This Week in American History

Here is what happened this week in American History.

• July 23. On this day in 1972, the Landsat 1 satellite is launched into space. This was the first satellite to investigate Earth resources, notably agricultural and forestry resources, geology, hydrology, oceanography, environmental pollution and more. Landsat 1 was a polar-orbiting satellite, meaning it orbited Earth over or very near the poles. The satellite’s mission was scheduled to last five years, five months, and 14 days. It was deactivated in January 1978 but during its service transmitted over 100,000 images of about 75 percent of Earth’s surface. It was responsible for discovering a small, uninhabited island off the Canadian east coast that was subsequently named Landsat Island. Landsat 1 remains in a decaying orbit and will eventually return to Earth.

• July 24. In 1998, at 3:40 pm Russell Weston enters the US Capitol building and is directed toward a metal detector. The detector alarms and Weston is asked to pass through it a second time. Instead, he draws a handgun and begins shooting. Capitol Police Officer Jacob Chestnut is struck in the back of his head and killed. Weston then shoots at Officer Douglas McMillan who was getting a wheelchair for a visitor. McMillan is injured but shoots at Weston who runs through a doorway, turns into a corridor, and bursts into an office. Detective John Gibson is in that room along with office staff. Hearing the gunshots, he had staff members hide under their desks. As Weston enters the office, he shoots Gibson in the chest. Despite being mortally wounded, Gibson manages to shoot Weston four times. Weston survived and was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He remains in psychiatric care.

• July 25. Today in 1609, the British sailing ship Sea Venture is heading toward Virginia with 200 passengers looking to settle in the New World. Sea Venture, the flagship of a seven-ship fleet, had sailed from Plymouth, England, six weeks earlier. Just days before arriving in Jamestown, the fleet was struck by a tropical storm or hurricane and scattered. At least one ship sank. Sea Venture began taking on water. It would be the morning of Aug. 3 that land was spotted. Slowly sinking, the ship was run ashore on the island of Bermuda with the survivors establishing a new colony on the island.

• July 26. On this day in 1944, Betty Gray Mabry is born in Durham, NC. She develops as interest in music at a young age and begins writing songs at the age of 12. She eventually moves to New York where she works as a model and becomes a singer, which becomes a career. Because of her risqué lyrics and dance moves, she never achieves major stardom but does develop a cult following. She would marry jazz musician Miles Davis, becoming Betty Davis, with the marriage lasting only a year. She dies in 2022 of cancer.

• July 27. In 1817, it is during the Seminole Wars and Negro Fort is largely occupied by escaped slaves. Located about 15 miles north of what is now Apalachicola, FL, the fort had been built by the British during the war of 1812 to support an attack on the US from the south. To support the attack, the British recruited Creek and Seminole Indians along with escaped slaves. That attack never happened but the fort, mostly a wooden stockade, remained becoming what was described as the “largest concentration” of escaped slaves in the area. The existence of this community became a concern for the US. Then ships carrying supplies for the nearby Fort Scott were fired upon by those in Negro Fort. During the fight that followed a “hot cannon ball” from a gunboat landed in the Negro Fort magazine resulting in a huge explosion destroying the fort and killing most of those inside. It is reported the Creek Indians recovered 2,500 muskets, 50 carbines, 400 pistols, and 500 swords from the ruins. The action became known as Battle of Negro Fort, thought it is also called Battle of Prospect Bluff and Battle of African Fort. Historical markers note the location of Negro Fort.

• July 28. Today in 1962, college students Will Thomas and David Deacy are at the Columbia River near Kennewick, WA, to watch a hydroplane race. Thomas is wading in the water when his foot strikes something hard. That something is a human skull. They take the skull to a Kennewick police officer and a subsequent search of the area finds more human bones – nearly a complete skeleton. Forensic study determines the bones are 8,400 to nearly 8,700 years old and he becomes known as the Kennewick Man. DNA tests have shown that Kennewick Man was related to his contemporary Native Americans in the Northwest.

• July 29. On this day in 1962, Scott Rechsteiner is born in Bay City, MI. He follows older brother, Rick, to the University of Michigan becoming a notable amateur wrestler. Rechsteiner also follows his brother into professional wrestling, adopting the name Scott Steiner, and enjoys an incredible career becoming known as “Big Poppa Pump” along the way.

ADDENDUM – The Revolutionary War continues but with no significant battles until August. The Korean War continues with many small skirmishes.