July 7, 1981 (Tuesday)
- "I'm pleased to announce that upon completion of all the necessary checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I will send to the Senate the nomination of Judge Sandra Day O'Connor of the Arizona Court of Appeals for confirmation as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court." With those words, U.S. President Ronald Reagan named O'Connor as the 102nd person, and first woman, to ever serve on the nation's highest court.
- Piloted by Stephen Ptacek, the Solar Challenger crossed the English Channel in an airplane powered entirely by the Sun. Built by Paul MacCready, the plane, covered with 16,128 solar cells, took off from France at Cormeilles-en-Vexin, then traveled 160 miles (260 km) in 5 hours and 23 minutes and landed in England at the RAF Base at Manston, landing at 4:47 p.m.
- Died: Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Norman), 62, American pacifist who attracted attention to her causes by walking across the United States; in an auto accident near Knox, Indiana
Read more about this topic: July 1981
Famous quotes containing the word july:
“People in Stamps used to say that the whites in our town were so prejudiced that a Negro couldn’t buy vanilla ice cream. Except on July Fourth. Other days he had to be satisfied with chocolate.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)