What Happened on July 1

Consumer Electronics

1979 — Sony's Walkman Frees the Listener From the Living Room

A pocket-sized tape player puts personal music choice in the hands of every stroller and commuter; the new device is far smaller than any 8-track and sells briskly from the start.

The way people listen to music changed today with the introduction of the Sony Walkman TPS-L2, a portable audio player that lets the listener choose the music and carry it anywhere. For the first time, the general public can buy a personal player small enough to slip into a pocket, far smaller than any 8-track player or earlier cassette recorder, and hear it through stereophonic headphones. The device, which went on sale today, has sold very well in its first day on the market.

The Walkman breaks the old assumption that music was a shared experience confined to the living room or the car. Now the commuter, the jogger, and the student can play one's own choice of music without disturbing anyone nearby. Stores report strong initial demand, and the first shipments are moving quickly.

Sony's engineers achieved the small size by building the playback mechanism and amplifier into a single lightweight case, using the stereophonic headphones as the speakers. The sound is private, immediate, and entirely under the user's control.

Industry observers note that the Walkman is the first portable audio player offered to the general public, and its early sales suggest the device has found a ready audience.

• The original Sony Walkman TPS-L2 was introduced on July 1, 1979.
• Up to March 2010, Sony built 400 million Walkmans worldwide, with 200.02 million being original cassette Walkmans.
• The Walkman was the first portable audio player available to the general public and sold very well.
• The Walkman was much smaller than an 8-track player or earlier cassette recorders and used stereophonic headphones.

The Great War

1916 — First Day on the Somme Leaves 57,470 British Casualties

The opening assault near Albert becomes the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army, with 19,240 men killed and German losses estimated at 10,000 to 12,000.

In the long annals of the British Army there has been no day like the first of July, 1916, when the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme, known as the Battle of Albert, exacted a toll of 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 deaths. The attack, launched against heavily fortified German positions along a fifteen-mile front, was intended to break the deadlock of trench warfare, but the wire remained uncut in many sectors and the machine guns took a fearful price.

The 34th Division suffered the most casualties of any Allied division on that day. In one sector, the 36th (Ulster) Division drove forward and captured the Schwaben and Stuff redoubts, but elsewhere the assault faltered. The French Sixth Army, attacking on the southern flank, lost 1,590 men, while the German 2nd Army is estimated to have suffered 10,000 to 12,000 casualties.

Amid the horror, there were moments of grim humanity. Several truces were observed along the British front to recover the wounded from no man's land, where the cries of the injured could be heard long after the guns fell silent.

• The British suffered 57,470 casualties on 1 July 1916, including 19,240 killed.
• The 34th Division suffered the most casualties of any Allied division on 1 July.
• The French Sixth Army suffered 1,590 casualties on the first day.
• The German 2nd Army suffered 10,000–12,000 casualties on 1 July.
• The 36th (Ulster) Division captured Schwaben and Stuff redoubts on the first day.

Commonwealth Affairs

1960 — Nkrumah Sworn In as President as Ghana Becomes a Republic

The former Gold Coast colony severs its last constitutional tie to the Crown, remaining in the Commonwealth, after a decisive April vote gave Nkrumah 1,016,076 votes to 124,623 for J. B. Danquah.

Kwame Nkrumah, the man who led the Gold Coast to independence, took office today as the first president of the Republic of Ghana, completing the transition he set in motion on March 6, 1960, when he announced plans for a new constitution. The republic was approved in a presidential election and plebiscite held on April 19, 23, and 27, in which Nkrumah defeated J. B. Danquah by a vote of 1,016,076 to 124,623.

The new constitution, which replaces the Queen as head of state with an elected president, carries a distinctive clause: a provision to surrender Ghanaian sovereignty to a Union of African States. Nkrumah has long advocated continental unity, and the provision stands as a statement of intent for the pan-African cause.

Despite the break with the Crown, Ghana remains a member of the British-led Commonwealth of Nations, retaining its ties to the association of former colonies and dominions. The republic takes its place among the independent states of Africa, with Nkrumah's Convention People's Party firmly in control of the government and the president's voice now carrying the full weight of the nation's highest office.

• On 6 March 1960, Nkrumah announced plans for a new constitution that would make Ghana a republic.
• The presidential election and plebiscite on the constitution were held on 19, 23, and 27 April 1960.
• Nkrumah was elected president over J. B. Danquah by a vote of 1,016,076 to 124,623.
• The new constitution included a provision to surrender Ghanaian sovereignty to a Union of African States.
• Ghana remained a member of the British-led Commonwealth of Nations after becoming a republic.

Aviation Disaster

2002 — 71 Dead as Two Planes Collide Over German Town

All 71 people aboard two aircraft were killed when a Bashkirian Airlines jet and a DHL cargo plane collided in mid-air over Überlingen, Germany.

All 71 people aboard two aircraft were killed when a Bashkirian Airlines jet and a DHL cargo plane collided in mid-air over Überlingen, Germany, a town on Lake Constance near the Swiss border.

• All 71 people aboard both planes were killed, including 52 children.
• The collision occurred over Überlingen, a German town on Lake Constance near the Swiss border.
• The official investigation identified shortcomings by Swiss air traffic control and ambiguities in TCAS procedures as the main cause.
• On 24 February 2004, air traffic controller Peter Nielsen was murdered by Vitaly Kaloyev, whose wife and two children died in the crash.
• Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 was carrying 46 Russian schoolchildren from Ufa on a UNESCO-organized trip to the Costa Daurada beach area of Catalonia.

Ireland

1690 — William's Army Crushes Jacobites at Boyne

James flees to France after his army of raw recruits is routed by William's 36,000-strong force near Drogheda.

On the first day of July, King William's forces defeated the Jacobites at the River Boyne near Drogheda, a decisive blow in the Irish war. William's army of about 36,000, including 7,000 Danish and 6,000 Dutch professionals, routed James's raw recruits. James fled to France, never to return.

• The battle was fought across the River Boyne near Drogheda in the Kingdom of Ireland.
• William's forces numbered about 36,000, including 7,000 Danish and 6,000 Dutch professional soldiers.
• James II fled to France after the battle, never to return to Ireland.
• The battle took place on 1 July 1690 O.S. and resulted in a victory for William.
• James's army consisted mostly of raw recruits, while William's troops were generally far better trained and equipped.

Westminster

1999 — Holyrood Takes Power as Scotland's Parliament Opens

Scotland's first devolved Parliament in nearly three centuries gathered with 129 members elected May 6, as power transferred from Westminster on July 1.

In the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland on the Royal Mile, Scotland's first devolved Parliament in nearly three centuries gathered, its 129 members elected on May 6. Power transferred from Westminster today, July 1, with most Scottish Office work passing to the new Scottish Executive.

• The Scottish Parliament is a devolved, unicameral legislature located in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh.
• The first meeting of the reconvened Scottish Parliament took place on 12 May 1999.
• An election for the new Parliament was held on 6 May 1999, and power transferred from Westminster on 1 July 1999.
• The Scottish Parliament comprises 129 members elected for five-year terms under the additional-member system.
• Most work of the Scottish Office was transferred to the newly established Scottish Executive in 1999.

Commerce

1874 — Remington's Writing Machine Offered to the Public

First commercial typewriter, a 'blind writer' printing only capitals, sells for $125.

The writing machine that promises to transform the clerk's trade is at last upon the market. E. Remington and Sons, the famed arms makers of Ilion, New York, placed the Remington No. 1 on sale this day, July 1, 1874. The device, which prints only capital letters and hides its work from the operator, is offered at the considerable price of about $125. The firm contracted on March 1, 1873, to build 1,000 machines, with an option for 24,000 more. By December, but 400 had found buyers, the cost proving a barrier. Mark Twain, among the first to purchase one, has called it a 'curiosity breeding little joker.' The machine prints letters at a rate far exceeding the pen, though its noise is said to unsettle nearby clerks.

• The Remington No. 1 typewriter was placed on the market on July 1, 1874.
• E. Remington and Sons contracted on March 1, 1873, to manufacture 1,000 machines with an option for 24,000 more.
• The typewriter could print only upper-case letters and was a 'blind writer,' hiding text from the typist.
• By December 1874, only 400 typewriters had been sold, partly due to a high price of about $125.
• Mark Twain was among the first purchasers, calling the machine a 'curiosity breeding little joker.'

Home Front

1940 — French Army Command Dissolved After Surrender

The French Army's high command was disbanded on July 1 following the June 22 surrender.

In the ruin of a six-week campaign, the Grand Quartier Général, the French Army's high command, was disbanded today, July 1, following the surrender signed at Compiègne on June 22. Its headquarters at Montauban closed, and staff officers were discharged from active service.

• The Grand Quartier Général was disbanded on 1 July 1940, after the French surrender to Germany.
• At the time of the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940, GQG was located at Montauban, near Toulouse.
• GQG was re-established on the outbreak of war in 1939 and had its planned base at the Château de Vincennes by 1938.
• General Maurice Gamelin was replaced as commander by Maxime Weygand on 19 May 1940, briefly rejuvenating GQG.