Once Upon A Time – July 31 – 1620 – Pilgrim Fathers Depart Leiden, Netherlands for England Enroute America

30 BC Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves minor victory over Octavian, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to Octavian’s invasion of Egypt

1620 Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands for England on their way to America

1917 World War I: Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) begins, goes on to cause approximately 500,000 casualties

1961 Israel welcomes its one millionth immigrant

2007 Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end

More Historical Events
Jul 31 in Film & TV
1912 US government prohibits movies and photos of prize fights (censorship)

Jul 31 in Music
1959 Cliff Richard and the Shadows have their 1st British No. 1 single with “Living’ Doll” (biggest British single of 1959)

Jul 31 in Sport
1928 Halina Konopacka of Poland hurls discus world record 39.62m to win first gold medal in women’s Olympic athletics at the Amsterdam Games; American Lillian Copeland and Ruth Sveberg of Sweden take minor medals

MORE FACTS…
1970 Black Tot Day: the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy (started 1740)

1703 Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers

Famous Weddings
1940 Actress Loretta Young (27) weds advertising executive Tom Lewis at the chapel of St. Paul’s Church in Westwood

1951 Musician Ray Charles (20) weds Eileen Williams in Georgia

1954 American television personality and songwriter Steve Allen (32) weds American actress Jayne Meadows (33)