Richard Pough(founder of the Nature Conservancy. Pough wrote a series of Audubon guides on birds. He was also one of the first to warn of the dangers of DDT and helped to get a law banning the sale of wild-bird feathers.)–
Eli Wallach(actor)–
Born
Ferdinand Bol(painter)–
Ambrose Bierce(writer)–
Jack Dempsey(boxer)–
Mick Fleetwood(musician)–
Mindy Kaling(actress)–
Minka Kelly(actress)–
Solange Knowles(actress & singer)–
Events
Battle of Bannockburn—Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce beat Edward II of England. Scotland regained its independence –
John Cabot landed on North American soil –
Henry VIII crowned King of England –
Canada’s national anthem, O Canada, was first performed, at a banquet in Quebec City, Quebec. The original lyrics were in French. English versions didn’t appear until the early 1900s. –
9 UFOs reported, Mt. Rainier, Washington –
The guitar Eric Clapton used to record the song, Layla, sold at auction for $497,500 –
Eric Clapton’s favorite guitar fetched $959,500 at auction, easily eclipsing the record set by the sale of another guitar by the legendary rock musician on this day in 1999 –
John Isner of the U.S. defeated Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon in the longest tennis match to date (11 hours and 5 minutes) –
Rusty, a red panda, was found exploring a nearby neighborhood after he had disappeared from the The Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., overnight. –
The Florida Panthers won the NHL championship Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s history –
Weather
While on an Arctic expedition, Admiral Robert Peary reported seeing a large mountainous landmass off the coast. He named it Crocker Land, but later expeditions proved that it was a mirage. –
6.54” of rain fell in Brooklyn, New York City –
The Mount Rainier National Park ranger station in Washington reported 4.4 inches of snow, bringing the season total to 1,122 inches –
