1872 – Mahlon Loomis patents wireless telegraphy.
1928 – George Eastman shows first amateur color motion pictures to guests at his New York house including Thomas Edison.
1930 – 1st broadcast of “Death Valley Days” on NBC radio.
1935 – 1st Penguin Book is published, starting the paperback revolution.
1942 – President Franklin Roosevelt signs bill creating women’s Navy auxiliary agency (WAVES)
1945 – After delivering the Atomic Bomb across the Pacific, the cruiser USS Indianapolis is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine 1-58, 880 of the crew died, many after being attacked by sharks, the inspiration for the movie Jaws.
1954 – Elvis Presley joins the Memphis Federation of Musicians, Local 71.
1956 – US motto “In God We Trust” authorized.
1964 – US naval fire on Hon Ngu/Hon Mo, North Vietnam.
1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signs Medicare bill, which goes into effect in 1966.
1970 – August 5 – Hurricane Celia, kills 31 in Cuba, Florida and Texas.
1971 – US Apollo 15 (David Scott & James Irwin) lands on Mare Imbrium on the Moon.
1974 – House Judiciary Committee votes on 3rd charge of “high crimes & misdemeanors” to impeach President Richard Nixon in the Watergate cover-up.
1980 – Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard suffers a stroke and collapses while playing a game of catch before an Astro game, ending his career.
1988 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher John Franco sets a record of 13 saves in 1 month.
1997 – Terrorist double suicide bombing in Jerusalem, kills 14.
2002 – The accounting law referred to as “The Sarbanes Oxley Act” signed into law by President George W. Bush.
2013 – Wikileaks disclosure Bradley (later Chelsea) Manning convicted of 17 espionage charges.
2017 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Porthcawl: Bernhard Langer of Germany wins his 3rd Open Senior title by 3 shots from Corey Pavin.
2020 – The US economy posts the largest quarterly fall on record with GDP down 9.5% for the 3 months to June 30.