July 261775 - A postal system was established by the 2nd Continental Congress of the United States. The first Postmaster General was Benjamin Franklin. 1788 - New York became the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1881 - Thomas Edison and Patrick Kenny execute a patent application for a facsimile telegraph (U.S. Pat. 479,184). 1893 - Commercial production of the Addressograph started in Chicago, IL. 1907 - The Chester was launched. It was the first turbine-propelled ship. 1908 - U.S. Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte issued an order that created an investigative agency that was a forerunner of the FBI. 1945 - Winston Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister. 1947 - U.S. President Truman signed The National Security Act. The act created the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 1948 - Babe Ruth was seen by the public for the last time, when he attended the New York City premiere of the motion picture, "The Babe Ruth Story." 1948 - U.S. President Truman signed executive orders that prohibited discrimination in the U.S. armed forces and federal employment. 1952 - King Farouk I of Egypt abdicated in the wake of a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. 1953 - Fidel Castro began his revolt against Fulgencio Batista with an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba. Castro eventually ousted Batista six years later. 1956 - Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. 1971 - Apollo 15 was launched from Cape Kennedy, FL. 1998 - AT&T and British Telecommunications PLC announced they were forming a joint venture to combine international operations and develop a new Internet system. 1999 - 1,500 pieces of Marilyn Monroe's personal items went on display at Christie's in New York, NY. The items went on sale later in 1999. 2016 - Hillary Clinton became the first woman to top a majority party ticket for President of the United States. 2018 - Facebook lost $119 billion in market value. |