
1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress
1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter (died in 1999)
1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American novelist
1938 – Diana Rigg, English actress
1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (died in 1981)
1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer-songwriter
1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1964 – Chris Cornell, American singer-songwriter (died in 2017)
1964 – Terri Irwin, American-Australian zoologist and author
1968 – Kool G Rap, American hip-hop artist
1971 – Sandra Oh, Canadian actress
1972 – Vitamin C, American singer-songwriter
1973 – Omar Epps, American actor
1975 – Judy Greer, American actress
1988 – Julianne Hough, American dancer
1991 – Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015

July 20 History

1903 – The Ford Motor Company shipped its first car.

1938 – The United States Department of Justice filed suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system.

1940 – California opened its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

1950The Arthur Murray Party TV Show premiered. Originally on ABC, it eventually moved through DuMont, CBS, and NBC.

1960 – The Polaris missile was successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.

1963 – #1 Hit July 20, 1963 – August 2, 1963: Jan and Dean – Surf City

1968 – #1 Hit July 20, 1968 – August 2, 1968: Hugh Masekela – Grazing in the Grass

1969 – In a live transmission from the Moon was viewed by 720 million people around the world, with the landing of Apollo 11, at 10:56 p.m. EDT, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the Moon, live on international television.

1976 – The American Viking 1 spacecraft successfully landed on Mars.

1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency released documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind-control experiments.

1982 – The Provisional IRA detonated two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and killing seven horses.

1991 – #1 Hit July 20, 1991 – July 26, 1991: EMF – Unbelievable

1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrated its 200th birthday by setting sail again for the first time in 116 years.

2005Criss Angel Mindfreak debuted on A&E.

2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalized same-sex marriage in Canada.

2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.

2015 – The United States and Cuba resumed full diplomatic relations after five decades.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Henry Cavill only has 43 lines in Batman v Superman.

All of Dear Abby’s advice can be consolidated into 4 points, talk to the other person, talk to a therapist, never talk to that person again, and mind your own business.

The average American eats approximately 1,500 PB & J sandwiches before graduating from high school.

Every time I see a piano I try to play it. I guess just to check if I’m one of those savants who wakes up and can play Beethoven from the heart. I’m not.

The Capital of Morocco is Rabat

Nearly half the gold ever mined has come from one place: Witwatersrand, South Africa.

“At least three times every day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.” – Lee Jampolsky

“hhgregg” llookss mmisspelledd.

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” – Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part II, 1974

Black boxes on aircraft are generally orange/red and not, in fact, black.

The ISS has a treadmill on it named Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (C.O.L.B.E.R.T.), after Stephen Colbert.

Thanks to the popularity of gifs, we are living in the second golden age of silent films.

Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas dropped out of high school but picked up his GED in 1993. His GED class voted him Most Likely to Succeed.

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