This Day in History – July 23, 2011

636 Arabs gain control of most of Palestine from the Byzantine Empire 1253 Jews are expelled from Vienne France by order of Pope Innocent III 1298 Jews are massacred at Wurzburg Germany 1798 Napoleon captures Alexandria, Egypt 1827 1st US swim school opens (Boston Mass) 1829 William Austin Burt patents “typographer” (typewriter) 1852 1st interment in US National Cemetary at Presidio 1877 1st telephone & telegraph line in Hawaii completed 1877 1st US municipal railroad, Cincinnati Southern, begins operations 1880 1st commercial hydroelectric power planet begins, Grand Rapids, Mich 1914 Austria-Hungary issues ultimatum to Serbia leading to WW I 1925 NY Yankee Lou Gehrig hits his 1st of 23 career grand slammers 1931 Ashmore & Cartier Is in Indian Ocean transferred to Australia 1940 “Blitz” begins, all-night raid on London 1956 Bell X-2 rocket plane sets world aircraft speed record of 3,050 kph 1968 Fred Blassie wins 5th wrestling world championship belt 1980 Billy Carter admits to being paid by Libya 1980 River of No Return Wilderness Area designated by Jimmy Carter 1984 Vanessa Williams, 1st black Miss America, resigns due to posing nude 1986 Britain’s Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson 1989 FOX-TV tops ABC, NBC & CBS for 1st time (America’s Most Wanted)]]]]> ]]>