July 12 is:
National Pecan Pie Day
July 12 or 13 – 100 BC: Julius Caesar was born.
King Henry VIII of England married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace in 1543.
July 12, 1804 – Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton died. He had been shot in a duel vs Aaron Burr.
Birthday of Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817), American author of “Walden” or “Life in the Woods”. He died of tuberculosis at age 45.
Birthday of Sir William Osler (July 12, 1849), Canadian physician and teacher noted for his research on the circulatory system.
Birthday of George Eastman (July 12, 1854), American inventor of cameras.
Birthday of Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, born in New York City in 1895. Best known for his collaboration with Richard Rodgers in creating such epics as Oklahoma, Carousel, Show Boat, The Sound of Music, The King and I, and South Pacific. I’ve created a file on “BenneynLinda.com” which includes the lyrics and some midi files for the songs from these classic musicals.
Interestingly, although the film “Oklahoma” was initially to have been shot on location in the title state, the producers opted to shoot elsewhere, apparently because the oil wells would be a distraction for exterior scenes. Location shooting was done mostly in Nogales, Arizona. The corn field in the opening number as well as the reprise song, “Surrey With the Fringe On Top” was shot at the historic Canoa Ranch in Green Valley, Arizona. The train station used in the “Kansas City” routine was located in Elgin, Arizona.
From Today in Science:
In 1920, the Panama Canal was formally dedicated. It had taken more than 30 years to overcome the enormous engineering challenges and complete at a cost of $347 million. The first ship had, in fact, traveled through six years earlier when the Panama Canal opened to shipping on 15 Aug 1914. At that time, the world scarcely noticed the event since German troops were driving across Belgium toward Paris and the newspapers relegated the Panama story to their back pages; the greatest engineering project in the history of the world had been dwarfed by the totality of World War I.
Alexander the Great of Macedonia (356 BC- 323 BC)
had Heterochromia, one eye blue the other brown.
According to roambliss.com, “The eye color of Alexander the Great has been a subject of much debate among historians. While there are no definitive records of his eye color, ancient texts and accounts provide some insight. Some sources suggest that his eyes were a captivating shade of blue, while others claim they were a deep and piercing gray. Regardless of the exact color, it is widely agreed upon that his eyes were intense and expressive, capable of captivating those who met his gaze.”