Born on this day
Monday, July 22, 1844. : William Archibald Spooner, from whom the word ‘spoonerism’ was derived, is born.
William Archibald Spooner was born in London on 22 July 1844. He became an Anglican priest, and later lectured at Oxford in history, philosophy and divinity. Although a brilliant scholar, Spooner was known for his unwitting ability to transpose letters in words, giving a phrase a whole new meaning. Some of his more memorable utterances include:
During a toast to Her Highness Victoria: “Three cheers for our queer old dean!”
During World War 1: “When our boys come home from France, we will have the hags flung out.”
At chapel: “Our Lord is a shoving leopard.”
To a stranger sitting in the wrong place: “I believe you’re occupewing my pie. May I sew you to another sheet?”
To a Dean’s secretary: “Is the bean dizzy?”
When announcing the hymn ‘Conquering Kings’: “Kinkering Congs Their Titles Tale.”
Commenting on a naval display: “This vast display of cattle ships and bruisers.”
Officiating at a wedding: “It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.”
The word “spoonerism” began appearing in popular use as early as 1885. Once when a group of students gathered outside his window, calling for him to make a speech, he replied: “You don’t want to hear a speech: you just want me to say one of those… things.”
A lasting legacy, indeed.
Australian History
Sunday, July 22, 1900. : Frederick Lane becomes the first Australian swimmer to win Gold at the modern Olympics.
Frederick ‘Freddie’ Claude Vivian Lane was born on 2 February 1879 in Sydney. Lane’s earliest swimming instruction came when, at the age of 4, his brother saved him from drowning in Sydney Harbour. His first major championship was achieved at the age of 13, when he won the All-Schools’ handicap race. He continued to progress, setting new records and winning further championships. In his late teens, he won national titles in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He set an Australasian record of 64.8 seconds for the 100 yards freestyle, won the Australasian 100 yards title at Christchurch in New Zealand, and went on to win State freestyle titles. He set another record at the 1899 English championships when he swam the 220 yards freestyle title in 2 minutes, 38.2 seconds. He also won the 440 yards salt-water title.
It was while attending the prestigious British championships that Lane was recruited as part of the British swimming team for the second modern Olympics held in Paris in 1900. On 22 July 1900, he became the first Australian swimmer to win Gold. He beat Hungarian Zoltan Halmay by 5.8 seconds in the 200-metre freestyle with a time of 2 minutes, 25.2 seconds. Just 45 minutes after this race, he won his second Gold, beating Austrian Otto Wahle in the 200-metre obstacle race.
In 1902, Lane became the first to swim the 100-yard freestyle in under a minute, in the record time of 59.6 seconds. He continued a successful European tour, and by the time he returned to Australia, he had accumulated a total of about 350 trophies, including over 100 medals. He did not continue his sporting career, but returned to Australia to become a master printer and partner in the printing and stationery firm Smith & Lane of Bridge Street, Sydney. His name is engraved on the World Trophy, originally known as the Helms Award, for 1900. In 1969, the year of his death, he was honoured by the International Swimming Hall of Fame at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
World History
Monday, July 22, 1822. : The first anti-cruelty bill is passed in British Parliament.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. Since its founding in 1824, it has inspired the creation of similar, but independent, organisations in other countries, including the Scottish SPCA, RSPCA Australia and the ASPCA in the USA
The first anti-cruelty bill was introduced by Richard Martin MP, who would later earn the nickname of ‘Humanity Dick’, leader of a group of twenty-two reformers. Also leading the group were William Wilberforce MP, who was already famous for his efforts to abolish slavery in the British Empire, and the Reverend Arthur Broome. The Act was passed in Parliament on 22 July 1822 and was against cruelty to farm animals, particularly cattle. The group assembled at the “Old Slaughters” Coffee House in London to create a society with the will and authority to enforce the new law. The SPCA, the first animal welfare society in any country was thus founded on 16 June 1824, and was subsequently granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840.
World History
Saturday, July 22, 1933. : Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world.
Wiley Post was born on 22 November 1898. An oilfield accident resulted in his wearing a patch over one eye, but did not stop him from gaining his flying licence under Orville Wright in 1926. Post completed the first round-the-world solo flight of over 25,000km in his single-engine Lockheed Vega 5B aircraft “Winnie Mae”. The journey took 7 days 18 hours and 49 minutes. Post landed at the Floyd Bennett Field near New York at 11:50 PM, 22 July 1933. He had previously flown around the world in the Winnie Mae with his navigator, Australian Naval cadet Harold Gatty, who went on to found Fiji Airways, which became Air Pacific.
World History
Tuesday, July 22, 1969. : Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin depart the moon after 21 1/2 hours on the surface.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969, and fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin joined him on the surface twenty minutes later. They spent twenty one and a half hours on the surface before returning to the command module piloted by Michael Collins.
Whilst on the surface, they took numerous photographs, and studied both the nature of the lunar dust and the effects of pressure on the surface. Footprints left behind are expected to remain almost permanently, unless disturbed by the impact of a meteorite. Before leaving the surface, Armstrong and Aldrin planted the American flag and unveiled a plaque bearing the signature of President Nixon and an inscription reading: “Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”
World History
Friday, July 22, 1994. : The last piece of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet hits Jupiter.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was a comet which collided with Jupiter in 1994, providing the first direct observation of the collision of two solar system objects. The Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet was discovered by astronomers Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy. It was located on the night of 24 March 1993 in a photograph taken with the 0.4-metre Schmidt telescope at the Mount Palomar Observatory in California. Unlike all other comets discovered before then, it was orbiting Jupiter rather than the Sun.
Between 16 July and 22 July 1994, twenty-three fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with the planet Jupiter. July 22 saw the 23rd piece hit Jupiter. Observatories around the world captured the images.
World History
Tuesday, July 22, 2003. : Two sons of Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein are killed by US troops in Iraq.
On 2 August 1990, one hundred thousand Iraqi troops backed by 300 tanks invaded Kuwait, in the Persian Gulf. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had amassed weaponry which was then deployed for the invasion. The action ultimately led to the Gulf War the following year, a six-week war in which the Allies, led by the USA, won a decisive victory, forcing the withdrawal of all Iraqi troops.
Following the war, Iraq suffered under Hussein’s leadership. His government repressed movements that it deemed threatening, particularly those of ethnic or religious groups that sought independence or autonomy. While he remained a popular hero among many Arabs for standing up to Israel and the United States, some in the international community continued to view Saddam with deep suspicion following the 1991 Gulf War.
In the ensuing years, the USA maintained that Hussein was amassing weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was deposed by the United States and its allies during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but managed to evade capture. On 22 July 2003, following a tip-off from an Iraqi informant, 200 US troops stormed a house in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The American soldiers came under attack as they entered the house, but rocket fire from helicopter gunships soon quelled the attack. When the dust had cleared, they found the bodies of Hussein’s sons, Uday, 39, and Qusay, 36, together with the latter’s 14-year-old son, Mustafa. The two sons were highly influential figures in Saddam Hussein’s regime, and news of their deaths was greeted with celebrations in the city of Baghdad. Saddam Hussein himself was captured in December of 2003, and following the trial which lasted many months, was executed by hanging on 30 December 2006.