Today in History 7-10-18

1850
Millard Fillmore sworn in as president

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On this day in 1850, Vice President Millard Fillmore is sworn in as the 13th president of the United States. President Zachary Taylor died the day before, five days after falling ill with a severe intestinal ailment on the Fourth of July.

Hes the second man to inherit the presidency after a president’s death. The first was John Tyler, who had assumed the presidency in 1841 after William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia 30 days into office.

Fillmore rose to political prominence in the Whig Party as New York’s representative to Congress between 1832 and 1842.

1925
Monkey Trial begins

In Dayton, Tennessee, the “Monkey Trial” begins with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher is accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”

Scopes had conspired to get charged with this violation, and after his arrest enlisted the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organize a defense.

1940

The Battle of Britain begins

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This day in 1940, the Germans begin the first in a long series of bombing raids against Great Britain, as the Battle of Britain, which will last three and a half months.

120 German bombers and fighters struck a British shipping convoy, while 70 more bombers attacked dockyard installations in South Wales. Although Britain had far fewer fighters than the Germans–600 to 1,300–it had a few advantages, such as an effective radar system.

1999
U.S. women win World Cup

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On July 10th, 1999, the U.S. women’s soccer team defeats China to win their second Women’s World Cup. The game ended in a 5-4 shootout after 120 scoreless minutes.

The game was played at the Rose Bowl in southern California in front of 90,185 fans, the largest crowd ever to attend a women’s sporting event.

Sources:
History.com
Historynet.com