July 21 in Pop Culture History
356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was destroyed by arson.
1865 – In Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt, in what is considered as the first western showdown.
1873 – Near Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang pulled off the first successful train robbery in the ‘American Old West.’
1902 – Willis Carrier showed his air conditioner concept in Buffalo, New York.
1918 – German submarine attacked Orleans, Massachusetts, hitting a tugboat and four barges, as well as striking the beach with shells. This was the only time that the continental United States was shelled during World War I.
1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
1925 – In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution in class, and fined $100.
1949 – The United States Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO).
1952 (Earthquake) California/Arizona/Nevada
1961 – Gus Grissom piloting, Liberty Bell 7, became the second American to go into space.
1973 – #1 Hit July 21, 1973 – August 3, 1973: Jim Croce – Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
1983 – The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location was recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica (-128.6 °F, -89.2 °C).
1989 – Shag: The Movie and UHF debuted in theaters.
1990 – #1 Hit July 21, 1990 – August 3, 1990: Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown – She Ain’t Worth It
1995 – Clueless, Kids and Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home were released in theaters.
2000 – What Lies Beneath. Loser and Pokemon: The Movie 2000 debuted in theaters.
2006 – Monster House, Clerks II, My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Lady in the Water were released in theaters.
2011 – NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135.
2012 – Erden Eruç completed the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world, via several boats.
