On This Day July 31st

  OTD

July 31st is the two-hundredth-tenth day of the year, and there are 153 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.

1703 – Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet but is pelted with flowers.

1777 – The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family, and connections, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States."

1790 – The first U.S. patent was issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.

1856 – Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city.

1938 – Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.

1964 – Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.

1970 – Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.

2012 – Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics.

 

Birthdays

1598 – Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor (d. 1654)

1718 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (d. 1772)

1803 – John Ericsson, a Swedish-American engineer, co-designed the USS Princeton and the Novelty Locomotive (d. 1889)

1835 – Paul Du Chaillu, French American anthropologist and explorer (d. 1903)

1860 – Mary Vaux Walcott, American painter and illustrator (d. 1940)

1912 – Milton Friedman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)

1918 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2010)

1923 – Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American songwriter and producer, founded Atlantic Records (d. 2006)

1947 – Ian Beck, English children's illustrator and author.

1965 – J. K. Rowling, English author and film producer

 

 

Highlighted Holiday

World Ranger Day

In 2004, documentary filmmaker and conservationist Sean Willmore made it his mission to spotlight the challenges faced by park rangers. He interviewed rangers in 23 countries for the documentary film, "The Thin Green Line."

The film became the catalyst for Willmore to establish The Thin Green Line Foundation, the charity arm of the International Rangers Federation (IRF). Together, they provide support for families of rangers who have died or been injured in the line of duty.

World Ranger Day is celebrated each year to honor the men and women who protect our parks, forests, and reserves. Well-known primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall became the ambassador for The Thin Green Line Foundation in 2011, promoting the vital role park rangers play in protecting our planet's natural resources and wildlife.

Park rangers serve as law enforcement officers, environmentalists, and cultural historians. They are the first line of defense in protecting wildlife and ensuring the safety of park visitors. Over 1,000 park rangers have been killed in the line of duty in the past 10 years.

 

Holidays And Observance.

Cotton Candy Day

Jump for Jelly Beans Day

Mutt's Day

National Avocado Day

Shredded Wheat Day

Uncommon Instruments Awareness Day

World Ranger Day

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