April 7 in Pop Culture History

1795 – France adopted the metre (meter) as the unit of length and the base of the metric system.

1896 – Patent (#557,994) for “justifying lines of type” was issued to Tolbert Langston.

1906 (Volcano) Mount Vesuvius erupted and devastated Naples.

1927 -The first public display of a long-distance television transmission was viewed by a group of newspaper reporters and dignitaries in AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York auditorium, via telephone lines from Washington, DC.

1933 – Prohibition in the United States was repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight.

1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.

1945 – Japanese battleship Yamato was sunk by Allied forces off the coast of Okinawa.

1946 – Syria’s independence from France was officially recognized.

1948 – The World Health Organization was established by the United Nations.

1949 – South Pacific (Broadway Musical) Opened on April 7, 1949, and closed on January 16, 1954

1954 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his famous “domino theory” speech regarding communism in Southeast Asia.

1959 – The first distinguishable echo was recorded of a radar signal bounced off the Sun by the Radioscience Laboratory at Stamford University.

1962 – #1 Hit April 7, 1962 – April 20, 1962: Shelley Fabares – Johnny Angel

1964 – IBM introduced its innovative System/360, the company’s first line of compatible mainframe computers, allowing customers to upgrade from lower-cost models to more powerful, expensive ones.

1967 – Film critic Roger Ebert published his first film review in the Chicago Sun-Times.

1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1 (A Request For Comments).

1970 – John Wayne won Best Actor Oscar for his role in 1969’s True Grit.

1970 – Midnight Cowboy won in the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars.

1973 – #1 Hit April 7, 1973 – April 20, 1973: Vicki Lawrence – The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

1980 – The United States severed relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

1989 – Major League, The Dream Team and Cyborg were released in theaters.

1990 – #1 Hit April 7, 1990 – April 13, 1990: Taylor Dayne – Love Will Lead You Back

1995 – Bad Boys, Rob Roy and A Goofy Movie debuted in theaters.

2009 – Rock of Ages (Broadway Musical) Opened on April 7, 2009 and closed on January 18, 2015

2000 – Rules of Engagement and Return To Me was released in theaters.

2001 – Mars Odyssey was launched to orbit Mars. The mission was named as a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke, after his book 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2007 – #1 Hit April 7, 2007 – April 20, 2007: Akon – Don’t Matter