| July
1st of July
1836 Charles Dickens' Pickwick
Papers became the first fiction published in weekly parts - 'Thinking of
Dickens reminds me of two of his famous novels ... Great
Expectations and Hard
Times, I think my speech fits the Hard Times
category rather than the Great Expectations ...
on this day etc.'
2nd of July
1946 The Bikini was launched,
taking its name from recent atomic tests at Bikini Atoll - today I will
be brief, very brief!
Because... on this day etc.'
3rd of July
1943 Jacques Cousteau and
Emile Gagnan perfected the aqualung - You might wonder why am I taking
a deep breath
before I surface
to start my speech. It's because ... on this
day etc.'
4th of July
1980 The first compact discs
were demonstrated - 'Today I am going to give you a very compact
speech indeed. Because... on this day etc.'
5th of July
1900 Mecano was invented
by Frank Hornby of Liverpool to amuse his sons - 'Today I am going to give
you a 'nuts and bolts'
speech. Because ... ... on this day etc.'
6th of July
1946 John J. Rambo (Alias
actor Sylvester Stallone) was born - 'Forgive me if I Rambo
... errr! 'ramble' on today... on this day
etc.'
7th of July
1940 Drummer Ringo Starr
was born today - 'Today is a day for the 'Starrs',
regrettably I'm not one of them... on this
day etc.'
8th of July
178 Reinhold Messner and
Peter Habeler became the first mountaineers to climb Mount Everest without
the use of Oxygen - 'If they can do it, I can do it, even though I think
that I've got a more breathtaking
mountain to climb...
on this day etc.'
9th of July
1974 The Rubic Cube was
invented in Hungary by Erno Rubik - ' Trying to get my speech to square
up reminds me that ...
on this day etc.'
10th of July
1793 The Louvre, the first
great public art museum, opened in Paris - 'I was trying to picture
what I was going to say to you tonight and I was reminded that...
on this day etc.'
11th of July
1483 The birth of Martin
Luther founder of the Protestant reformation - 'I
protest! Why on earth did you pick someone
like me to do this difficult task ... on this
day etc.'
12th of July
1940 Important prehistoric
paintings were discovered in France in the Lascaux Caves - ' I have this
horrible feeling that what I am going to say to you will be 'old
hat' ... on this day etc.'
13th of July
1985 Live Aid pop concerts
raised millions for African famine relief - 'You might wonder why I am
standing here nervously with a lollypop
in my hand ... on this day etc.'
14th of July
1789 The Bastille was stormed
- 'I have this uncomfortable feeling today that if I don't perform well
you might all rush up
on stage and carry me away to the guillotine...
on this day etc.'
15th of July
1774 British Chemist Joseph
Priestly discovered Oxygen - 'As I stand here gulping
for oxygen and fighting off a panic attack,
I don't think he discovered enough of it ...
on this day etc.'
16th of July
1965 American Douglas Englebart
invented the computer mouse - 'As I stand here as
timid as a mouse I'm reminded that ...
on this day etc.'
17th of July
1947 The Dead Sea Scrolls
were discovered in a cave in the Qumran Valley - 'If you think that my
speech is a bit dead,
can I remind you that ... on this day etc.'
18th of July
1955 Disneyland was opened
in California - 'Forgive me if what I say tonight all sounds a bit Mickey
Mouse and Goofy...
on this day etc.'
19th of July
1985 The wreck of the Titanic
was found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean - 'I was wondering why I
was as nervous as a wreck
today, and then I remembered that ... on this
day etc.'
20th of July
1893 The zip fastener was
patented by Whitcomb L Judson of Chicago - 'I could tell you things
about the bridegroom's past that would make your hair stand on end ...
but today my lips are sealed.
Because ... on this day etc.'
21st of July
1969 Astronaut Neil Armstrong
took a giant leap for mankind - Today, and quite understandably so,
I
am over the moon because ...
on this day etc.'
22th of July
1934 Public Enemy No 1 John
Dillenger as shot dead by the FBI - 'No I don't want anyone in the audience
to get any bad ideas during my speech ...
on this day etc.'
23th of July
1657 Dutchman Christiaan
Huygens built the first pendulum clock - 'If I go on too long past my allocated
time tonight I can't help feeling that I may
swing
for it. Because ... on this day etc.'
24th of July
1937 Nylon was patented
in the USA by Wallace Hume-Carothers - 'As I stand on my two
legs and before I put my
foot in it can I tell you something totally
trivial ... on this day etc.'
25th of July
1807 William Wilberforce
helped to pass a bill totally prohibiting England's slave trade - ' Slavery
was abolished today so I'm going to declare myself a free
man and sit down immediately ...
on this day etc.'
26th of July
1516 Sir Thomas More published
Utopia - his vision of a free society - ' In an ideal
world I wouldn't be landed with this lousy
task ... on this day etc.'
27th of July
1908 The FBI was founded
in Washington - 'Whoever decided that I was the best person to do this
task definitely didn't check the records...
on this day etc.'
28th of July
1996 Olympic rower Steve
Redgrave clinched his fourth successive Olympic Gold Medal at Atlanta -
'The reason why I'm standing here in from of you with my arms
going up and down is not because I'm nervous,
it's because ... on this day etc.'
29th of July
1947 The first sighting
of a UFO was claimed over Washington City - 'Before I start I have to tell
you that all of this feels very alien
to me ... maybe it's because ... on this day
etc.'
30th of July
1744 The rules for cricket
were drawn up - 'A 'wicket'
thought crossed my mind as I stood up to bat
my way though this speech ... ... on this
day etc.'
31st of July
1967 TV Superman Dean Cain
was born today - 'I can assure you that I'm no Superman
but I'll do my best ... on this day etc.'
|
