Today in History
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 in History 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 4 1/2-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.