In 1616 Galileo was formally banned from teaching or defending the theory that the earth rotated around the sun because the Catholic Church was adamant that the sun rotated around the earth – taken from their literal and inaccurate interpretation of scripture. Three hundred years later in 1966 with the Apollo program came the first testing of the Saturn 1B rocket that would 3 years later enable men to land on the moon.
On this date the first subway attempt – the Beach Pneumatic Transit – opens in New York City in 1870 and the first color motion picture process is unveiled in London in 1909.
Two US National Parks were approved on this date in history – The Grand Canyon National Park, approved by President Wilson in 1919 – and the Grand Tetons Naational Park, approved by President Coolidge in 1929.
There were a number of pairs born this date – Literary : Christopher Marlowe (1564) and Victor Hugo(1802); Actors – Jackie Gleason (1916) and Tony Randall (1920); Musicians – Fats Domino (1928) and Johnny Cash (1932). As well as a trio of inventors and businessmen: Levi Strauss (1829) who gave us his signature jeans, John Harvey Kellogg (1852) who gave us cornflakes, and Herbert Henry Dow (1866) who started Dow Chemical and brought us all the chemicals we now are veering away from due to their disastrous effects on our environment.
We heard the last blast from Richard Jordan Gatling (1903) who revolutionized warfare with the first machined gun – aptly named the Gatling gun. And we mourned the loss of Trayvon Martin, who despite the court ruling was murdered in Florida by a vigilante, who shall remain unnamed by those who believe teenagers should not be shot for wearing a hoodie or being where some people think he “should not be”.
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