July 9 in Pop Culture History
1540 – King Henry VIII of England annulled the marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
1595 – Johannes Kepler published Mysterium cosmographicum (Mystery of the Cosmos)
1776 – George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence to be read out loud to members of the Continental Army in New York, New York, for the first time.
1815 – The first developed natural gas well in the U.S. was discovered,at Burning Springs well near Charleston, West Virginia.
1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, insuring African Americans (ex-slaves born in the United States) full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.
1877 – The inaugural Wimbledon Tennis Championships began at the All England Club.
1922 – Future film ‘Tarzan’ star Johnny Weissmuller swam the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking the world swimming record and the ‘minute barrier’.
1933 – Construction began on the Oakland Bay Bridge, California. It was opened on May 29, 1937.
1937 – The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation were destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire.
1955 – #1 Hit July 9, 1955 – September 2, 1955: Bill Haley & His Comets – (We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock
1962 – Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans exhibition opened at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.
1966 – #1 Hit July 9, 1966 – July 15, 1966: Frank Sinatra – Strangers In The Night
1977 – #1 Hit July 9, 1977 – July 15, 1977: Alan O’Day – Undercover Angel
1979 – Launched in 1977, Voyager 2, passed by Jupiter.
1981 – Donkey Kong, a video game created by Nintendo, was released, featuring the debut of Mario.
1982 – Tron and The Girl in the Picture debuted in theaters.
1983 – #1 Hit May 28, 1983 – July 8, 1983: Irene Cara – Flashdance… What a Feeling
1988 – #1 Hit July 9, 1988 – July 22, 1988: Cheap Trick – The Flame
1993 – In the Line of Fire and Weekend at Bernie’s II were released in theaters.
1999 – American Pie and Arlington Road debuted in theaters.
2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released in theaters.
2004 – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was released in theaters.
2010 – Despicable Me, The Kids Are All Right and Predators debuted in theaters.
2011 – #1 Hit July 9, 2011 – July 15, 2011: Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer – Give Me Everything