What Happened on July 23

National Desk

2001 — Megawati Sworn In as Indonesia's

Megawati Sukarnoputri, 54, was sworn in as Indonesia's fifth president after the assembly voted 591 to dismiss Abdurrahman Wahid.

JAKARTA, July 23 — Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in Monday as the fifth president of Indonesia, becoming the first female president of the world's fourth most populous nation.

The People's Consultative Assembly, or MPR, voted 591 in favor of dismissing President Abdurrahman Wahid and appointing Megawati as his successor. Wahid was impeached and removed from office July 23.

The MPR Special Session issued Edict Number III/MPR/2001 formally appointing Megawati, 54, the daughter of founding president Sukarno, to the post. She is Indonesia's first and only female president to date.

The new president inherits an economy still recovering from the Asian financial crisis and separatist unrest in Aceh and Papua provinces.

• Megawati Sukarnoputri was inaugurated as the 5th president of Indonesia on Monday, 23 July 2001.
• The MPR voted 591 in favor of dismissing President Abdurrahman Wahid and appointing Megawati as president.
• Megawati Sukarnoputri is Indonesia's first and only female president to date.
• She became president after Abdurrahman Wahid was impeached and removed from office on 23 July 2001.
• The MPR Special Session resulted in Edict Number III/MPR/2001 appointing Megawati as president.

Foreign Correspondence

1921 — Communist Party Congress Opens in Shanghai

Delegates meet in secret on July 23, 1921, at the first National Congress in Shanghai.

SHANGHAI, July 23 — A modest house in the French Concession serves as the venue for the Chinese Communist Party's first National Congress. Delegates from small Marxist study groups are gathering secretly, reflecting the movement's fragile position amid warlord rule. The meeting opens July 23, 1921.

• The First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party convened on July 23, 1921.
• Chen Duxiu was the inaugural leader of the CCP, holding positions including secretary of the Central Bureau.
• The position of Chairman of the Central Committee was established at the 8th National Congress in 1945.
• The 5th National Congress was convened from April 27 to May 9, 1927, in Wuhan, with 82 representatives present.
• At the 5th Congress, Qu Qiubai distributed a 70,000-word pamphlet titled 'Controversial Issues in the Chinese Revolution'.

City Desk

1968 — Cleveland Rioting Follows Four-Hour Gun Battle

A four-hour gun battle kills three policemen, three suspects, and a bystander, wounding at least 15 others.

CLEVELAND, July 23 — A four-hour gun battle between police and a Black power group has ignited three days of rioting in the city's Glenville section.

Three policemen, three suspects, and a bystander were killed in the shootout; at least 15 others were wounded.

• The gun battle lasted roughly four hours between Cleveland Police and the Black Nationalists of New Libya.
• Three policemen, three suspects, and a bystander were killed; at least 15 others were wounded.
• Mayor Carl Stokes initially refused to allow white police to patrol the riot area on July 23.
• The riots caused about $2.6 million in losses and ended on July 27.
• Ahmed Evans was convicted of murder by an all-white jury and sentenced to death, later commuted.

Entertainment

1982 — Helicopter Crash During 'Twilight Zone' Filming Kills Three

A helicopter crash at 2:20 a.m. on July 23, 1982, killed actor Vic Morrow and two child actors instantly.

The film set has long been a place where danger is staged, but rarely does it claim real lives. At 2:20 a.m. July 23, 1982, a helicopter crashed during filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" at Indian Dunes in Valencia, killing actor Vic Morrow and two child actors instantly.

• The crash occurred at 2:20 a.m. on July 23, 1982, at Indian Dunes in Valencia, California.
• Actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, age 6, were killed instantly.
• The helicopter's tail rotor was struck by a metal lid from a mortar effect, causing the rotor to fail and detach.
• The children were hired illegally without permits, violating California laws prohibiting child actors from working at night or near explosives.
• Director John Landis shouted over the radio 'Get lower... lower!' as the helicopter hovered 25 feet above the ground.

Showbiz Desk

2010 — X Factor failures become One Direction

Five solo hopefuls, rejected individually, are now a five-piece boy band on The X Factor.

Harry Styles, who came up with the name One Direction, now fronts a five-piece boy band formed on July 23, 2010, during The X Factor auditions. After all five members failed to progress as soloists, Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell each claimed the idea of forming the band. Their first song as a group was an acoustic version of 'Torn' at judges' houses. Cowell later signed One Direction to a £2 million Syco Records contract. The group, comprising Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, then finished third in the competition.

• One Direction was formed on 23 July 2010 as a five-piece boy band on The X Factor after all five members failed to progress as soloists.
• Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell both claimed to have come up with the idea of forming the band.
• Harry Styles came up with the band's name, One Direction, which was later abbreviated to 1D.
• Their first song as a group was an acoustic version of 'Torn' performed at judges' houses.
• Simon Cowell signed One Direction to a £2 million Syco Records contract after the show.

Astronomy

1995 — Amateur astronomers spot brightest comet

Hale and Bopp independently discover a comet 7.2 AU from the Sun, a record for amateurs.

At 7.2 AU from the Sun, the comet discovered July 23, 1995, is the farthest ever found by amateurs. Alan Hale spotted it from his New Mexico driveway with a Meade DS-16 telescope; Thomas Bopp used a friend's homemade 17.5-inch Dobsonian near Vekol Ranch, 90 miles south of Phoenix. Hale reported the find by email to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams about 6:50 UT; Bopp sent a Western Union telegram two hours later. The nucleus spans an estimated 60 kilometers, six times Halley's size.

• Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered Comet Hale–Bopp independently on July 23, 1995.
• Hale spotted the comet from his driveway in New Mexico using a Meade DS-16 telescope.
• Bopp discovered the comet using a friend's homemade 17.5-inch Dobsonian telescope near Vekol Ranch, 90 miles south of Phoenix.
• Hale emailed the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams at around 6:50 UT; Bopp sent a Western Union telegram about two hours later.
• The comet was 7.2 AU from the Sun at discovery, the greatest distance at which a comet had been discovered by amateurs.

National

1984 — Vanessa Williams resigns Miss America post over Penthouse photos

Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America, resigned in July 1984 after nude photos were published without consent; Suzette Charles, Miss New Jersey 1983, took over.

Vanessa Williams, the first African-American Miss America, resigned her title in July 1984 after Penthouse published nude photos of her without consent. Williams, pressured to relinquish the crown, said, 'people wouldn't forgive a second mistake.' She is succeeded by first runner-up Suzette Charles, Miss New Jersey 1983. Photographer Greg Whitman sent a telegram offering more nude photos to Penthouse after learning of the sale.

• Nude photographs of Vanessa Williams were published in Penthouse magazine without her consent.
• Williams was pressured to relinquish her Miss America title in July 1984.
• She was succeeded by first runner-up Suzette Charles, Miss New Jersey 1983.
• Photographer Greg Whitman sent a telegram offering more nude photos to Penthouse after learning of the sale.
• Williams said, 'people wouldn't forgive a second mistake,' regarding the scandal.

Diplomatic

1891 — France and Russia seal secret pact at Kronstadt

At Kronstadt on July 23, 1891, a choir sang La Marseillaise as Emperor Alexander III stood, and the visit concealed letters for a secret defensive pact.

At Kronstadt, where the French Navy arrived July 23, 1891, the previously banned La Marseillaise was sung by the Dmitri Slaviansky D'Agreneff choir, and Emperor Alexander III stood at attention despite his lack of enthusiasm. The visit served as cover to exchange letters for a secret defensive agreement on joint response to any future European war. Crowds cheered 'Vive la France' as the squadron remained ten days. On August 2, 600 guests attended a meal in Saint Petersburg for the French officers.

• The French Navy visited Kronstadt on 23 July 1891, serving as cover to exchange letters for a secret defensive agreement.
• During the visit, the previously banned La Marseillaise was sung by the Dmitri Slaviansky D'Agreneff choir.
• Emperor Alexander III stood at attention during the singing of the French national anthem, despite his lack of enthusiasm.
• The French squadron remained in Kronstadt for ten days, greeted by crowds cheering 'Vive la France'.
• On 2 August, 600 guests attended a meal in Saint Petersburg for the French officers.

State Department Desk

1940 — U.S. Refuses to Recognize Soviet Seizure of Baltic States

Welles Declaration condemns forcible annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The United States will not recognize the Soviet Union's forcible annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles declared today. The announcement, made in Washington, branded the Soviet takeover as an act of aggression and refused to legitimize the new rule. The declaration follows the Stimson Doctrine, which rejects territorial changes brought about by force. It came after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 23, 1939, which allowed Soviet occupation of the three Baltic republics. More than 50 countries have since adopted the U.S. position of non-recognition. The declaration, however, has become a minor point of contention between the Soviets and their Western allies since the United States entered the war.

• On July 23, 1940, Under Secretary of State Benjamin Welles issued the Welles Declaration condemning Soviet annexation of the Baltic states.
• The declaration followed the Stimson Doctrine, refusing to recognize territorial changes made by force.
• The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 23, 1939 had allowed the Soviet Union to occupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• Welles refused to recognize Soviet rule in the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• More than 50 countries later adopted the U.S. position of non-recognition of Soviet rule in the Baltics.