The month of July has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in July 1923.
A law banning Chinese immigrants from coming to the Dominion of Canada goes into effect on July 1. The Chinese Immigration Act remained in effect until May 14, 1947.
Roughly 20,000 people attend a July 4 boxing match between champion Jack Dempsey and challenger Tommy Gibbons in the small Montana oil town of Shelby. Estimates indicated only around 35 percent of those in attendance paid to see the bout, which proved to be a financial punch to the gut for the promoters.
The Cleveland Indians set an American League record on July 7 by scoring in every inning of a game they eventually win 27-3. The offensive onslaught includes a 13-run inning in which all 13 runs are charged to Boston Red Sox pitcher Francis “Lefty” O’Doul.
On July 9, U.S. Army Lieutenant Russell Maughan lands his plane in a cow pasture in St. Joseph, Missouri, marking an end to his first attempt to make a dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight across the United States. Maughan made a second unsuccessful attempt 10 days later.
The Paraguayan Civil War ends on July 10, with former President Manuel Gondra and his supporters declaring victory.
Harry Frazee, perhaps best known as the owner of the Boston Red Sox who traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, thus beginning the alleged Curse of the Bambino, sells the team for $1.25 million on July 11.
The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated on July 13.
Retired Mexican guerilla leader Pancho Villa is shot dead alongside many members of his entourage on July 20. Reports at the time suggest the assassination is retaliation for executions Villa had ordered during the Mexican Revolution.
On July 22, the American oil tanker SS Swiftstar explodes and sinks after passing through the Panama Canal. Investigators later conclude a bolt of lightning had hit the tanker and caused the explosion.
The Treaty of Lausanne is signed on July 24 in Switzerland. The treaty formally ends hostilities between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire.
On July 29, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini receives tens of thousands of missives from people across Italy wishing him a happy fortieth birthday.
