On July 6, 1994, the movie Forrest Gump opened in U.S.
theaters. A huge box-office success, the film starred Tom
Hanks in the title role of Forrest, a good-hearted man with
a low I.Q. who winds up at the center of key cultural and
historical events of the second half of the 20th century.

Forrest Gump was based on a 1986 novel of the same
name by Winston Groom, who (like his main character)
grew up in Alabama and served in the Army during
Vietnam.

Forrest and Jenny

On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson claimed the women’s singles tennis
title at Wimbledon and becomes the first African American to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
Club.

Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina,
and raised in the Harlem section of New York City. She began
playing tennis as a teenager and went on to win the national
Black women’s championship twice.

Althea Neale Gibson  (1927 – 2003)

In the East End of London, revivalist preacher William Booth and
his wife Catherine (below) establish the Christian Mission, later
known as the Salvation Army. Determined to wage war against
the evils of poverty and religious indifference with military
efficiency, Booth modeled his Methodist sect after the British
army, labeling uniformed ministers as “officers” and new
members as “recruits.”

In 1878, the organization was renamed the Salvation Army, and
two years later the first U.S. branch opened in Pennsylvania.

Official website salvationarmy.org

SANDY KOZEL

Elvis Presley sang "That’s Alright Mama" during a recording session at Sun Studio on July 5, 1954. He was on acoustic rhythm guitar, Scotty Moore was on electric lead guitar, and
Bill Black was on string bass¹. The song was originally
written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup.  

From left, Elvis Presley, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service, 706 Union Avenue,
in 1954. On the night of July 5 that year, Phillips would
record the threesome doing “That’s All Right.”