July 31

Seventeenth US president Andrew Johnson dies (1875); Entrepreneur Mark Cuban born (1958); "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling born (1965); START I signed by the US and Soviet Union to begin nuclear arms reduction (1991); Basketball legend Bill Russell dies (2022).

Lucius Septimius Bassianus

"Lucius Septimius Bassianus, later to be known as Emperor Caracalla, was the elder of two sons of the emperor Septimius Severus." https://www.unrv.com/decline-of-empire/caracalla.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+067+-+7219386&sh_kit=64a20f24338333901e4cb7afc40a3cfae56c6770df59fc13cf25a5ce36d78b01

Elagabalus

"Only one Roman emperor has managed to surpass Caligula's reputation for deranged behaviour and homicidal debauchery, and that is the man who takes his name from the god he attempted to impose on Rome: Elagabalus." https://www.unrv.com/decline-of-empire/elagabalus-syrian-emperor.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+067+-+7219386&sh_kit=64a20f24338333901e4cb7afc40a3cfae56c6770df59fc13cf25a5ce36d78b01

July 30

British author Emily Brontë born (1818); Automobile pioneer Henry Ford born (1863); Uruguay wins first World Cup (1930); Arnold Schwarzenegger born (1947); British singer Kate Bush born (1958); Medicare and Medicaid established in the US (1965).

Walter Elias Disney

Wherever the young Disney went, he drew. At high school he became the cartoonist for the school newspaper and took night courses at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He lied about his age to join the Red Cross just before the end of World War I, and during the war he drew cartoons on the side of his ambulance and had some work published in Stars and Stripes. Then, at 18, he began an apprenticeship at a commercial art studio. Disney became increasingly interested in animation in the burgeoning silent film industry, and in 1921 founded his Laugh-O-Gram Studio. His short cartoons didn’t earn enough money, and the studio went bankrupt in 1923. Later that year he moved to Hollywood and founded the Disney Brothers Studio‍ with his brother Roy — the same studio that would later become the world-famous Walt Disney Company. With the help of his creation, Mickey Mouse, Disney became more and more successful during the following decade, despite plenty of bumps along the road. He won his first Academy Award in 1932, his second a year later, and went on to win 22 Oscars during his career — more than anyone else in history. Beloved animated classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, and Sleeping Beauty made Disney a cultural icon, and his theme parks, merchandise, and other interests made him a wealthy man. Disney died in 1966, but remains a towering figure in pop culture. Today, he is widely quoted online, for his words of inspiration and his business and leadership acumen. But, much like Mark Twain and Winston Churchill, he has also been attached to many famous quotes that he never actually said. Here, we set the record straight with 9 quotes often misattributed to the legendary animator.

July 29

Vincent van Gogh dies (1890); NASA is established (1958); 750 million people worldwide watch wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana (1981); Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin dies (1994).

Titus Flavius Vespasianus

"Born in 9 AD, near the end of the reign of Augustus, Titus Flavius Vespasianus was raised an equestrian in the turbulent political environment of Tiberius' reign." https://www.unrv.com/early-empire/vespasian.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+065+-+7215709&sh_kit=64a20f24338333901e4cb7afc40a3cfae56c6770df59fc13cf25a5ce36d78b01

July 27

US Department of State is established (1789); Figure skating legend Peggy Fleming born (1948); House brings impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon (1974); NBA player Reggie Lewis collapses and dies at practice (1993); Comedian and actor Bob Hope dies (2003).

July 26

US postal system established (1775); Federal Bureau of Investigation is founded (1908); Actress Dame Helen Mirren born (1945); Former Argentine first lady Eva Perón dies (1952); Sinéad O'Connor dies (2023).

July 25

DNA scientist Rosalind Franklin born (1920); Football great Walter Payton born (1953 or 1954); First baby born via in vitro fertilization (1978); Rock Hudson is first major celeb to announce AIDS diagnosis (1985); Concorde Air France crash kills 113 (2000).

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as President of the United States for more than 12 years, helping the nation navigate through times of great difficulty and uncertainty. Roosevelt led Americans out of the Great Depression, enacted a sweeping series of reforms known as the New Deal, and ushered the nation through World War II. Through these trying times, FDR’s words often provided reassurance to the American people, who looked to their leader for regular guidance in an otherwise unpredictable world. Several FDR quotes maintain a high degree of popularity today, such as his oft-repeated words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Odds are we’ve also all heard him describe the attack on Pearl Harbor as “a date which will live in infamy.” But Roosevelt’s legacy extends far beyond those two popular quotations. The former President was a prodigious speaker who delivered hundreds — if not thousands — of speeches during his extensive political career. Each time FDR took the dais, he spoke with a level of intelligence and eloquence that made every speech notable and quoteworthy.

Rumi

Poet, spiritual teacher, mystical dancer, and cultural leader: The writer known as Rumi held many roles in the 13th century, and continues to be one of the most popular poets in the world today. Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī was born in Afghanistan in 1207. He traveled through Uzbekistan, Iran, and Syria, and spent much of his life in Turkey before his death in 1273. He wrote in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Greek, and is widely seen as the most influential mystical writer in the Muslim tradition. His deeply human and universally inspiring works have now been translated in more than 20 languages and sold millions of copies. Rumi’s father and grandfather were traditional Muslim preachers and scholars, and Rumi followed in their footsteps. But when he met a wandering holy man named Shams of Tabriz in 1244, he embarked on a new life journey into mysticism and poetry. Rumi’s relationship with Shams and his mourning of Shams’ death a few years after they met fueled his prolific writing. Rumi wrote tens of thousands of individual pieces, many of which were devotional songs for Shams, the prophet Muhammad, and God, along with his masterwork, The Masnavi, which is composed of 26,000 couplets (two lines of verse that form a poetic unit). He described transcendent love, the holy nature of everyday experiences, joy, grief, and more with an accessible, lyrical voice. Many of his poems were written as he spun in a whirling dance or were composed to be sung in gatherings of Sufis (Islamic mystics). Both during his life and after, Rumi’s vibrant musings appealed to people of many faiths and backgrounds. As one of the key translators of Rumi’s work, Coleman Barks, wrote, “He wants us to be more alive, to wake up … He wants us to see our beauty, in the mirror and in each other."

July 24

Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France (1534); Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart born (1897); Machu Picchu is rediscovered (1911); Apollo 11 splashes safely in the Pacific (1969); Jennifer Lopez born (1969).

NATIONAL AMELIA EARHART DAY

"Each year on July 24, National Amelia Earhart Day honors the achievements of the aviation pioneer on the date of her birth." https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-amelia-earhart-day-july-24?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10514247&hashed_email=6c23328441e0f46865e8039a24ce7ccf8880f2d7&email=yeremiah%40aol.com

July 23

Ulysses S. Grant dies (1885); 43 killed, over 1,000 injured in Detroit Riot (1967); British actor Daniel Radcliffe born (1989); Hale-Bopp comet is discovered (1995); Amy Winehouse dies (2011); Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies (2012).

July 22

"America the Beautiful" written (1893); Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta born (1932); Infamous gangster John Dillinger killed by federal agents (1934); "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek born (1940); Singer and actress Selena Gomez born (1992).

July 20

Mount Everest explorer Sir Edmund Hillary born (1919); Bruce Lee dies (1973); Viking 1 is first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars (1976); Model Gisele Bündchen born (1980).

July 19

Inventor and businessman Samuel Colt born (1814); First US women’s rights convention held (1848); Maurice Garin becomes first winner of Tour de France (1903); Sports journalist Stuart Scott born (1965); First GPS signal transmitted (1977).

July 18

Novelist Jane Austen dies (1817); Nelson Mandela born (1918); Astronaut and politician John Glenn born (1921); Nadia Comăneci gets first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history (1976); Actress Priyanka Chopra born (1982).

July 17

Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California (1955); Jazz singer Billie Holiday dies (1959); Broadcast legend Walter Cronkite dies (2009); Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down, 298 killed (2014); Politician and civil rights leader John Lewis dies (2020).

July 16

Rosetta Stone is found in Egypt (1799); Businesswoman and journalist Arianna Huffington born (1950); Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered (1997); Twitter is launched (2006).

July 11

District of Columbia established as capital of the US (1790); Journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett born (1862); First successful atom bomb test (1945); JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" published (1951); Apollo 11 launches with first astronauts who will walk on the moon (1969).

Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius

"The rise of Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius, more simply known as Antoninus Pius, could be considered an unlikely yet fortunate turn of events."

https://www.unrv.com/five-good-emperors/antoninus-pius.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+051+-+7149304

Gaius Pontius

"Gaius Pontius came from a leading Samnite family - a large confederation of Sabellic tribes who occupied the mountains of central and southern Italy."

https://www.unrv.com/bio/gaius-pontius.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+050+-+7149221#google_vignette

July 13

Julius Caesar born (100 BCE); First World Cup begins in Uruguay (1930); Sir Patrick Stewart born (1940); Artist Frida Kahlo dies (1954); Live Aid concert raises more than $125M for Africa famine relief (1985).

July 12

US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton dies (1804); The Rolling Stones perform first concert (1962); Geraldine Ferraro is first American female major-party VP candidate (1984); Activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai born (1997).

Abraham Lincoln

"Abraham Lincoln led the United States through the Civil War and helped bring about the abolition of slavery. But the 16th president also had a lighter side."

https://historyfacts.com/famous-figures/article/funny-facts-about-president-abraham-lincoln/

Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus

"Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (62 - 113 AD), nephew and later adopted son of Pliny the Elder, was an influential orator and statesman of the early empire. "

https://www.unrv.com/culture/pliny-the-younger.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+048+-+7148963

July 11

President John Quincy Adams born (1767); Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in duel (1804); "To Kill a Mockingbird" is published (1960); Iconic actor Laurence Olivier dies (1989); Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson dies (2007).

July 10

Iconic inventor Nikola Tesla born (1856); Scopes Monkey Trial begins (1925); Tennis player Arthur Ashe born (1943); Actress Sofia Vergara born (1972); Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega sentenced to 40 years in prison in Miami on drug charges (1992).

July 9

14th Amendment ratified in the US, granting citizenship to African Americans (1868); First Wimbledon tournament begins (1877); Actor Tom Hanks born (1956); Andy Warhol's iconic "Campbell's Soup Cans" make its debut (1962); Musician Courtney Love born (1964).

Sulla

"The life of Sulla is one of stark contrast, and yet striking similarities, to those of Marius, and later, Julius Caesar."

https://www.unrv.com/empire/lucius-cornelius-sulla.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+046+-+7148799#google_vignette

Gladiatorial Games

"By the 1st century BC, the gladiatorial games were becoming more and more common as a form of entertainment (and mob distraction)."

https://www.unrv.com/roman-republic/spartacus.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+046+-+7148799

Marcus Licinius Crassus

"Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 BC) was the son of a Censor and of a prestigious Plebeian family."

https://www.unrv.com/roman-republic/crassus.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+046+-+7148799

Confucius

Kung-fu-tsu, better known to the Western world as Confucius, was a philosopher, sage, and teacher whose wisdom has shaped Chinese thought for over 2,000 years. Born into a China that was a mosaic of small and often warring states, Confucius developed a philosophy that sought to bring peace and prosperity to all people.

Confucianism was deeply rooted in ethics, virtue, and correct behavior. It taught that each person could contribute to universal harmony if they practiced self-discipline, cultivated their characters, and performed the roles that had been allotted to them. Not everyone could be born a king or lord, but being a good parent or dutiful child could be just as nourishing to the soul and important to a peaceful existence.

To Confucius, happiness came not through gluttony and self-indulgence, but through frugality and duty to others. He believed fulfilling the needs of others could also fill oneself with serenity and gratitude. Forgoing one’s duty to serve, on the other hand, could have wider damaging effects: A ruler who ignored the needs of their subjects might unbalance the cosmos and suffer a reign beset with natural disasters.

Confucius set out four simple virtues that he believed were enough to keep the world in its proper order: benevolence, moral wisdom, righteousness, and observance of traditional rituals. According to Confucianism, ritual brings together a community in peace and helps to cultivate “ren,” a Chinese word meaning humanity, goodness, and love. Confucius taught that once we understand our shared humanity, we open ourselves up to feelings of altruism, respect for one another, and even friendship.

In Confucius’ idea of the ideal state, the rulers were kind, religion was properly celebrated, and the wise were treasured. Despite living in difficult times and often in exile, Confucius spent his life seeking to help others achieve this.

After Confucius’ death in 479 BCE, his disciples spread around the country to advise Chinese rulers in his worldview and political theories. In time, Confucianism became the dominant philosophy in China and other parts of eastern Asia, and remained so for centuries. Confucius’ sayings have endured to this day (and many others have been falsely attributed to the sage). 

Pompey

"When Pompey and the Senate fled Rome from Caesar in 49 BC, he did so without an army. As a result, he was forced to draw upon the eastern provinces and allied client states for recruits and supplies. "https://www.unrv.com/julius-caesar/veni-vidi-vici.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+045+-+7148554

Comitia Tributa

"During the Republic, the Pontifex was elected by the Comitia Tributa and served for life, while during the Empire, the position was generally held by the Emperor himself."https://www.unrv.com/culture/pontifex-maximus.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+045+-+7148554

July 8

Businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller born (1839); "Gone with the Wind" actress Vivien Leigh dies (1967); Atlantis is launched as final mission of US Space Shuttle program (2011); Former first lady and social activist Betty Ford dies (2011); Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated (2022).

Morrigon

"While there seem to be many differences of opinion with regards to the nature of the goddess Morrigan, the general consensus among sources is that she is a goddess of war, death and fertility."

https://www.unrv.com/culture/morrigan.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+044+-+7145101

July 6

Artist Frida Kahlo born (1907); First MLB All-Star Game held (1933); President George W. Bush born (1946); Althea Gibson becomes first African American to win Wimbledon (1957); Musician Louis Armstrong dies (1971).

July 5

26th Amendment signed, lowers voting age from 21 to 18 in the US (1971); Arthur Ashe becomes first Black man to win Wimbledon (1975); Dolly the Sheep becomes first cloned mammal (1996); Baseball great Ted Williams dies (2002).

July 3

Battle of Gettysburg ends on Pickett’s Charge (1863); Dow Jones publishes its first stock average (1884); Actor Tom Cruise born (1962); Musician Jim Morrison dies (1971); Actress Olivia Munn born (1980).

Publius Septimius Geta

"Publius Septimius Geta was born on 7 March 189 AD at Mediolanuni. He was the second son of emperor Septimius Severus."

https://www.unrv.com/emperors/geta.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+039+-+7132438#google_vignette

Marcus Tullius Cicero

"Marcus Tullius Cicero was born in 106 BC, hailing from a local equestrian family in Arpinum."

https://www.unrv.com/roman-republic/cicero.php?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UNRV+Roman+History+Newsletter+-+Issue+039+-+7132438

July 2

Thurgood Marshall, first Black US Supreme Court justice, born (1908); Amelia Earhart disappears on round-the-world flight (1937); Ernest Hemingway dies (1961); Businessman Sam Walton opens first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas (1962); Civil Rights Act is signed into law (1964).

July 1

Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins (1863); Canada becomes a country (1867); Abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe dies (1896); Princess Diana born (1961); China regains sovereignty over Hong Kong (1997).