Moments in Time: For Whom the Bell Tolls
The History Channel
On July 24, 1567, during her imprisonment at Lochleven Castle in Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate in favor of her 1-year-old son, later crowned King James VI of Scotland. In 1542, while just 6 days old, Mary had ascended to the Scottish throne upon the death of her father, King James V.
On July 21, 1899, Ernest Miller Hemingway, author of such novels as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea,” is born in Oak Park, Illinois. The influential American literary icon became known for his straightforward prose and use of understatement.
On July 23, 1918, Della Sorenson kills the first of her seven victims in Nebraska. Over the next seven years, friends, relatives and acquaintances of Sorenson died under mysterious circumstances. In 1925, Sorenson was arrested when she made an unsuccessful attempt at killing two children with poisoned cookies.
On July 18, 1925, Volume One of Adolf Hitleris philosophical autobiography “Mein Kampf” is published. It was a blueprint of his agenda for a Third Reich and a clear exposition of the nightmare that would envelope Europe from 1939 to 1945.
On July 19, 1956, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles announces that the United States is withdrawing its offer of financial aid to Egypt to help with the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River. The Soviets rushed to Egypt’s aid, and the Aswan Dam was officially opened in 1964.
On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “Thatis one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon.
On July 22, 2005, “March of the Penguins,” a French-made documentary about emperor penguins in Antarctica, opens in theaters across the U.S. The film went on to win numerous awards, including an Oscar, and became one of the highest-grossing documentaries in movie history.