On July 2, 1997, the science fiction-comedy movie Men in Black,
starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, opened in theaters
around the United States. The film grossed more than $250
million in America alone and helped establish the former sitcom
star Will Smith as one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men.
On July 2, 1937, the Lockheed aircraft carrying American aviator
Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan is reported
missing near Howland Island in the Pacific.
The pair were attempting to fly around the world when they lost
their bearings during the most challenging leg of the global journey:
Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, a tiny island 2,227 nautical
miles away, in the center of the Pacific Ocean.
In the East End of London on July 2, 1865, revivalist preacher
William Booth and his wife Catherine established 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.”
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law
the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony
at the White House.
