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Morning Open Thread: Red Shoe Day - Bloody Mary - Atomic Bomb Test - A Chorus Line - Test Tube Baby [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-25
July 25th is:
Culinarians Day: July 25, 2011 – (year uncertain) — A day to celebrate people who cook, whether they are professional chefs, cooking for their family, or for their own enjoyment
Hire a Veteran Day: July 25, 2017 – Launched by Hire Our Heroes (HOH), a non-profit founded by veterans for veterans
Hot Fudge Sundae Day: While the oldest known record of an ice cream sundae is an Ithaca, NY advertisement, the originator of the dessert is debated. An October 5, 1892 advertisement in the Ithaca Daily Journal spelled the ice cream treat with the conventional day of the week spelling – Sunday. However, Two Rivers, Wisconsin claims Druggist Edward Berners served the first ice cream sundae in 1881.
Merry-Go-Round Day: The earliest known depiction of the merry-go-round is in 500 A.D. The Byzantine Empire's ride depicts baskets carrying riders suspended from a central pole. In the 1840s, Franz Wiesenoffer created the first merry-go-round in the United States in Hessville, Ohio. The first carousel patent was awarded on July 25, 1871.
Red Shoe Day: July 25, 2013 – established in memory of Australian Lyme disease patient, Theda Myint, who died on this date, to remember not only Theda, but all those lost to Lyme and other ‘invisible’ illnesses, including ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, worldwide
Thread the Needle Day: In addition to putting a thread through the eye of a needle, this phrase is also used for: finding a path through two opposing views; in billiards, for a move where the ball is shot precisely through a narrow pathway; as the name of a Yoga pose; and in several sports to describe moving the ball through a tight space.
Costa Rica – Guanacaste Province Annexation
Cuba – Revolution Anniversary
Jamaica – Baha’i Day
Spain – Dìa Nacional de Galicia
Tunisia – Republic Day
United States – Puerto Rico: Constitution Day
315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near Rome’s Coliseum to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at Milvian Bridge
1137 – Eleanor of Aquitaine marries her first husband, Prince Louis, later King Louis VII of France
1291 – Hawys Gadarn born, “the Hardy” Lady of Powys; Welsh noblewoman whose father had the forethought to insure she was a subject of the crown of England in his will. When her father died in 1293, her brother was the heir, but when he too died in 1309, he designated Hawys as his heir, but she was still 17, so her four uncles became her guardians. They disputed her claim on the grounds that women could not inherit under Welsh law, and sought take the land for themselves, and force Hawys into a nunnery. She went to the Parliament of Shrewsbury to petition King Edward II of England in person, as an English subject loyal to the Crown. He asked her to nominate a champion of her rights, and she named John Charleton, who was one of Edward’s knights. Charleton led a company of English knights escorting her back to Powis Castle. The knights ably defended the lady’s claim, capturing three of her uncles. Hawys and John Charleton were married shortly thereafter, and she became known for her support of monasteries, including the building of the Franciscan monastery in Shrewsbury
Powis Castle, home of Hawys Gadarn
1554 – (“Bloody”) Mary I of England marries Philip II of Spain
Queen Mary I of England
1593 – “Le bon roi Henri” converts from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism in order to be crowned as King Henry IV of France at Chartres Cathedral. Legend has it that he remarked, “Paris vaut bien une messe” (Paris is well worth a mass)
Chartres Cathedral
1603 – James VI of Scotland is crowned King of England, becoming James I there
1750 – Henry Knox born, American bookstore owner becomes a Revolutionary war general; establishes artillery training centers; first U.S. Secretary of War (1789-1794)
1806 – Maria Weston Chapman born, American abolitionist, essayist and poet; editor of the anti-slavery journal Non-Resistant, and The Liberty Bell, an annual gift book featuring works donated by notable writers and used as a fundraiser for the cause; served on the executive committee of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1839-1865)
1824 – Costa Rica annexes Guanacaste province from Nicaragua
1837 – First successful demonstration of commercial electrical telegraph
1840 – Flora Adams Darling born, American author, historian, organizer, instrumental in the founding of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
1844 – Thomas Eakins born, American realist painter, sculptor and photographer; one of the most important American artists
Thomas Eakins: Self-Portrait (1902)
1850 – Gold discovered in the Rogue River in Oregon
1853 – Joaquin Murrieta, Californio bandito, is killed
1853 – David Belasco born, influential American theatrical producer and playwright
1866 – U.S. Congress authorizes 5 star rank of General of the Army for Ulysses S. Grant
1868 – Wyoming becomes a U.S. territory
1870 – Maxfield Parrish born, American painter and highly successful illustrator
‘Morning’ by Maxfield Parrish
1871 – Margaret Floy Washburn born, American psychologist, known for work in animal behavior and motor theory; first woman granted a PhD in psychology in the U.S., second woman to serve as American Psychological Association President
1873 – Anne Tracy Morgan born, American philanthropist and author, spearheaded and supplied funds for relief efforts to aid France during and after WWI and WWII; first American woman to be appointed a commander of Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (French Legion of Honor)
1873 – Masaharu Anesaki born, leading Japanese scholar of the Meiji period, used the pen name Chōfū Anesaki. He was also a member of the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations (1922-1946), the predecessor to UNESCO. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard University(1913-1915). Noted for Hanatsumi Nikki (Flowers of Italy), which traces the steps of Saint Francis of Assisi, and Quelques pages d’histoire religieuse du Japon (History of Japanese Religion)
1883 – Alfredo Casella born, Italian composer, pianist and conductor
1884 – Davidson Black born, Canadian paleoanthropologist; Chair of the Geological Survey of China; his finds expanded the knowledge of human evolution
1893 – The Corinth Canal in Greece is used for the first time
1896 – Josephine Tey born, Scottish author of mystery novels; wrote historical plays under the name Gordon Daviot; noted for The Daughter of Time, and other books in her Alan Grant detective series, and her play (under the pen name ‘Gordon Daviot’) Richard of Bordeaux
1901 – Mohamed Helmy born, Egyptian physician who saved several Jews from the Nazis in Berlin during the Holocaust. Helmy was the first Arab to be recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations
1901 – Welfare campaigner Emily Hobhouse begins addressing public meetings across Britain to raise money to improve the appalling conditions which are causing thousands of deaths in the segregated concentration camps during the second Anglo-Boer War, where the British held Boer women and children, and black African non-combatants. South Africa made her an honorary citizen for her humanitarian work there. When she died in Kensington in 1926, her death went unreported in the local press, but her ashes were ensconced in a niche in the National Women’s Memorial Monument at Bloemfontein, South Africa
1912 – Ann Gregory born, African-American amateur golfer. In 1956, she competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, the first African-American woman to play in a national championship conducted by United States Golf Association. She also played in the 1959 Women’s Amateur, but was denied entry to the player’s banquet after the tournament at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. In the 1960s, she was living in Gary, Indiana, where the South Gleason Park Golf Course was designated whites-only. Gregory declared, "My tax dollars are taking care of the big course and there's no way you can bar me from it,” and played the course. Other Black golfers followed her example, ending the ban on non-white players. In 1971, Gregory was runner-up at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, making her the first African-American to finish as runner-up in a USGA women's competition. In 1989, at age 76 and competing against a field of 50 women, Gregory won the gold medal in the U.S. National Senior Olympics, beating her competitors by 44 strokes
1902 – Eric Hoffer born, American longshoreman, philosopher, and notable author of The True Believer; awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983
1905 – Elias Canetti born, Bulgarian novelist and playwright; 1981 Nobel Prize for Literature
1906 – Johnny Hodges born, American jazz saxophonist; soloist for Duke Ellington
1920 – Rosalind Franklin born, British physical chemist and X-ray crystallographer; she made contributions to the understanding of the molecular structure of DNA which was foundational for the work of Watson and Crick, co-recipients of the Nobel Prize for their studies of DNA’s double helix form
1925 – Jutta Zilliacus born in Finland, Swedish-language Estonian author, journalist and politician. Member of the Finnish Parliament for the Swedish People’s Party (1975-1986) and member of the Helsinki City Council (1968-1984). Among her books are Vägskäl (Crossroads), and Gå över gränser (Across Borders)
1930 – Alice Parizeau born in Poland to Jewish parents who died in the Holocaust; French Canadian author, journalist, essayist and criminologist, associated with the sovereignty movement in Quebec
1938 – Richard Aaker Trythall born, American composer and pianist; member of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza (1964-1980)
1943 – Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is overthrown in a coup; King Victor Emmanuel orders Marshall Pietro Badoglio to form a military government to continue conduct of the war
1944 – Sally Beauman born, English journalist and novelist; worked for New York magazine, and was an editor at Queen magazine and The Sunday Telegraph magazine; also worked as an investigative journalist for several leading British publications; author of eight best-selling novels, including The Visitors
1946 – U.S. detonates its first underwater atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll
1952 – Puerto Rico becomes a self-governing commonwealth of U.S.
1954 – Sheena McDonald born, Scottish journalist and broadcaster; producer and presenter for BBC Radio Scotland (1978-1981), then worked for STV (a Scottish television channel – 1981-1986), then worked on several different programmes until 1999, when she was struck by a police van responding to an emergency, and nearly died, suffering severe head injuries, and was out of broadcasting for almost five years; she currently presents a news programme for the cable channel Teachers’ TV, and is an advocate for road safety laws
1955 – Iman born as Zara Abdulmajid, Somali fashion model, founder of an ethnic cosmetics company, and philanthropist; Super model active from 1976 to 1990, she went on to start her own cosmetics firm in 1994, specializing in difficult-to-find foundation shades for women, and expanding into the home shopping fashion market in 2007. She is actively involved with several children’s charities, including Keep a Child Alive, Children’s Defense Fund, and Save the Children’s East African programs. She played a key part in the Enough Project’s campaign against blood diamonds, including terminating her contract with the De Beers diamond conglomerate over ethics conflicts
1964 – Anne Applebaum born, American-Polish journalist and author; 2004 Pulitzer Prize (General Nonfiction) for Gulag: A History; 2012 National Book Award Nonfiction finalist for Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956
1965 – Illeana Douglas born, American actress, producer, director and screenwriter; noted for writing and directing the comedy short The Perfect Woman, the documentary Everybody Just Stay Calm—Stories in Independent Filmmaking, and Boy Crazy, Girl Crazier. She also produced several projects for the Sundance Channel, including Illeanarama, for which she also has writing and acting credits
1966 – Diana Johnson born, British Labour politician; Member of Parliament for Kingston Upon Hull North since 2005, Hull’s first woman MP; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (2009-2010); Member of the London Assembly for the Labour Party (2003-2004); in 2014, she proposed a Bill that would require sex and relationships education, including discussions around issues such as consent, to be made a compulsory part of the National Curriculum
1966 – The Supremes release “You Can’t Hurry Love”
1969 – Annastacia Palaszczuk born, Australian Labor politician; Premier of Queensland since 2015; Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland since 2006; as Leader of the Opposition of Queensland (2012-2015), the first woman Premier of a state from an Opposition party; first Australian premier to have a majority of women ministers (8 out of 14); served as Minister for Disabilities (2009-2011), and for Multicultural Affairs (2009-2012)
1975 – “A Chorus Line” debuts on Broadway, and runs for 6,137 performances
1978 – Louise Joy Brown, first in-vitro fertilization test-tube baby, is born in England
1984 – Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to walk in space
2018 – Elin Ersson, a 21-year-old Swedish student activist, was on board a Turkish airline flight at Gothenburg airport when she prevented the deportation from her country of an Afghan asylum seeker by refusing to sit down until the man was removed from the flight. She livestreamed the standoff after learning that the man would be dispatched on arrival in Istanbul to another plane bound for war-torn Afghanistan. The footage went viral and got over half a million hits. Struggling to maintain her composure, Ersson said, “I don’t want a man’s life to be taken away just because you don’t want to miss your flight. I am not going to sit down until the person is off the plane.” When asked by a steward to stop filming, she said emphatically, “I am doing what I can to save a person’s life. As long as a person is standing up the pilot cannot take off. All I want to do is stop the deportation and then I will comply with the rules here. This is all perfectly legal and I have not committed a crime.” Replying to an irate English-speaking man who tried to snatch her phone, she said: “What is more important, a life, or your time? . . . He is not safe in Afghanistan. I am trying to change my country’s rules, I don’t like them. It is not right to send people to hell.” Some passengers applauded when the asylum seeker was taken off the plane. Ersson was also escorted off. The German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, reported that the man was still in custody, and was later deported. In Sweden, opinion was split on giving asylum to an increasing number of asylum seekers, with the government taking a harder line on expelling them as the numbers have risen. Ersson was fined 3,000 krona ($324 USD) for failing to comply with the instructions of the flight crew
2021 – In Afghanistan, since May 1, when international forces began their pulling out troops, 783 civilians were killed and 1,609 injured during a major Taliban offensive, largely in rural areas, according to the UN. “I implore the Taliban and Afghan leaders to take heed of the conflict’s grim and chilling trajectory and its devastating impact on civilians,” said Deborah Lyons, the UN secretary general’s special representative for Afghanistan. Improvised mines were the leading cause of casualties, responsible for more than one in three deaths and injuries. Recent fighting led to more mines being placed on roads and inside homes in areas the Taliban seized. Women and girls have been particularly badly hit by the violence. Casualties for both groups reached record highs over the first six months of 2021. In an attack on a girls’ school in Kabul, at least 85 people were killed and over 200 injured, most of them schoolgirls
Women and children in Afghan village — UN Rep Deborah Lyons
Everybody have a Free-Thinking Friday.
[END]
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