Today is Saturday, July 1, the 182nd day of 2017. There are 183 days left in the year. This is Canada Day.
Today’s highlight: On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect.
On this date: In 1535, Sir Thomas More went on trial in England, charged with high treason for rejecting the Oath of Supremacy. (More was convicted, and executed.)
In 1916, during World War I, France and Britain launched the Somme Offensive against the German army; the 4½-month battle resulted in heavy casualties and produced no clear winner. Dwight D. Eisenhower married Mary (“Mamie”) Geneva Doud in Denver.
In 1934, Hollywood began enforcing its Production Code subjecting motion pictures to censorship review.
In 1946, the United States exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
In 1957, the International Geophysical Year, an 18-month global scientific study, began.
In 1961, Diana, the princess of Wales, was born in Sandringham, England. (She died in a 1997 car crash in Paris at age 36.)
In 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration was established.
In 1980, “O Canada” was proclaimed the national anthem of Canada.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated federal appeals court judge Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court, setting off a tempestuous confirmation process that ended with Bork’s rejection by the Senate.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, beginning an ultimately successful confirmation process marked by allegations of sexual harassment. The Warsaw Pact formally disbanded.
In 1997, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony. Actor Robert Mitchum died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 79.
In 2002, the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal, the International Criminal Court, came into existence. A Russian passenger jet collided with a cargo plane over southern Germany, killing all 69 people, including 45 schoolchildren, on the Russian plane and the cargo jet pilots.
Ten years ago: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kennebunkport, Maine, for an overnight visit at the Bush family estate and talks with President George W. Bush. Princes William and Harry celebrated the life of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday with a concert they’d organized at London’s Wembley Stadium. Golfer Cristie Kerr won the U.S. Women’s Open, closing with a 70 to finish at 5-under 279 for a two-shot victory.
Five years ago: Syria’s main opposition groups rejected a new international plan that called for a transitional government because the compromise agreement did not bar President Bashar Assad from participating. Voters in Mexico returned the Institutional Revolutionary Party to power. Spain won its third straight major soccer title, beating Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final in Kiev, Ukraine. Tiger Woods won the AT&T National at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland, closing with a 2-under 69 for the 74th win of his career.
One year ago: New laws targeting abortion took effect in about one-fifth of the states, initiating another wave of restrictions just days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas measure that had led to the closing of several clinics. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she regretted meeting with former President Bill Clinton while his wife, Hillary, was under federal investigation for her emails, telling a conference in Colorado, “I certainly wouldn’t do it again.”
Today’s birthdays: Actress Olivia de Havilland is 101. Actress-dancer Leslie Caron is 86. Actress Jean Marsh is 83. Actor Jamie Farr is 83. Actor David Prowse is 82. Cookiemaker Wally Amos is 81. Dancer-choreographer Twyla Tharp is 76. Actress Genevieve Bujold is 75. Rock singer-actress Deborah Harry is 72.Trevor Eve is 66. Actor Terrence Mann is 66. Rock singer Fred Schneider (B-52’s) is 66. Pop singer Victor Willis (Village People) is 66. Actor-comedian Dan Aykroyd is 65. Actress Lorna Patterson is 61. Actor Alan Ruck is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer Evelyn “Champagne” King is 57. Olympic gold medal track star Carl Lewis is 56. Country singer Michelle Wright is 56. Actor Andre Braugher is 55. Actor Dominic Keating is 55. Actress Pamela Anderson is 50. Rock musician Mark Pirro is 47. Rock musician Franny Griffiths (Space) is 47. Actor Henry Simmons is 47. Hip-hop artist Missy Elliott is 46. Actress Julianne Nicholson is 46. Actress Melissa Peterman is 46. Rock musician Bryan Devendorf (The National) is 42. Actor Thomas Sadoski is 41. Actress Liv Tyler is 40. Bluegrass musician Adam Haynes (Dailey & Vincent) is 38. Actress Hilarie Burton is 35. Actress Lynsey Bartilson is 34. Actress Lea Seydoux is 32. Actor Evan Ellingson is 29. Actors Steven and Andrew Cavarno are 25. Actress Storm Reid is 14.
Thought for today: “Americans are benevolently ignorant about Canada, while Canadians are malevolently well-informed about the United States.” — J. Bartlet Brebner, Canadian historian (1895-1957)
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