1 July It Happened Today

1860  Death of American pioneer of rubber processing, Charles Goodyear.

1896  Death of American novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe.

1916  The Battle of the Somme begins.

1925  Death of French composer Erik Satie.

1937  The telephone emergency number 999 comes into operation in Great Britain.

1961  Birth of American athlete Carl Lewis.