July 2nd Major News Events

1958 Cuba Americans In Danger

1958 : Americans staying in Cuba become more fearful as Cuban rebels, headed by Fidel Castro, continued to kidnap people. Rebels were unaffected by the presence of United States Marines sent to rescue kidnapped Americans, but they did indicate that they may release 3 Canadian citizens. Cuban rebels showed no indication of releasing Americans or stopping the kidnappings which had grown to a rate of 10 American kidnappings per day over a period of five days.

1964 U.S.A. Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964 : The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Johnson. The bill had a rough time going through the Senate when the "Southern Bloc" of southern Senators led by Richard Russell launched a filibuster lasting 54 days to prevent its passage. Said Russell "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed segregation in schools, public places, and employment. The bill also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering both race and gender for the first time in history.

1966 US Sinks North Vietnamese Torpedo Boats

1966 : United States navy planes sink 3 North Vietnamese torpedo boats. The Vietnamese boats were set to attack an American destroyer, but the navy planes were able to repel the attack while only suffering some damage to one plane whose pilot made it back safely.

1975 India Crackdown On Criminals

1975 : The Indian government promised to crack down on smugglers, land speculators, and tax evaders in the country. The prime minister, Indira Gandhi , promised severe punishment for the criminals. Also, the president, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, declared that the government would have much power over the arrests and punishments that violators of the law would receive. The prime minister also promised help to millions of landless peasants.

1979 U.S.A. Susan B. Anthony Dollar

1979 : The Susan B. Anthony dollar became available at banks and is the Dollar of the Future.

1982 U.S.A. Larry Walters

1982 : Larry Walters using 45 helium filled weather balloons to lift him and his lawn chair three miles high , he controlled his descent using a BB gun shooting holes in balloons to control his height.

1992 One Millionth Chevrolet Corvette

1992 : The one millionth Chevrolet Corvette America's first sports car came off of the assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The car had first been shown as a prototype at the 1953 Motorama in New York City.

1992 Northern Ireland IRA Murder Informers

1992 : The IRA admits to killing three informers for MI5 and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch stating they were tried and found guilty and sentenced to death by the IRA.

1998 Japan Bank Rescue Package

1998 : The Japanese finance minister Hikaru Matsunaga announces a rescue package for Japanese Banking Sector many who are facing bankruptcy following the number of bad loans due to the collapse in the property market. It is estimated that Japanese Banks have in excess of $500bn in bad debts. The plan will allow failing banks to be taken over by financial administrators who will attempt to sell the bank or liquidate. Part of the plan ensures that "sound and good-faith" borrowers will be protected.

2001 UK Dando Killer Found Guilty

2001 : Barry George is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of television presenter Jill Dando.

2001 U.S.A. The Fast and the Furious

2001 : The release of the movie The Fast and the Furious which tops the number 1 spot in it's first week and continues to be in the top 2 has given a big boost to the latest craze to sweep America "illegal street racing" with thousands of enthusiasts dodging the police and racing on streets around the country vying for the bragging rights, who's got the fastest car.

2002 Australia Steve Fossett Record

2002 : Steve Fossett became the first person to fly a balloon solo around the world landing the Spirit of Freedom in Queensland, Australia after 14 days 19 hours 50 minutes. This was his sixth attempt to break the record.

2004 Sudanese Refugees in Danger

2004 : Ethnic cleansing in Sudan has forced over 100,000 to flee across the border to Chad and the Emergency United Nations Relief Organisation is struggling to keep up with demand for health services and food supplies, they are estimating that at least 10,000 may well die in the next month alone from cholera, malaria and dysentery. This is in addition to many thousands who are at risk from starvation. Since the beginning of the ethnic violence in the Darfur region it is estimated over 1 million people have fled their homes to escape the mass slaughter by the government backed militia.

2006 Palestine Bombing

2006 : Israel issues an air-strike on Ismail Haniya’s, the Palestinian Prime Minister, office. The attack that injured three security guards is a response to the capture of Corporal Gilad Shalit by militant Palestinian groups on June 25th, 2006.

2007 Iran 24 hr English Language News Channel

2007 : Iran launched a twenty-four hour English language news channel on this day. The channel, called Press TV, was created to provide unbiased account of international news that was neither a Western view nor a pro-Taliban or pro-al-Queda view. But this should be taken with a pinch of salt, the station is TV is state-funded and part of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and it's broadcasts news reports and analyses are closely aligned to the official position of the Iranian government.

2009 Joe Biden Surprise Visit to Iraq

2009 : The United States vice-president, Joe Biden, made a surprise visit to Iraq on this day. Biden visited with remaining troops and leaders to discuss development and stability in the country. The visit came the same week that the United States withdrew troops from cities in the country.

2011 Hundreds Arrested at Hong Kong Demonstrations

2011 : Over two hundred protesters were arrested by police in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of people gathered to demonstrate against higher property prices and political changes believed to infringe on democratic rights. The people started arresting the demonstrators when they refused to leave the central business district. The police also used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

2012 GlaxoSmithKline to Pay $3 Billion in Fraud Settlement

2012 : In the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history, GlaxoSmithKline was set to pay $3 billion to cover criminal fines and civil settlements with the federal and state governments. The company pled guilty to promoting unapproved uses for two anti-depressant drugs and failing to report safety information to the FDA about other drugs.

2013 Germany Spy Couple Jailed

2013 : A Russian spy couple who were code named Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag were jailed in Germany after being found guilty of spying. The couple had reportedly moved to West Germany over twenty years ago and had been spying for Russia. They were discovered in 2011 after having assisted a Dutch spy.