Tsunami hits Alexandria, Egypt. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 3:47, July 21, 2011, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tsunami-hits-alexandria-egypt. On this day in the year 365, a powerful earthquake off the coast of Greece causes a tsunami that devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Although there were no measuring tools at the time, scientists now estimate that the quake was actually two tremors in succession, the largest of which is thought to have had a magnitude of 8.0. The quake was centered near the plate boundary called the Hellenic Arc and quickly sent a wall of water across the Mediterranean Sea toward the Egyptian coast. Ships in the harbor at Alexandria were overturned as the water…

Jul 21, 1861: The First Battle of Bull Run. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 3:20, July 21, 2011, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-battle-of-bull-run. In the first major land battle of the Civil War, a large Union force under General Irvin McDowell is routed by a Confederate army under General Pierre G.T. Beauregard. Three months after the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter, Union military command still believed that the Confederacy could be crushed quickly and with little loss of life. In July, this overconfidence led to a premature offensive into northern Virginia by General McDowell. Searching out the Confederate forces, McDowell led 34,000 troops–mostly inexperienced and poorly trained militiamen–toward the railroad junction of…

30 May 2011 Last updated at 21:31 ET By Mark Simpson BBC Ireland Correspondent The Titanic is no longer a taboo topic in Belfast as the city marks 100 years since the luxury liner’s launch. Back in April 1912, there was a sense of embarrassment when the “unsinkable” ship hit an iceberg and went under. Fast forward a century and Belfast is no longer hiding from its Titanic past. The launch, maiden voyage and sinking of the ship will all be marked in the city which now boasts its own Titanic Quarter, full of residential and commercial ventures including a tourist trail. “What happened to Titanic was a disaster but she was…

The Friends of the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives was organized in January 1996.

NDONESIA – Article published the Friday 15 July 2011 – Latest update : Friday 15 July 2011 Red alert on Sulawesi as Mount Lokon erupts Mount Lokon is one of Indonesia’s most active volanoes Reuters By RFI An Indonesian volcano has erupted forcing over four thousand people to flee the rocks, lava and ash being thrown hundreds of metres into the air. The increased activity of Mount Lokon on Sulawesi island comes a day after its alert status was raised to the highest level. The volcano burst into life overnight Thursday spewing ash 500 metres into the air. Hundreds of people fled their homes in the middle of the night when they…

Source: Earthquake wreaks havoc in the Philippines. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 1:51, July 16, 2011, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-in-the-philippines. Jul 16, 1990: More than 1,000 people are killed when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Luzon Island in the Philippines on this day in 1990. The massive tremor wreaked havoc across a sizeable portion of Luzon, the country’s largest island, with Baguio City suffering the most devastating effects. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 4:26 p.m., was north of Manila in the Nueva Ecija province. Reports indicate that the shaking went on for nearly a full minute. Collapsing buildings were the main cause of damage and death. Getting out of a multi-story building was…

Jul 16, 1951: Source: Catcher in the Rye is published. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 1:43, July 16, 2011, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/catcher-in-the-rye-is-published. J.D. Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is published by Little, Brown on this day in 1951. The book, about a confused teenager disillusioned by the adult world, is an instant hit and will be taught in high schools for half a century. The 31-year-old Salinger had worked on the novel for a decade. His stories had already started appearing in the 1940s, many in the New Yorker. The book took the country by storm, selling out and becoming a Book of the Month Club selection. Fame did not agree with Salinger, who…

Source: JFK Jr. killed in plane crash. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 1:48, July 16, 2011, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-jr-killed-in-plane-crash. Jul 16, 1999: On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., was born on November 25, 1960, just a few weeks after his father and namesake was elected the 35th president of the United States. On his third birthday, “John-John” attended the funeral of his assassinated father and was photographed saluting his father’s coffin in a famous and searing image. Along with his sister,…

08:30 AM ET SOURCE Breakfast buffet: National French fries day While you’re frying up some eggs and bacon, we’re cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today’s food holiday. Born to be fast (food, that is) – July 13 is National French Fries Day. No matter how you slice them – crinkle or shoestring, thick-cut or curly – plunking thin strips of potatoes in oil is the kind of salty fried goodness that can’t be beat. Now we all know that “French” fries don’t really have ties to France at all, but where did these snacktastic sticks come from? Many countries have a history of frying potato slices in…