Table of Contents July 7 Fun Facts, Trivia and History |
July 7 History Highlights |
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World Chocolate Day |
The celebration of World Chocolate Day is all about the consumption of chocolate. Chocolate was introduced to Europe on July 7, 1550. For centuries, people have been using the seed (or bean) of a plant called Theobroma cacao. This tree is grown in Mexico and Central America as well as Northern South America just to name a few places. Historians think that for at least three millennia ago, this “chocolate” was being used by civilizations like those who lived around 1100 BC. The cacao nibs have a very intense, bitter taste that is often fermented to develop the flavor. Once this has occurred, processors dry and clean them before roasting which removes their shell. After they are roasted, cocoa mass can be made by grinding up these beans into chunks of pure chocolate in rough form – without any other ingredients added yet! This greenish-brown mixture is then liquefied or melted down with different flavors such as vanilla extract for use in molding various shapes like bars or squares. |
July 7 is… |
Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day Global Forgiveness Day National Dive Bar Day National Macaroni Day National Strawberry Sundae Day Tell the Truth Day World Chocolate Day |
July 7 Birthday Quotes |
“Let’s make my birthday, July the 7th at noon, Peace and Love Day. Everybody go, ‘Peace and love.’ In the office, on the bus, wherever. It’s still peace and love for me, I’m a product of the 60s and it was a very influential period in my life, and you know, my head was turned around a bit, my eyes were opened as it were. In fact, I even have it on my arm, ‘Peace and love’. I see nothing wrong with peace and love.” “The Pearly Gates. Am I the only one who finds it odd that Heaven has gates? What kind of neighborhood is Heaven in?” “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” “If you fight back and get hit, it hurts a little while; if you don’t fight back it hurts forever.” “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” “Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.” “Whenever you correct someone’s grammar just remember that nobody likes you.” |
July 7 Birthdays |
1616 – John Leverett, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (died in 1679) 1880 – Otto Frederick Rohwedder, American engineer, invented sliced bread (died in 1960) 1891 – Virginia Rappe, American model and actress (died in 1921) 1904 – Simone Beck, French chef and author (died in 1991) 1906 – Satchel Paige, American baseball player and coach (died in 1982) 1907 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer (died in 1988) 1919 – Jon Pertwee, English actor (died in 1996) 1924 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (died in 1977) 1927 – Doc Severinsen, American trumpet player and conductor 1940 – Ringo Starr, English singer-songwriter, Beatles’ drummer, and actor 1943 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (died in 2007) 1949 – Shelley Duvall, American actress 1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer-songwriter and actress 1965 – Mo Collins, American comedic actress 1966 – Jim Gaffigan, American comedian 1988 – Kaci Brown, American singer-songwriter 1991 – Alesso, Swedish DJ |
July 7 History |
1456 – A retrial verdict acquitted Joan of Arc of heresy, authorized by Pope Callixtus III, 25 years after her death. 1520 – Spanish conquistadores defeated a larger Aztec army at the Battle of Otumba. 1898 – US President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States. 1907 – Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. staged his first Ziegfeld Follies on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City. 1928 – Sliced bread was sold for the first time, by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri. 1930 – The construction of the Hoover Dam began. It was completed/dedicated on September 30, 1935 1946 – Mother Francesca S. Cabrini became the first American canonized by the Catholic Church. 1946 – Howard Hughes crashed his XF-11 reconnaissance aircraft prototype in a Beverly Hills neighborhood. 1947 – The Roswell Incident was reported in newspapers about a reported crash of an alien spaceship near Roswell in New Mexico. 1954 – Elvis Presley made his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his recording for Sun Records, That’s All Right. 1962 – #1 Hit July 7, 1962 – July 13, 1962: David Rose – The Stripper 1973 – #1 Hit July 7, 1973 – July 20, 1973: Billy Preston – Will It Go Round in Circles 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan (R) appointed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female member of the United States Supreme Court. 1984 – #1 Hit July 7, 1984 – August 10, 1984: Prince – When Doves Cry 2001 – #1 Hit July 7, 2001 – August 3, 2001: Usher – U Remind Me 2005 – A series of four explosions occurred on London’s transportation system, killing 56 people including four suicide bombers and injuring over 700 others. 2007 – The first Live Earth benefit concert was held in 11 locations worldwide. 2006 – Psych premiered on the USA Network 2009 – Warehouse 13 premiered on Syfy #1 Hit July 7, 2018 – July 20, 2018: Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin – I Like It |
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts |
“The best way to predict your future is to create it” – Abraham Lincoln The tallest building in Wyoming is White Hall, a college freshman dormitory that stands 12 stories tall. The Capital of Nepal is Kathmandu. William Durant, the founder of General Motors, went bankrupt during the great depression and spent his last years managing a bowling alley. Nutella was invented during WWII when an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate to extend his chocolate ration. When paying for a taxi, don’t look at your wallet as you take out a bill – just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare. #thingsIlearnedatthemovies Dragons don’t breathe fire, they blow it. #science As of 1982, a nickel (5 grams) weighs exactly twice as much as a penny (2.5 grams). “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.” – Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in Sunset Boulevard, 1950 A group of Hornets is called a Nest or Bike. The ‘@’ sign is called ‘crazy A’ in Bosnian, ‘snail’ in Italian, ‘worm’ in Hungarian, ‘monkey tail’ in Dutch, and ‘cinnamon roll’ in Swedish. No word in the English language rhymes with toilet. Chhhk-chka-chkaaaa! A group of biological Cells working together is a Tissue. I bet selfies wouldn’t have taken off if we had just named them lonelies right off the bat. |
More Pop Culture History Resources |