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GETTYSBURG - FIRST DAY
General Robert E. Lee decided to move his troops out of "Southern" territory to attack "The North." The battle of Gettysburg - fought in Pennsylvania - began on the 1st of July, 1863. Until this point, in America's war between the states, the Confederates were doing well against the Union. At the end of the first battle day, at Gettysburg, the Union lines collapsed. Lee discussed his next move with General Longstreet, disagreeing with the man he called his "old war horse." The scenes are recreated in this clip.
A CLOSER LOOK at SATURN'S RINGS
Cassini-Huygens - a space orbiter and its probe - reached the planet Saturn on the 1st of July, 2004. For the first time, people around the world were able to see clearer views of Saturn's rings. Then ... the probe began to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, with more amazing results.
ASSASSINATION of PRESIDENT GARFIELD
Waiting for a train, on the 2nd of July 1881, President James Garfield was shot by a deranged man named Charles Guiteau. What were the circumstances of this tragedy (which occurred less than twenty years after Abraham Lincoln's death)?
AMELIA EARHART DISAPPEARS
As Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, left Lae, New Guinea something happened during their take-off roll. This video clip - depicting the last time Amelia and Fred were seen alive - reveals the incident and explains the likely reason why the pair never heard the numerous radio transmissions during their search for Howland Island.
PICKETT'S CHARGE at GETTYSBURG
On the third day of the Gettysburg Battle - July 3, 1863 - more than 15,000 Confederate soldiers began what is now known as "Pickett’s Charge." One can only imagine what all of these men were thinking as they marched - a very long way - toward the Union lines. This clip recreates the scene.
DISASTER at GETTYSBURG - for the CONFEDERATES
As the Confederates tried to gain ground against the Union, during the battle of Gettysburg, more and more men were killed. General Lewis Armistead led his men farther than anyone else did that day, but they were also repulsed by the North. This clip recreates Armistead's efforts as he places his sword through his hat, holds it aloft and encourages his "Virginians" to follow him forward.
DRAFTING the DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE
Thomas Jefferson included a scathing indictment of slavery in his first draft of the Declaration of Independence. As he met with other members of the committee, assigned the task of preparing the document, Jefferson listened to the arguments of Ben Franklin and John Adams for (and against) sections of his draft. It was Franklin who made some of the most memorable edits, as shown in this video recreation.
VOTING on the DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE
As a group of men debated the wisdom of declaring their independence from Great Britain, John Adams - a strong proponent of the action - told his colleagues why he thought the American colonies should become free states. This clip uses Adams' words to recreate the scene.
DEEP IMPACT - EXPLORING a COMET
Scientists have long-wondered about the make-up of comets. On the 4th of July, 2005, an 820-pound copper projectile called IMPACTOR struck a comet named Tempel 1. Watch an animation of that significant event and learn what happened next.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU - AT WALDEN POND
Between 1845 and 1847, Henry David Thoreau decided to spend two years in a small cabin - located in the woods near Walden Pond - to see what it would be like to withdraw from the constant demands and "busyness" of daily life. This video clip takes you on a virtual journey - to the place of his thinking, near Concord, Massachusetts - and suggests how one might start to understand Thoreau's perspective. He began his experiment on the 4th of July, 1845.
STATUE of LIBERTY - A GIFT from FRANCE
The people of France offered the people of America a gift - now known as the Statue of Liberty. It came to the States in pieces and was dedicated on the 4th of July, 1886. Take a closer look at Liberty in this video clip.
KAMIKAZE ATTACKS
During July of 1944, Japanese pilots began to fly suicide missions in order to destroy Allied planes and ships. Who were these "kamikaze" pilots? What was it like to be on the "receiving end" of their attacks?
RICHARD the LIONHEART
To this day, historians debate whether Richard the Lionheart was a good king. Absent from Britain for most of his reign (as King Richard I), he fought wars and earned a nickname during the Third Crusade. Who was he?
HARTFORD CIRCUS FIRE
The Ringling Brothers Circus came to Hartford, Connecticut during early July of 1944. During a matinee performance, on July 6th, the big top caught fire. Because it had been treated with paraffin and gasoline, the whole roof acted like a powerful accelerant. The disaster is referenced in Water for Elephants (both the film and the book) and remains America's worst circus disaster.
EYEWITNESS to the HARTFORD CIRCUS FIRE
Charles Nelson Reilly - who grew up to be a famous actor, comedian, director and drama teacher - was attending the Ringling Bros. circus, in Hartford, on the day the big top burned to the ground. Later in life, he told the story about that day (and how it impacted him for the rest of his life).
THOMAS MORE - DIED FOR HIS BELIEFS
When Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, refused to support the King's efforts to become head of the Church of England, More was tried for treason. Following the predictable result of his trial, he was executed on the 6th of July, 1535. People remember More today for refusing to compromise his principles, even though his actions insured his death.
HOWARD HUGHES and HIS XF-11 PLANE
Howard Hughes was a famous aviator before he became a famous recluse. On the 7th of July, 1946, he and his XF-11 plane were involved in a spectacular crash (in a Beverly Hills neighborhood).
REPORT - UFO CRASH in ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO
On the 7th of July, 1947, the public information office at Roswell Army Air Field (in Roswell, New Mexico) reported "the crash and recovery of a flying disc." This clip is the original news broadcast of the event.
FINDING the ROSETTA STONE
While in Egypt, Napoleon's troops re-discovered the Rosetta Stone (in July of 1799). See this marvel which directly led to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.
DEATH of JOY GRESHAM - WIFE of C.S. LEWIS
C.S. Lewis - the author of Chronicles of Narnia and many other works - married late in life. His marriage to Joy Davidman Gresham - an American poet and mother of two young boys - was a happy one, but Joy died of cancer on July 13, 1960, only four years after she married Lewis. Their story is depicted in the film "Shadowlands," starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Lewis was so overwhelmed with grief, following Joy’s death, that he wrote the still-popular book, A Grief Observed.
STORMING the BASTILLE
On the morning of July 14, 1789, a crowd of about 900 angry people gathered outside the Bastille, a symbol of royal power in France. Only seven prisoners were housed in the prison fortress, but what happened there on July 14th became a different symbol - the power of the people to change the course of French history.
CITATION - THE FIRST "MILLIONAIRE" HORSE
Citation, a famous race horse who became the 8th Triple-Crown winner in 1948, was the first horse to earn $1 million in prize money. He achieved that milestone on the 14th of July, 1951, after he won the Hollywood Gold Cup.
IPATIEV HOUSE - LAST HOME of the ROMANOV FAMILY
The Bolsheviks referred to the Ipatiev House as the "House of Special Purpose." In this clip, from the Library of Congress, we see the home where the Russian Tsar and his family were murdered. The clip begins with a panning of the home's south side, then the camera records the east elevation. The executions took place in a small room on the lower level - look for the arched window, on the south side, nearest the east elevation.
DEATH of TSAR NICHOLAS and HIS FAMILY
After leading Russia for three hundred years, Romanov rule ended when the Bolsheviks executed Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children plus four of their servants. Their deaths took place at the Ipatiev House on July 16, 1918.
TRINITY TEST - FIRST ATOMIC-BOMB EXPLOSION
Scientists working on the Manhattan Project tested the results of their efforts on the 16th of July, 1945. This video clip, from the U.S. National Archives, depicts what happened during the first atomic-bomb explosion.
TRINITY TEST - GROUND ZERO
This footage reenacts the scene at the Trinity Test site. The power of the bomb was so awesome (almost four times greater than most of the Manhattan Project scientists predicted) that its force knocked one observer off his feet (even though he was 5.68 miles away from the bomb).
GREAT FIRE of ROME
While Nero - who was emperor of Rome on the 18th of July, 64 AD - was staying at his summer cottage, the city of Rome was engulfed in a huge fire. Was Nero responsible? How could he have been involved, when he was not in Rome at the time? How did he respond to the horrific blaze? Why was the great fire of Rome a turning point in Nero’s reign?
MANDELA - BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE - "BROTHERS in ARMS"
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. Before he was freed from a South African prison, people around the world celebrated his birthday in "Free Mandela" concerts. This is a clip from the 1988 concert, recorded at Wembley Stadium, featuring Dire Straits performing "Brothers in Arms." It is estimated that hundreds of millions of people, worldwide, watched this tribute to Mandela's 70th birthday.
SUGAR RAY LEONDARD v DICKIE EKLUND - 9TH ROUND
Dickie Eklund fought Sugar Ray Leonard on the 18th of July, 1978. The bout, which took place at Hynes Auditorium, in Boston, went the distance (10 rounds). During the 9th round, Leonard hit the deck. This clip depicts the moment when that happened. The referee ruled that Leonard had tripped, but not everyone agreed.
LADY JANE GREY - DEPOSED QUEEN
Shenanigans, behind-the-scenes, caused Lady Jane Grey - a relative of King Henry VIII and his son, Edward VI - to become Britain's Queen after Edward died when he was 15. Jane was Queen for nine days before she was deposed, in favor of Mary Tudor (Henry’s older daughter). What events gave her the crown (then caused her death)?
MOON LANDING - ARMSTRONG and ALDRIN on the MOON
In a "day that shook the world," Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed - and walked - on the Moon. This clip, from NASA, compares the original historic footage (from July 20, 1969) with a digitally enhanced version.
JOHN DILLINGER at the BIOGRAPH THEATER
A friend of John Dillinger gave-up the fugitive's expected location on the 22nd of July, 1934. Federal agents were waiting for him, as he left the cinema with his friends. Incorporating historical footage, this video clip explains what happened on the day Dillinger died.
SINKING of the USS INDIANAPOLIS
While returning from delivering atomic-bomb parts, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a torpedo strike on the 30th of July, 1945. During four days and five nights, approximately 900 surviving crewmen were in the water, fighting-off shark attacks and dying of exhaustion. For years thereafter, the survivors did everything they could to clear their Captain’s name. Nothing happened until 1998, when a 12-year-old Florida school boy, who’d learned of the injustice, made the project his own. One boy’s determination, to right a wrong, finally resulted in the clearing of Captain McVay’s name.
SPANISH ARMADA
In July of 1588, a huge Spanish Armada sailed to England. Directed by their King - Philip II - leaders of the mission planned to invade Britain and overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Their plans did not work out, however, and modern historians think the weather played a significant role in Spain's defeat. This clip helps to explain why.
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