Moments in Time – July 11, 2018

#Middlebury

• On July 29, 1588, off the coast of France, Spain’s “Invincible Armada” is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. After eight hours of furious fighting, a change in wind direction prompted the Spanish to retreat toward the North Sea.
• On July 27, 1921, at the University of Toronto, Canadian scientists successfully isolate insulin – a hormone they believe could prevent diabetes – for the first time. The first test subject, a teenager, was treated with insulin injections and improved dramatically.
• On July 28, 1932, President Herbert Hoover orders the U.S. Army under Gen. Douglas MacArthur to evict by force 20,000 Bonus Marchers from the nation’s capital. The World War I veterans were seeking early payment of money they were owed. When 2,000 refused to leave, MacArthur set their camps on fire.
• On July 26, 1956, the Suez Crisis begins when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the British and French-owned Suez Canal, hoping to charge tolls. The Suez Canal was completed by French engineers in 1869.
• On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilization, is born in England to parents Lesley and Peter Brown. The Browns later had a second daughter, Natalie, also through IVF.
• On July 23, 1982, Vic Morrow and two child actors are killed in a crash involving a helicopter during filming on the California set of “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” The actor and children were shooting a Vietnam War battle scene.
• On July 24, 1998, Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic, “Saving Private Ryan,” is released in theaters. The film was praised for its authentic portrayal of war and won five Oscars, including Best Director and Best Cinematography.

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