1099 –- On the First Crusade, 15,000 thousand starving Christian soldiers march in a religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on.
1831 -– John Pemberton is born in Knoxville, GA. He will go on to become a chemist and pharmacist and the person who created the secret formula for Coca-Cola.
1932 –- The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.
1948 –- The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF).
2011 -– The space shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. shuttle program.
Sometimes it takes different methods of communication to get a story told around the world. Here is an offbeat method we think may interest you. And, as always, feel free to share it with others.
1456 –- A posthumous retrial results in a verdict acquitting Joan of Arc 25 years after she was burned at the stake on charges of heresy and witchcraft.
1846 -– American troops occupy the towns of Monterey and Yerba Buena during the Mexican-American War, thus beginning the American acquisition of California.
1928 –- Pre-sliced bread is sold for the first time, by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Michigan.
1947 –- It initially is reported that an alien spacecraft has crashed near Roswell, NM, but the government quickly declares it a downed weather balloon. Conspiracy theories and speculation erupt, giving rise to a cottage industry in Roswell books, documentaries, and broad public debate about extraterrestrial life and government coverups that thrives to this day.
1981 –- President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O’Connor the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The family of club member Bob Horan, who died unexpectedly on July 4th, has shared the following information about services at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish at 1803 Union Street, Schenectady:
• Calling Hours – Friday, July 8 from 3 to 7 p.m.
• Funeral Services – Saturday, July 9 at 10 a.m.
(Scroll down for earlier story announcing Bob’s passing. And, click here to read his obituary as published in the Times Union, and to sign the guestbook.)
1189 -– Richard I, popularly known as “The Lionheart” or, in the Norman French language widely used in parts of England, “Coeur de Lion,” ascends to the English throne. Richard spoke langue d’oïl, a French dialect, and lenga d’òc, a Romance language spoken in southern France and nearby regions. Although he was born in England, where he spent his childhood, before becoming king he lived for most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine in the southwest of France. Following his accession he spent very little time in England, perhaps as little as six months. Most of his life as king was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or in actively defending his lands in France.
1777 — American forces under General Arthur St. Clair retreat from Fort Ticonderoga on Lake George after it was besieged for five days by British artillery under General John Burgoyne.
1854 –- In Jackson, MI, the first convention of the Republican Party is held.
1885 -– Scientist Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog.
1907 -– Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón is born in the Coyoacán district of Mexico City. As Frida Kahlo she will go on to become a legendary Mexican muralist and educator and will be celebrated in the 2002 Selma Hayek motion picture “Frida.”
The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club is planning to provide a breakfast for the Greenbush YMCA’s “Circle of Champs” kids group next Thursday, July 14.
The portion of the club that usually attends the monthly breakfast meetings hosted at the Y by executive director and club member Shannon Romanowski has volunteered to work the project, but anyone is welcome.
Says Shannon:
“Our YMCA ‘Circle of Champs’ program provides support and fun activities and programs to children who are fighting a life-threatening illness. We also provide families with memberships to the Y and include the families in all champs activities.
“I am suggesting that [the] breakfast be kept simple as the kids will be leaving on a field trip that day by 9:30 a.m. Perhaps assorted bagels, cream cheese, fruit and muffins would work best as the kids could easily carry it with them if they wish to.”
To that end, Shannon is asking for club members to formally sign up to help shop for the breakfast items and go to the Y the morning of the event to help serve and spend some time with the campers.
Please contact Shannon at 477-2570 or by email at sromanowski@cdymca.org as soon as possible if you wish to help.
NOTE: If you’d like to learn a little more about the “Circle of Champs” program, click here.
It took nearly a month for the Times Union to publish our news release and photo, but on Monday, July 4th, we made it onto the newspaper’s website, and today we made it into print in the local news section. Hooray!
1687 — Isaac Newton publishes his famous multi-volume “Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.” Among other works, the collection includes Newton’s laws of motion, which formed the foundation of classical mechanics, as well as Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
1811 — Venezuela becomes the first country in South American to declare independence from Spain, which had begun colonizing it in 1522.
1916 — Sisters Adelina and Augusta Van Buren — descendants of President Martin Van Buren of Kinderhook — set out from the Sheepshead Bay race track in New York City en route to making the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour by two women. They will arrive in San Diego, CA, on September 12, ending a 5,500 mile trek. Both are in the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame.
1975 — Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title defeating Jimmy Connors.
1996 –- Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. The cloning was performed was by Sir Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and colleagues at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the biotechnology company PPL Therapeutics, based nearby. Dolly would live nearly seven years before succumbing to a progressive lung disease.
It is with sadness we report that Bob Horan, who recently resumed his SRC Club membership, passed away suddenly on Monday, July 4th. He had been on vacation with his family at their Adirondacks camp.
Bob, 52, had been superintendent of the Schodack Central School District for the past six years after a decade in other roles there. He was pioneering innovative ways of coping with declining enrollments and financial pressures. In a June interview with the Albany Business Review, he spoke about the changes and challenges in education and his vision for the future locally. It is available here.
Prior to serving the Schodack district, Bob worked in the Mohonasen and Shenendehowa school districts.
The school district issued this statement this morning:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s family, who he loved dearly, in this incredibly difficult time. Bob was beloved by all who knew him for his huge heart and tireless passion for creating opportunities for students. No superintendent cared more for students or took greater joy in watching them learn, grow and succeed. He will be greatly missed.”
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia called his death a “heartbreaking loss” for the school district and the entire statewide schools community, saying:
“Bob was a passionate educator who always thought of the future of his students. He tackled each day with his optimistic approach, seeing opportunities where others might see problems. In my personal dealings with Bob, I found he was a true leader and wonderfully kind person. He will be greatly missed.”
Bob is survived by his wife and three adult childrene. We will post details on services when they become available, or you can check the school district website for updates.
The family of club member Bob Horan, who died unexpectedly on July 4th, has shared the following information about services at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish at 1803 Union Street, Schenectady:
