Today in history
Today is Saturday, July 1, the 182nd day of 2017 and the 12th day of summer.
On this date in the SCV: In 1926, The Signal reported that the log cabin on the W. S. Hart ranch burned under rather mysterious circumstances. The cabin was one built about three years prior to be used as a movie “prop.” After the picture was finished, Mr. Hart had gone on and finished up the cabin, inside, and made it a sort of relic room for the storage of keepsakes of one kind and another. When the fire was discovered, smoke was coming from the roof, and when Mr. Heinrichs, the care taker, opened the door, the flames burst out, the whole interior seeming to be a mass of flames. In half an hour, everything was totally consumed, only the stone chimney marking the spot. The loss, which included the valuables stored, was by the Forestry Service estimated at something like $6,000. It was understood that it was partially covered by insurance. Mr. Hart was in Montana, attending the Custer memorial at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire was not known, but it was surmised that the hot weather caused spontaneous combustion somewhere.
Today’s Highlights in History:
In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began.
In 1908, SOS was adopted as the international distress signal.
In 1968, 62 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, signed the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
In 1997, China resumed sovereignty of Hong Kong after 156 years of British rule.
Today’s fact: The International Criminal Court, established on this day in 2002, is an independent institution and is not part of the United Nations.
Today’s sports:
In 1903, the first Tour de France bicycle race began in
Paris. Of the 60 cyclists who began the nearly 2,500-kilometer race, only 21 finished, including champion Maurice Garin.
Today’s number: $150 – approximate price in U.S. dollars of the first Sony Walkman portable cassette player when it went on sale in Japan on this day in 1979.
Today’s moon: Between first quarter moon (June 30) and full moon (July 8).