Sunday Open Thread: July 2 is World UFO Day

strong>World History

On July 2, 1494, Spain ratified the The Treaty of Tordesillas. That is the infamous treaty that divided newly discovered non-European lands between Spain and Portugal. Nobody told the Pope, the Spaniards nor the Portuguese, that everything west of a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands (granted to Spain) would include everything east of said meridian (granted to Portugal) and vice-versa, because, duh, round. There were at least 3 Popes & 4 Papal bulls (actually, it was all bull) involved, none valid, all presumptious, foul and wrongful. Ah well, the evil that men do and all that ... .

On July 2, 1613, a British expedition from Virginia attacked Acadia (French) and burnt its capital, Port Royale.

On July 1823, Brazil won its freedom from Portugal

US History

On July 2, 1776, Congress passed a resolution cutting ties with Britain. On July 2, 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, held in disfavor and largely ignored since WJC On July 2, 1921, the US formally ended its war with Imperial Germany On July 2, 1962, the first Wal-Mart opened On July 2, 1964, LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Science On July 2, 1897 Guglielmo Marconi obtained a patent for the radio in London.

Birthdays of Note 1877 -- Hermann Hesse 1906 -- Hans Bethe 1908 -- Thurgood Marshall, 1923 -- Cyril M. Kornbluth 1930 -- Ahmad Jamal

Deaths of Note

1778 -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1850 -- Robert Peel, 1961 -- Ernest Hemingway, 1977 -- Vladimir Nabokov 1999 -- Mario Puzo, 2007 -- Beverly Sills,

Tunes

Crossposted from http://caucus99percent.com