On July 31, 1964, the American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon's surface.
On July 31, 1919, Primo Levi, the Italian writer and chemist whose work was influenced by his captivity at Auschwitz, was born. Following his death on April 11, 1987, his obituary appeared in The Times.
On This Date
| 1777 | The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army. |
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| 1875 | Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, died in Carter Station, Tenn., at age 66. |
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| 1914 | The New York Stock Exchange closed due to the outbreak of World War I. (Trading didn't resume until December.) |
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| 1919 | Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted. |
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| 1972 | Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment. |
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| 1977 | The "Son of Sam" killer claimed his last victims when he shot and killed Stacy Moskowitz, 20, and seriously wounded her date as they sat in a parked car in Brooklyn, N.Y. (David Berkowitz was arrested less than two weeks later. He is serving six sentences of 25 years to life.) |
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| 1981 | A seven-week strike by major league baseball players ended. |
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| 1990 | Nolan Ryan became the 20th major league pitcher to win 300 games as his Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3. |
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| 1995 | Walt Disney Co. agreed to acquire Capital Cities-ABC Inc. in a $19 billion deal. |
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| 2007 | The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Sudan's Darfur region. |
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| 2008 | Scientists reported the Phoenix spacecraft had confirmed the presence of frozen water in Martian soil. |
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| 2009 | Three American tourists were arrested by Iran on suspicion of espionage during what their families have said was a simple hiking trip along the Iraq-Iran border. (One was released on bail, the others remain in Iranian custody.) |
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Current Birthdays
Author J.K. Rowling ("Harry Potter" books) turns 46 years old today.
AP Photo/Joel Ryan
Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware turns 29 years old today.
AP Photo/Sharon Ellman
| 1919 | Robert Morgenthau, Former Manhattan district attorney, turns 92 |
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| 1944 | Geraldine Chaplin, Actress, turns 67 |
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| 1945 | William Weld, Former Massachusetts governor, turns 66 |
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| 1951 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 60 |
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| 1956 | Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts, turns 55 |
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| 1958 | Bill Berry, Rock musician (R.E.M.), turns 53 |
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| 1962 | Wesley Snipes, Actor, turns 49 |
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| 1963 | Fatboy Slim, Rock musician, turns 48 |
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| 1975 | Annie Parisse, Actress ("Law and Order"), turns 36 |
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| 1978 | Zac Brown, Country singer, musician, turns 33 |
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| 1979 | B.J. Novak, Actor, writer ("The Office"), turns 32 |
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Historic Birthdays
Primo Levi7/31/1919 - 4/11/1987Italian-Jewish writer and chemist.Go to obituary »
| 59 | Augustus 7/31/1526 - 2/12/1586
Elector of Saxony & leader of Protestant Germany |
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| 62 | George Baxter 7/31/1804 - 1/11/1867
English engraver and printer |
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| 79 | Jane Currie Hoge 7/31/1811 - 8/26/1890
American welfare worker & fundraiser for the Union |
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| 80 | Abram Stevens Hewitt 7/31/1822 - 1/18/1903
American industrialist & philanthropist who became mayor of N. Y. C. |
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| 76 | Henri Brisson 7/31/1835 - 4/11/1912
French statesman who was twice premier of France |
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| 77 | Richard Dixon Oldham 7/31/1858 - 7/15/1936
English geologist who discovered evidence of the Earth's Core |
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| 99 | S. S. Kresge 7/31/1867 - 10/18/1966
American merchant who started a chain of 1,000 variety stores |
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| 87 | Jacques Villon 7/31/1875 - 6/9/1963
French painter and printmaker & brother of Marcel Duchamp |
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| 70 | Elmo Roper 7/31/1900 - 4/30/1971
American who developed political forecasting by polls |
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| 49 | Whitney Young 7/31/1921 - 3/11/1971
American civil rights leader & head of the National Urban League |
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