WednesdayWed, July 1st Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- People born on this day are Cancer as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2024
- EVENTS
- Aboriginal ritual uncovered in a cave in Cloggs Cave, Victoria, Australia, maybe humankind's oldest continuous cultural ritual spanning 500 generations and 12,000 years.
- DEATHS
- Ismail Kadare, Albanian author and poet known for "The General of the Dead Army", who died at 88.
- POLITICS
- US Supreme Court rules ex-presidents have immunity from prosecution for all official acts, substantially altering the 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump.
On this day in 2023
- EVENTS
- Tracy Chapman became the first black woman to have a chart-topping country song as a sole writer when Luke Combs' cover of her 1988 hit 'Fast Car' reached No.1 on the US Country Airplay chart. First released on April 6,1988 as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album, Chapman's appearance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in June 1988 helped the song become a top-ten hit in the United States, and the single also reached No.5 on the UK Singles Chart..
- Dutch King Willem-Alexander makes formal apology for the country's role in the slave trade, at 160th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands.
- BIRTHS
- Abel Birhanu, YouTube Star, born in Ethiopia.
- La Tia Maria, TikTok Star, born in El Salvador.
On this day in 2022
- EVENTS
- Germany and Nigeria have signed an agreement to return ownership of more than 1,000 Benin Bronzes, looted during colonial times, back to Nigeria.
- DEATHS
- Richard Taruskin, American musicologist (Oxford History of Western Music), and educator, who died of esophageal cancer at 77.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Fourth of July is released. A recovering alcoholic and jazz pianist in NYC confronts his acerbic family during their annual Fourth of July vacation.
- Clara Sola is released. In a remote village in Costa Rica,40-year-old Clara endures a repressively religious and withdrawn life under the command of her mother. Her uncanny affinity for creatures large and small allows Clara to find solace in the natural world around her. Tension builds within the family as Clara’s younger niece approaches her quinceañera, igniting a sexual and mystical awakening in Clara, and a journey to free herself from the conventions that have dominated her life.
- The Forgiven is released. Speeding through the Moroccan desert to attend an old friend’s lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain) are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy’s father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences.
- MOVIES: PG
- Minions: The Rise of Gru is released. In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions. When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
- Mr. Malcolm's List is released. When she fails to meet an item on his list of requirements for a bride, Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) is jilted by London’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Malcolm (??p?´ Dìrísù). Feeling humiliated and determined to exact revenge, she convinces her friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) to play the role of his ideal match. Soon, Mr. Malcolm wonders whether he’s found the perfect woman...or the perfect hoax.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song is released. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song is a definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah. This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times. The song’s dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit. And moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom Hallelujah has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.
- MOVIES: R
- The Princess is released. When a beautiful, strong-willed princess (Joey King) refuses to wed the cruel sociopath to whom she is betrothed, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father's castle. With her scorned, vindictive suitor (Dominic Cooper) intent on taking her father's throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom.
- TV SERIES
- The Terminal List: Season 1 is released. James Reece (Chris Pratt) returns home under investigation after 12 in his Navy SEALs platoon are killed in an ambush in this series based on Jack Carr's novel of the same name.
- Stranger Things: Season 4.5 is released. The final two episodes for the fourth season in Volume Two including a two hours and 19 minutes-long finale.
- ALBUMS
- Household Name was released by Momma. The third full-length release for alternative rock band Momma was mastered by Emily Lazar.
- Tresor was released by Gwenno. The third full-length solo release for Gwenno features nine tracks in the Cornish language and one in Welsh.
- GAMING: PC
- F1 22 for PC is released. Enter the new era of Formula 1® in EA SPORTS™ F1® 22, the official videogame of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™. Take your seat for a new season as redesigned cars and overhauled rules redefine race day, test your skills around the new Miami International Autodrome, and get a taste of the glitz and glamour in F1® Life. Race the stunning new cars of the Formula 1® 2022 season with the authentic lineup of all 20 drivers and 10 teams, and take control of your race experience with new immersive or broadcast race sequences. Create a team and take them to the front of the grid with new depth in the acclaimed My Team career mode, race head-to-head in split-screen or multiplayer, or change the pace by taking supercars from some of the sport’s biggest names to the track in our all new Pirelli Hot Laps feature.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Gamedec for Switch is released. Gamedec is an adaptive cyberpunk RPG. As a private detective, it's your job to solve crimes inside virtual worlds. What decisions will you make in a world where child slavery is a F2P game, where murder over a game-clan dispute is an every-day reality? Who will you become in the XXII century?
On this day in 2021
- EVENTS
- Britain's Princes William and Harry unveil statue to their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 60th birthday, at Kensington Palace.
- State of New York charges The Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg with tax fraud and grand larceny.
- DEATHS
- Yury Dokhoian, Chess Player.
- Philece Sampler, American actress (Another World,1987-89 -" Donna Love" ; Days Of Our Lives,1981-84 - "Renée"), and anime voice dubber, who died of a heart attack at 67.
- Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (Reconstruction), who died at 82.
- Marcel Puget, French rugby union halfback and captain (17 Tests; CA Brive, Stade Toulousain, Stade Rodez Aveyron), who died from Alzheimer's disease at 80.
- Joshua Culbreath, American 400m hurdler (Olympic bronze,1956; US Champion,1953-55), collegiate coach and athletic director, who died at 88.
- MOVIES: R
- No Sudden Move is released. Set in 1954 Detroit, No Sudden Move centers on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what they think is a simple document. When their plan goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them – and for what ultimate purpose – weaves them through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city. [HBO Max]
- GAMING: PC
- Old World for PC is released. Conquer the Old World in this historical, epic strategy game from Soren Johnson, Lead Designer of Civilization IV and Offworld Trading Company. Every year is a turn, and each leader is a mere mortal, so your lasting legacy will be the dynasty you leave behind.
- POLITICS
- President Xi Jinping makes a defiant address at celebrations in Tiananmen Square, Beijing to mark the 100 year centenary of the Chinese Communist Party.
- Indonesian President Joko Widodo announces a two-week lockdown for the islands of Java and Bali amid the worst COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in South East Asia.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- America confirms more than 50,000 new COVID-19 pandemic cases in one day for the 1st time.
- American musician Max Crook died age 83. A pioneer of electronic music he was the featured soloist on Del Shannon’s 1961 hit 'Runaway', which he co-wrote and on which he played his own invention, the Musitron. Crook also recorded a series of instrumentals, credited as Maximilian..
- Europe opens its borders to 15 safe countries after months of lockdown, excluding the US, Brazil and Russia.
- WHO says Middle East at "critical threshold" with COVID-19 pandemic cases over 1 million,80% of deaths in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
- Word record drug haul of 14 tonnes of amphetamines seized by Italian police in Salerno worth $1.1 billion. Thought made in Syria by Islamic State..
- DEATHS
- Everton Weekes OBE, West Indian cricket batsman (48 Tests; 4,455 runs @ 58.61,15 x 100s), who died at 95.
- Heinrich Fink, Politician.
- Hugh Downs, American TV journalist (20/20, Concentration), who died at 99.
- Ida Haendel, Polish-British violinist and author (Woman with Violin),, who died at 96.
- Jonathan Sieff, Race Car Driver.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Suzi Q is released. Before Suzi Quatro burst on the music world in 1973, there were almost no women in rock, and absolutely none who played bass and sang lead vocals and led the band and rocked out and reached millions of people around the world, re-writing the rule book for the expected image of women in rock & roll. Singer, songwriter, bass player, bandleader, actress, radio-presenter, poet – there is only one Suzi Q, the pint-sized, leather-clad rocker who has sold more than 50 million records and in 2019 released a new album, celebrating 53 years as a working musician.
- TV SERIES
- Unsolved Mysteries (2020): Season 1 is released. The revival of the mystery documentary series will be hostless and each episode will be a self-contained case.
- GAMING: PC
- Trackmania for PC is released. Free for players to race solo or multiplayer on quarterly renewed official campaigns, including 25 tracks, allowing players to earn medals and record scores in the regional rankings. Players will be able to enjoy other player’s creations on the Arcade Channel, try various editors (tracks, replays and skins) and map review servers. The weekly Nations League is also available for casual competitions. Standard Access: In addition to the free content, Standard Access expands the content available with player creations, including the “Track of the Day” selection, and full access to replay, track editors and map review servers. Additionally, players can participate in daily competitions and keep every “Track of the Day” and “Official” campaign track. One year of standard access is available for $9.99. Club Access: Including the above, Club Access allows players to join their favorite clubs to access exclusive content and activities such as skin customization, special campaigns, online rooms, training tracks and competitions. They can also create their own club to share their creations and organize events. Players can participate in the Open Grand League, organized by Ubisoft Nadeo, and try to qualify for the Trackmania Grand League. One year of the Club Access is available for $29.99 or three years for $59.99.
- POLITICS
- Russian President Vladimir Putin wins national referendum allowing longer presidential terms of office.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- Japan resumes commercial whaling after a break of more than 30 years.
- At least 16 people killed in a Taliban attack with over 100 injured in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- DEATHS
- Boguslaw Schaffer, Polish composer and playwright, who died at 90.
- Tyler Skaggs, Baseball Player.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- They Are Billions for PlayStation 4 is released. They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- US Senior Open Men's Golf, Broadmoor GC: David Toms wins by 1 stroke from Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic.
- Colombia's Chiribiquete National Park declared a world heritage site by the UN.
- Canada's retaliatory tariffs against the US's steel tariffs take effect,25% on some steel,10% on 250 other goods.
- French gangster Redoine Faid escapes the Sud-Francilien prison in Réau, France by helicopter.
- Nationwide protests over Trump administration immigration policies in the US.
- NBA super star LeBron James agrees to a 4-year $154m deal with the LA Lakers, moving from Cleveland Cavaliers.
- Suicide bombing targeting Sikh community kills at least 19 people in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
- PGA Women's Championship, Kemper Lakes GC: Park Sung-hyun of South Korea wins in a playoff with Nasa Hataoka & Ryu So-yeon.
- DEATHS
- Dame Gillian Lynne [Pyrke], British dancer, choreographer and actress, known for Broadway work on "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera, "dies at 92.
- POLITICS
- Centre-left politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) elected President of Mexico.
- Mexician General election: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador elected President of Mexico.
On this day in 2017
- EVENTS
- Mexican police kill 19 gunmen in drug-related shootout in northern state of Sinaloa.
- Canada celebrates 150 years since its formation.
- Brazilian police arrest drug kingpin Luiz Carlos da Rocha in Sorriso.
- DEATHS
- Pat Patrick, Race Car Driver.
- POLITICS
- Norman Dorsen, American lawyer, human rights advocate and president of the American Civil Liberties Union, who died of complications from a stroke at 86.
- Ethiopian politician, Tedros Adhanom takes office as first African Director-General of the World Health Organisation.
- Heathcote Williams [John Henly Heathcote Williams], British poet, actor and political activist, who died at 75.
On this day in 2016
- EVENTS
- Islamic militants storm a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 20 hostages and 2 police, country's worse terror attack.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Our Kind of Traitor is released. While on holiday in Marrakech, an ordinary English couple, Perry (Ewan McGregor) and Gail (Naomie Harris), befriend a flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), who unbeknownst to them is a kingpin money launderer for the Russian mafia. When Dima asks for their help to deliver classified information to the British Secret Services, Perry and Gail get caught in a dangerous world of international espionage and dirty politics. The couple is propelled on a perilous journey through Paris and Bern, a safe house in the French Alps, to the murky corners of the City of London and an alliance with the British Government via a ruthless and determined MI6 agent (Damian Lewis).
- Carnage Park is released. It’s 1978 and a bank robbery gone wrong leaves Vivian (Ashley Bell) the hostage of two criminals on the run. But things go from bad to off-the-rails berserk when she and her captors wind up on the sun-baked desert outpost of a deranged ex-military sniper (Pat Healy), who ensnares them in his deadly game of cat and mouse.
- The Innocents is released. Warsaw, December 1945: the second World War is finally over and Mathilde is treating the last of the French survivors of the German camps. When a panicked Benedictine nun appears at the clinic one night begging Mathilde to follow her back to the convent, what she finds there is shocking: a holy sister about to give birth and several more in advanced stages of pregnancy. A non-believer, Mathilde enters the sisters’ fiercely private world, dictated by the rituals of their order and the strict Rev. Mother (Agata Kulesza). Fearing the shame of exposure, the hostility of the new anti-Catholic Communist government, and facing an unprecedented crisis of faith, the nuns increasingly turn to Mathilde as their belief and traditions clash with harsh realities. [Music Box Films]
- MOVIES: PG
- The BFG is released. The BFG tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
- Life, Animated is released. Life, Animated is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence.
- MOVIES: PG13
- The Legend of Tarzan is released. It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.
- MOVIES: R
- The Purge: Election Year is released. It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.
- Microbe and Gasoline is released. Microbe, a shy, aspiring artist, has trouble making friends at school until he meets Gasoline, a likeminded outcast. Together they hatch a plan to build a car and spend their summer on an epic road trip across France. [Screen Media Films]
- ALBUMS
- Summer 08 was released by Metronomy. The fifth full-length release for the British electronic band led by Joe Mount features guest appearances from Mixmaster Mike and Robyn.
- California was released by Blink-182. The seventh full-length studio release for the pop-punk band was produced by John Feldmann and is the first with Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba, who replaced Tom DeLonge.
- blackSUMMERS'night (2016) was released by Maxwell. The fifth full-length release for the R&B singer is his first in seven years and was co-produced with Hod David.
- Blisters in the Pit of My Heart was released by Martha. The second full-length release for the British pop-punk band was produced by MJ from Hookworms.
- GØGGS was released by GØGGS. The debut release for the project formed by Ex-Cult's Chris Shaw, Ty Segall and Charles Moothart features guest appearances from Mikal Cronin, Cory Hanson of Wand, and Denee Petracek of VIAL.
- The Soft Bounce was released by Beyond the Wizards Sleeve. The debut full-length release for Erol Alkan and Richard Norris as Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve features guest appearances from Euros Childs, Blaine Harrison of The Mystery Jets, Holly Miranda, Hannah Peel, and Jane Weaver.
- The Bride was released by Bat for Lashes. The fourth full-length release for Natasha Khan is a concept album about a woman who takes her honeymoon trip alone after her fiance was killed just before their wedding.
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II for Xbox One is released. The incredible adventures continue, and Van Helsing, the famous monster-hunter returns to save the day again with the help of his charming, ghostly companion, Lady Katarina. The gothic metropolis of weird science is on the brink of destruction as chaos rules the streets and a new enemy plots revenge. It’s time to enter the dark side of Borgova and the forbidden wilderness, but beware: you are not the only one behind a mask.
- The Banner Saga 2 for Xbox One is released. The award winning and BAFTA nominated saga continues in The Banner Saga 2. Continue your journey soon after the climactic events of The Banner Saga. The choices you made in the first game will affect who is alive and who is dead in this exciting sequel.
- Prison Architect for Xbox One is released. Will you build and manage a prison to create social order where it’s failed in the past, offering rehabilitation and peaceful coexistence amongst inmates? Will your prison disregard human rights, impose intentional harshness and be devoid of any notions of wellbeing and freedom? The choice is yours. In Prison Architect you will see the impact of your grand design on the lives of your inmates; be it a utopic center for rehabilitation, a brutal Super Max Prison or anything in between. Even when all of your prisoners’ needs are met, remember one thing - it’s still a prison and no one really wants to be there.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- Greek Credit Crisis: Greece becomes 1st developed country to default on debt to the International Monetary Fund (1.7 billion).
- US and Cuba announce agreement to re-open embassies and establish full diplomatic ties.
- DEATHS
- Val Doonican [Michael Valentine], Irish singer and entertainer, who died at 88.
- Sir Nicholas Winton, English Humanitarian ('British Schindler'- saved 600 children from Nazis), who died at 106.
- Robert La Caze, Race Car Driver.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Mala Mala is released. Mala Mala is a feature-length documentary about the power of transformation told through the eyes of 9 trans-identifying individuals in Puerto Rico.
- A Poem Is a Naked Person is released. Les Blank's first feature-length documentary captures music and other events at Leon Russell's Oklahoma recording studio during a three-year period (1972-1974).
- MOVIES: PG13
- Terminator Genisys is released. When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future.
- MOVIES: R
- Magic Mike XXL is released. Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, Magic Mike XXL finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
- GAMING: PC
- Rise of Incarnates for PC is released. A free-to-play action game blending fighting and shooting in a 2v2 battle arena. Feel a rush of power as you awaken latent character abilities and string together combos, all while working strategically with your partner to dominate opponents.