Two hundred fifty years ago today, the Liberty Bell reportedly rang in Philadelphia to summon citizens to hear the newly-signed Declaration of Independence read aloud. While no contemporary written account of the ringing is known to exist, historical documentation confirms that when the Declaration received its first public reading in Philadelphia, bells throughout the city rang in commemoration of the momentous occasion.
The bell that would become known as the Liberty Bell had been specially commissioned years earlier to project its distinctive E-flat tone across a significantly larger portion of the city's territory. Given its purpose and prominence, historians consider it unlikely that this particular bell remained silent during such a historic event, even though definitive proof of its ringing on July 8, 1776 has not survived in the historical record.
Other Notable Events on July 8
This date has witnessed numerous other significant moments throughout history. In 1889, The Wall Street Journal was first sold on four pages costing two cents, printed by Mr. Dow and Mr. Jones, along with Charles Bergstresser. The publication would grow to become one of the most influential financial newspapers in the world.
In 1907, Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first Follies on the roof of a New York City theater, launching a theatrical tradition that would define American entertainment for decades. The United States Air Force accepted its first female recruits into a program called WAF, Women in the Air Force, on this date in 1948, marking a significant milestone in military integration.
The Recording Industry Association of America presented the first Gold Record album to the soundtrack LP Oklahoma after the recording reached one million dollars in sales on July 8, 1958. More recently, in 2000, the fourth installment of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, Goblet of Fire, was released with an unprecedented initial print run of 5.3 million copies, breaking all publishing records.
Child Protection Milestone
One hundred forty years ago today, Anthony Ashley-Cooper and Reverends Benjamin Waugh and Edward Rudolph founded the London Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. After five years of campaigning by the organization, Parliament passed the first-ever United Kingdom law to protect children from abuse and neglect in 1889.
The organization expanded from its London designation to become the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children just five years later, with Queen Victoria serving as its patron and 1st Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts as co-founder. By 1930, the NSPCC had reportedly helped its four-millionth child. Today, the charity operates local service centers across the United Kingdom staffed by 1,900 volunteers and remains the only UK charity with granted statutory powers under the Children Act 1989.
Notable Birthdays
Actor Jeffrey Tambor celebrates his 82nd birthday today. The Emmy-winning performer earned acclaim for his role as the Bluth Family patriarch in four seasons of Fox and Netflix's Arrested Development, which garnered him three Emmy and two Screen Actors Guild award nominations. He also won two Emmy awards for his work in Amazon's Transparent. Earlier in his career, Tambor portrayed Hank Kingsley in the comedy series The Larry Sanders Show.
Actress and director Anjelica Huston turns 75 today. The third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, she earned the honor for her supporting role in Prizzi's Honor, which was directed by her father, John Huston. She also received Oscar nominations for Enemies, a Love Story and The Grifters, and starred as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family. In recent years, Huston has pursued her passion for sculpture and pottery, creating bowls and clay figurines.
Actor and musician Kevin Bacon turns 68 today. The Philadelphia-born performer has built a diverse career including roles in Footloose, Diner, JFK, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River, and the television drama The Following. He and his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, have been married nearly 30 years. In 2007, Bacon transformed the viral game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon into a charity called SixDegrees.org, which has raised more than five million dollars for grassroots charities.
Chef Wolfgang Puck celebrates his 77th birthday today. The Austrian restaurateur moved to the United States at age 24 and opened his first restaurant, Spago, on Los Angeles's Sunset Strip in 1982. The establishment became one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the United States and was awarded two Michelin stars. His Wolfgang Puck Companies now includes 20 fine restaurants, catering services, more than 80 Wolfgang Puck Express locations, and various merchandise lines.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Beck turns 56 today. The four-time platinum artist rose to fame in the early 1990s in Los Angeles with his experimental lo-fi style and became known for creating musical collages spanning diverse genres. His hit songs include Loser, Devil's Haircut, Dreams, and Where It's At. His 2014 album Morning Phase won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, while his 2017 release Colors won Best Alternative Album and Best Engineered LP.
