What Happened on July 23?

  • The Detroit Riots, one of the worst riots in US history, started. (1967) The race riot, commonly called "The 12th Street Riot," lasted five days, leaving 43 dead, 467 injured, and more than 2,000 burned buildings. The riot got started when the Detroit police raided a bar called "The Blind Pig." The Michigan National Guard and troops from the US Army finally brought an end to the violence five days later.

  • A shootout between a black militant group and Cleveland, Ohio, police started a five-day riot. (1968) The black militant organization, led by Fred "Ahmed" Evans, started what is known as the Glenville Shootout. The Cleveland mayor called the National Guard to end the situation, and the next day he removed all white police officers from the streets, placing only black officers on patrol. It was the first time in American history that only black officers were sent in to police a situation. By July 28th, the situation was resolved.

  • Tiger Woods became the youngest player to complete a Career Grand Slam in golf. (2000) Woods won the British Open on this day when he was 24 years old, completing his Career Grand Slam. Only four other players in golf history have Career Grand Slams. Woods is considered one of the best players in golf history and holds the record for the lowest career scoring average.

  • Mark Buehrle became the 18th Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher in history to pitch a perfect game. (2009) Buehrle pitched the historic game for the Chicago White Sox, playing against Tampa Bay. Only 20 perfect games have been thrown in MLB history, which got its start in 1869.

  • The first Miss America resignation occurred after nude photos were published in Penthouse magazine. (1984) Venessa Williams, the first black woman to win the title, was asked to return her crown when Penthouse announced the planned photo spread. It was the first resignation in the Miss America pageant history.

  • The world's oldest sports federation was founded. (1881) The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the body that governs competitive gymnastics, was established in Liege, Belgium, and now has headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

  • Walter Cronkite hosted the first live, trans-Atlantic television program. (1962) Transmitted by Telstar, the first satellite able to transmit television signals, the program was also hosted by Richard Dimbleby of the BBC in Brussels. The first program was to cover a speech by US President John F. Kennedy, but he wasn't quite ready when the show started, so the time was filled with a MLB game at Wrigley Field — the Chicago Cubs played the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • The body of serial killer Andrew Cunanan was found by police. (1997) Perhaps most notably, Andrew Cunanan shot and killed French fashion designer Versace. Cunanan, who had no prior criminal record, began killing on April 27, 1997, when he murdered Jeffrey Trail, who was friends with Cunanan's next victim, David Madson. Madson had been Cunanan's lover. He killed two more people before he shot Versace. A nationwide manhunt for Cunanan ended on this day when police found him dead on a houseboat he had broken into. He had committed suicide, but left no note.

  • The Hale-Bopp comet was discovered. (1995) The comet became visible to the naked eye the following year and was so bright that it continued to be visible for 18 months, setting a record. The previous record-holder was the Great Comet of 1811, which was visible to the naked eye for about 9 months.

  • The Vatican limited the rights of non-married couples and homosexuals. (1992) The commission was led by Joseph Ratzinger, who became the 265th Pope in 2005. Their report stated that the homosexual "inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder."

Discussion Comments

Hazali

Despite some of the recent scandals with Tiger Woods, the man has a big influence on golf. Even if you're not big on the sport, his skills are great, and he's a perfect example of how to play it.

Viranty

While I haven't seen a comet up close, this tidbit really makes you realize that there's a whole world out there, and not just planet Earth. Comets are a sight to see, and they're one of those things that don't appear very often. Due to this, if you happen to miss out on one, you'll have to wait a long time to see another.

Euroxati

In relation to the first bullet point, one thing I've noticed is that it says the Detroit Riots were one of the worst. If that's the case, which one caused the most destruction? However, then again, considering how riots are always destructive and dangerous, not one of them is the "worst" in a sense.

I'd also like to note that it's amazing the riot lasted for so long. Not only does it show how even the smallest of conflicts can lead to escalations, but it also shows that some of this might have been due to race relations.

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