July 1 in Pop Culture History

July 1 Facts, Fun Trivia and History

July 1 History Highlights

  • The first TV commercial aired on July 1, 1941. Bulova Watches paid for the 10-second spot, shown before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies at Ebbets Field.
  • 1847 – The first US postage stamps were issued (Ben Franklin 5 cents & George Washington 10 cents)
  • 1848 – The first publication of a photograph in a newspaper, in L’illustraion Journel Universel
  • 1862 – The Internal Revenue Service was established
  • 1874 – The Philadelphia ‘America’s Oldest’ Zoo opened
  • July 1, 1899 Birthday (fictional) Indiana Jones, Movies
  • 1941 – NBC became broadcasting from the Empire State Building, NYC
  • 1916 WWI – The Battle of Somme began, lasting until November 13
  • 1963 – The US Zip (Zone Improvement Plan) Codes were inaugurated
  • 1968 – Medicare went to effect (USA)
  • If you were born on July 1st,
    You were likely conceived the week of… October 8th (prior year)

America’s First Zoo

In the United States the Philadelphia Zoological Garden, opened July 1, 1874, is known as “America’s First Zoo.” It was planned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, but its opening was delayed due to the Civil War until July 1, 1874. When the zoo opened, it featured 1,000 animals and the admission price was 25 cents

The United States is home to 230 accredited zoos and aquariums. These facilities play a major role in conserving endangered species, as well as providing people with the opportunity for animal-themed entertainment.

July First is Resolution Renewal Day, 6 months after New Years resolutions
The first full week in July is Be Nice to Jersey Week

July 1 is…

American Zoo Day
Canada Day
Devotion to Duty Day
Early Bird Day
International Chicken Wing Day
National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
National Gingersnap Day
National Postal Workers Day /U.S. Postage Stamp Day
Second Half of the New Year Day

July 1 Birthday Quotes

“Perhaps in time, the so-called Dark Ages will be thought of as including our own.”
– Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (born July 1, 1742)

“It’s hard to keep on being civil when they ask you such annoying questions.”
Olivia de Havilland

“We’re on a mission from God.
– Elwood J. Blues (Dan Akroyd), in The Blues Brothers

“Give credit where credit is due: simply said, if you want loyalty and best effort, you must be thoughtful.”
– Estée Lauder

“Family is the most important thing in the world.”
– Diana, Princess of Wales

“You can make your life whatever you want it to be”
– Wally Amos

“One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness — simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience.”
– George Sand

“Eventually you just have to realize that you’re living for an audience of one. I’m not here for anyone else’s approval.”
– Pamela Anderson

July 1 Birthdays

1742 – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (died on February 24, 1799)
1804 – George Sand, French novelist (died on June 8, 1876)
1807 – Thomas Green Clemson, American politician and educator, founded Clemson University
1899 – Charles Laughton, English-American actor (died in 1962)
1899 – Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek scholar and politician, President of Greece (died in 1987)
1906 – Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded the Estée Lauder Companies (died in 2004)
1912 – Sally Kirkland, American journalist (died in 1989)
1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-American actress
1924 – Florence Stanley, American actress (died in 2003)
1934 – Jamie Farr, American actor
1934 – Jean Marsh, English actress
1935 – David Prowse, English actor
1936 – Wally Amos, American entrepreneur and founder of Famous Amos
1939 – Karen Black, American actress (died in 2013)
1941 – Twyla Tharp, American dancer and choreographer
1945 – Debbie Harry, American singer-songwriter and actress
1950 – David Duke, American white supremacist
1951 – Fred Schneider, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (B-52s)
1952 – Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor and screenwriter
1960 – Evelyn “Champagne” King, American soul/disco singer
1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales (died on August 31, 1997)
1967 – Pamela Anderson, Canadian-American model and actress
1982 – Hilarie Burton, American actress
1995 – Savvy Shields, Miss America 2017
2001 – Chosen Jacobs, American actor

July 1 History

1770 – Lexell’s Comet passed closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history.

1819 – Johann Georg Tralles discovered the Great Comet of 1819, (C/1819 N1). It was the first comet analyzed using polarimetry, by François Arago.

1874 – The Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful typewriter, went on sale.

1881 – The world’s first international telephone call was made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States.

1898 – The Battle of San Juan Hill was fought in Santiago de Cuba. (Spanish-American War)

July 1, 1899 Birthday (fictional) Indiana Jones, Indian Jones, Movies

1903 – The first Tour de France bicycle race began.

1908 – SOS was adopted as the international distress signal. Three dits, three dahs, and three dits – SOS is the only nine-element signal in Morse code.

July 1, 1941 – The first commercial aired before an MLB game between the Dodgers and the Phillies. It was for Bulova Watches.

1943 – Tokyo City merged with the Tokyo Prefecture area and was dissolved. Since this date, no city in Japan actually has the name “Tokyo” – that is, present-day Tokyo is not officially a city.

1952 – The Liberace Show debuted on KLAC-Tv in Los Angeles.

1963 – ZIP codes were introduced for US mail.

1965 – Maurice Masse, a farmer, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France said he was ‘frozen’ by aliens while investigating the strange noises they were making.

1967 – #1 Hit July 1, 1967 – July 28, 1967: The Association – Windy

1971 – The Post Office Department (1792 – 1971) became the United States Postal Service

1972 – #1 Hit July 1, 1972 – July 7, 1972: Neil Diamond – Song Sung Blue

1972 – The first Gay Pride march in England took place.

July 1, 1976 – The Apple I was released.

1979 – Sony introduced the Walkman (in Japan).

1980 – O Canada officially became the national anthem of Canada.

1985 – A&E separated from sister channel Nickelodeon.

1984 – The PG-13 rating was introduced by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

1985 – Nike-at-Nite began on Nickelodeon

1989 – #1 Hit July 1, 1989 – July 7, 1989: Milli Vanilli – Baby Don’t Forget My Number

1991 – Court TV, which later became truTV, began airing in the US.

2006 – #1 Hit July 1, 2006 – July 7, 2006: Taylor Hicks – Do I Make You Proud

2007 – Smoking in England was banned in all public indoor spaces.

2007 – The Concert for Diana was held at the new Wembley Stadium in London and broadcast in 140 countries, on which would have been her 46th birthday.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Seven Virtues #6- Prudence is care of and moderation with money.

If people thought before they spoke… the world would be a quieter place.

The Turboencabulator is a fictional device whose alleged existence is an in-joke amongst engineers.

Historians believe Sacagawea died in 1812 at 24…or 1884 at 94. They are not sure.

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” – Pablo Picasso

Neanderthals didn’t rely on lightning strikes to make fire, instead, they used chemistry, by putting manganese dioxide on wood to lower the temperature required to create a flame.

The Capital of Samoa is Apia

A sequel to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off would probably just be his son trying to find a way to skip school since his dad knows all the tricks. #idwatchthat

There’s only one country between North Korea and Norway.

Madonna did her own hair and make-up and supplied her own wardrobe in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan.’

Turkey is first at tea consumption per person while Ireland is second and the UK is third.

In 30-40 years there’ll be “took a selfie every day” videos of people going from children to elderly.

One of the most depressing things about getting older is that the probability of becoming a superhero keeps decreasing.

Stevie Wonder – Real Name: Steveland Judkins

Music is the universal language that we all understand.

Many multi-millionaires were, at one point, one step away from jail, and many inmates were, at one point, one step away from becoming multi-millionaires.

More Pop Culture History Resources