What happened on this day in history: The Ford Motor Company sells its first car, singer Amy Winehouse dies, and other events that occurred on July 23rd.
1536: Henry VIII’s Illegitimate Son Dies
Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of England’s King Henry VIII, dies at the age of 17 at St. James Palace in London. Fitzroy, whose mother Elizabeth Blount was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, was openly acknowledged by his father. The king was desperate for a son and may have even legitimized Fitzroy as his heir if Fitzroy hadn’t died so young.
1849: Lawman Seth Bullock Is Born
Canadian-American lawman Seth Bullock is born in Canada. Bullock would go on to become a sheriff in Deadwood, South Dakota and rub shoulders with Theodore Roosevelt.
1903: Ford Sells Its First Car
Sicnag/FlickrA Ford Model A at the Gilmore Museum in Michigan.
The Ford Motor Company sells its first car, a Ford Model A. By then, the company had spent almost all of its $28,000 investment but managed to turn a profit by October.
1967: The Detroit Riots Begin
The Detriot Riots begin in Detroit, Michigan. Triggered by an early morning police raid and exacerbated by racial tensions and the worsening economy, the riots endured for five days. By the time the U.S. Army and the National Guard quelled the riots, some 43 people had been killed while 1,400 buildings burned or looted.
1982: Vic Morrow Dies On The Set Of Twilight Zone: The Movie
Actor Vic Morrow dies while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie. The film featured a helicopter chase sequence with Morrow and two child actors. When the helicopter malfunctioned, it barreled into the actors and killed them instantly.
2011: Amy Winehouse Dies
Flickr/Fionn KidneyAmy Winehouse seemed destined for greatness but struggled with substance abuse.
Amy Winehouse dies of alcohol poisoning in London, England, at the age of 27. The singer had astounded the world with her voice and emotional lyrics, and her sophomore album Back to Black won five Grammys. But Winehouse struggled with substance abuse and sadly joined the “27 Club” at the peak of her career.
2012: Sally Ride Dies
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies. Ride joined NASA in 1978, and by 1983, she became the first female American astronaut in space while participating in the Space Shuttle Challenger mission. After her time at NASA, Ride became a professor at top universities in the United States, teaching physics. In her spare time, she led outreach programs for NASA and continued spreading her love for space to the American public.
