July 1936

[July 1], 1936 (Wednesday)

• Salvador Dalí gave a lecture at the London International Surrealist Exhibition titled "Authentic Paranoiac Fantasies". He brought two Russian wolfhounds on leashes and wore a deep-sea diving suit to symbolize descending to the depths of the subconscious, but found it impossible to breathe inside the diving helmet. Dalí nearly suffocated before his companions realized something was wrong and freed him, which the audience enjoyed immensely in the belief that it was all part of the act.
• An amalgamation of Australian air carriers called Australian National Airways began operations.

  [July 2], 1936 (Thursday)

• The 1000th anniversary of the death of King Henry I was observed in Germany with a ceremony in Quedlinburg Abbey. Speeches made at the event depicted Hitler as the rightful successor to Henry's legacy.
• Born: Rex Gildo, singer, in Straubing, Germany

  [July 3], 1936 (Friday)

• Slovak Jewish journalist Stefan Lux died by suicide in the General Assembly of the League of Nations by shooting himself in the chest. He left behind a note explaining that his act was carried out to draw attention to the plight of Jews in Germany.
• Remington Rand strike: A four-day riot began between strikers and replacement workers at a plant in Middletown, Ohio.
• 36-year-old James W. McFerson of Ogden, Utah, fell backward into a hot spring while fishing in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. His wife pulled him out of the hot spring, but he died from his burns the following day.
• Fred Perry of the United Kingdom beat Gottfried von Cramm of Germany in straight sets to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at Wimbledon. Perry was the first Wimbledon champion to win three consecutive men's titles since Tony Wilding won four straight in 1910–13.
• Died: Stefan Lux, 47, Slovak Jewish journalist

  [July 4], 1936 (Saturday)

• The League of Nations Council voted to end economic sanctions against Italy.
• First publication recognizing stress as a biological condition.
• In tennis, Helen Hull Jacobs of the United States defeated Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling of Germany to win the Ladies' Singles title at Wimbledon.

  [July 5], 1936 (Sunday)

• 15,000 members of the French far-right opposed to the government of Léon Blum rioted along the Champs-Élysées. About 60 civilians and 31 police were injured in the clashes.
• Born: Shirley Knight, actress, in Goessel, Kansas

  [July 6], 1936 (Monday)

• Ethiopian Minister to the United Kingdom Workneh Eshete appealed to the British public for at least £2 million to continue the fight in Ethiopia.
• Ethiopian guerrilla fighters attacked a railway line 30 miles from Addis Ababa.

  [July 7], 1936 (Tuesday)

• A court-martial in Tokyo sentenced 17 leaders of the February 26 Incident to death. 49 others were given prison sentences ranging from 18 months to life.
• The National League beat the American League 4-3 in the 4th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at National League Park in Boston.
• Died: Georgy Chicherin, 63, Russian diplomat

  [July 8], 1936 (Wednesday)

• An explosion at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich killed 5 people.
• The British government announced that German airships would no longer be allowed to fly over Britain except in cases of emergency due to weather. The decision was made after the Hindenburg chose a course over England during a recent flight to the United States and back, drawing concerns that German officers aboard could be studying military bases and learning government secrets.
• Died: Thomas Meighan, 57, American film actor

  [July 9], 1936 (Thursday)

• 1936 North American heat wave: 168 people were reported dead over the past week in the drought-stricken Midwestern United States due to blistering heat.
• Britain announced it was reducing its naval presence in the Mediterranean to normal proportions, reversing the buildup it embarked upon last September when tensions were rising due to the impending war in Ethiopia.
• Born: André Pronovost, ice hockey player, in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada; Richard Wilson, actor and theatre director, in Greenock, Scotland
• Died John M. Bolton, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives and businessman; he was murdered by unknown assailants while driving in Chicago, Illinois.

  [July 10], 1936 (Friday)

• Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain and the richest sheik in the world, was knighted by Edward VIII.
• The HMY Britannia, the favorite yacht of the late George V, was scuttled near the Isle of Wight. The king had requested shortly before his death that the yacht follow him to the grave.
• The French Social Party was dissolved.
• Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia reach their record high temperatures.
• Born: Herbert Boyer, biotechnology researcher and entrepreneur, in Derry, Pennsylvania; Tunne Kelam, politician, in Taheva, Estonia

  [July 11], 1936 (Saturday)

• Austria and Germany signed an agreement in which Germany pledged to respect Austrian sovereignty in exchange for Austria favouring Germany in its policies.
• U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally opened the Triborough Bridge in New York City.
• Died: James Murray, 35, American film actor

  [July 12], 1936 (Sunday)

• Guardia de Asalto Lieutenant José Castillo was murdered by Falangists in the streets of Madrid.
• Fifteen leaders of the February 26 Incident were executed by firing squad in Tokyo. No explanation was given for why two others condemned to death were not shot.
• Died: José Castillo, 35, Spanish police officer

  [July 13], 1936 (Monday)

• Viscount Cranborne responded to a question in the House of Commons by saying he understood that Heligoland was being refortified by Germany. Germany issued an official statement that same day denying "rumors that Heligoland will be made a forbidden area for military reasons and that bathing establishments will be closed."
• José Calvo Sotelo, a prominent monarchist politician is murdered by members of the Assault guard and Socialist militants as a reprisal for the murder of José Castillo the previous day
• Died: José Calvo Sotelo, 43, Spanish politician

  [July 14], 1936 (Tuesday)

• Bastille Day celebrations along the Champs-Élysées were marred by further riots by right wing demonstrators.
• The British government announced plans to mass-produce gas masks with the goal of one for every citizen. The masks would be stockpiled in centers around the country and then issued free of charge when the government deemed it necessary.

  [July 15], 1936 (Wednesday)

• The League of Nations lifted sanctions against Italy.
• 5 died in political and labour disorders across Spain. The government made 150 arrests.
• Born: George Voinovich, politician, in Cleveland, Ohio

  [July 16], 1936 (Thursday)

• An apparent attempt to assassinate Edward VIII was foiled on Constitution Hill. As the king's horse passed the crowd while returning to Buckingham Palace from a colours ceremony in Hyde Park, a man raised a revolver. A woman grabbed the man's arm and shouted, alerting a constable who knocked the weapon from his hand. The man, identified as George Andrew McMahon, told police he had no intention of harming the king and was only making a protest. Adolf Hitler sent Edward a telegram offering his "heartiest congratulations" on his escape.
• Italy lifted its wartime restrictions on meat and nightlife curfews.
• Father Charles Coughlin aligned himself with Francis Townsend and denounced President Roosevelt as a "great betrayer and liar", saying, "He who promised to drive the money changers from the temple has built up the greatest public debt in the nation's history. Is that driving the money changers from the temple?"
• Born: Yasuo Fukuda, 91st Prime Minister of Japan, in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan; Buddy Merrill, guitarist and musician, in Torrey, Utah
• Died: Alan Crosland, 41, American actor and film director

  [July 17], 1936 (Friday)

• Spanish coup of July 1936: Francisco Franco and other high-ranking officers in the Spanish Army launched a coup against the Second Spanish Republic. The conspirators in the Army of Africa moved to seize control of Spanish Morocco.
• Military uprising in Melilla: the Spanish rebels seized the radio station in Melilla and proclaimed martial law. The Spanish Civil War had begun.
• The French Chamber of Deputies voted 484-85 to nationalize the munitions industry.

  [July 18], 1936 (Saturday)

• The Spanish government announced on the radio that the uprising had been contained.
• The Spanish uprising spread to Seville.
• In Madrid, the Siege of Cuartel de la Montaña began.
• The Free City of Danzig suspended its constitution. Senate President Arthur Greiser ordered the move to crush opposition to the Nazi-controlled government.
• At the Montreux Convention, the signatories of the Treaty of Lausanne agreed to grant Turkey the right to remilitarize the Dardanelles. The Russian navy was granted the right to free passage through the straits during peacetime, but during wartime all belligerents would be prohibited from using the straits unless acting for the League of Nations or under a regional pact signed with Turkey.
• Born: Ted Harris, ice hockey player, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

  [July 19], 1936 (Sunday)

• Santiago Casares Quiroga resigned as Prime Minister of Spain. President Manuel Azaña appointed Diego Martínez Barrio to replace him, but Barrio resigned after only 7 hours when his attempt to negotiate a compromise with the rebels was rebuffed. José Giral became the new Prime Minister and decreed the formation of a militia to defend the Republic.
• The Spanish uprising spread to Barcelona.
• The Sieges of Cuartel de Loyola, Gijón and Oviedo began.
• Dolores Ibárruri made a radio speech calling on Spaniards to fight against the military uprising. Her speech concluded with the famous words, ¡No pasarán!, which became the rallying cry of the Republicans throughout the Civil War.
• 17-year old Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians made his major league baseball debut, pitching a scoreless inning against the Washington Senators.