1770 – Lexell’s Comet passed closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history, only 2,200,000 km away on the 1st day of July in 1770.
1874 – The Sholes and Glidden typewriter, became the first commercially successful typewriter to go on sale on the 1st day of July in 1874.
1879 – Charles Taze Russell published the first edition of the The Watchtower religious magazine on the 1st day of July in 1879.
1881 – The world’s first international telephone call was made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States on the 1st day of July in 1881.
1908 – SOS was adopted as the international distress signal on the 1st day of July in 1908.
1921 – The Communist Party of China was founded on the 1st day of July in 1921.
1931 – United Airlines began service as Boeing Air Transport on the 1st day of July in 1931.
1942 – The Australian Federal Government became the sole collector of income tax in Australia as the State Income Tax was abolished on the 1st day of July in 1942.
1945 ~ Deborah Harry the American singer-songwriter best known for being the lead singer of Blondie was born on the 1st July 1945.
1977 – Liv Tyler the American actress and model was born on the 1st July 1977.
1978 – The Northern Territory in Australia was granted Self-Government on the 1st day of July in 1978.
1979 – The Walkman was introduced by Sony on the 1st day of July in 1979.
1980 – O Canada officially became the national anthem of Canada on the 1st day of July in 1980.
1990 – German re-unification: East Germany accepted the Deutsche Mark as its currencyon the 1st day of July in 1990. This unitited the economies of East and West Germany.
1997 – China resumed sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule on the 1st day of July in 1997.
2002 – The International Criminal Court was established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression on the 1st day of July in 2002.
2007 – Smoking in England was banned in all public indoor spaces on the 1st day of July in 2007.
Today in History for July 1st ~ video presented by the Associated Press…