Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to 1980s.The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies.The company was founded in 1901 by William Larimer Mellon, SR. with headquarters in Framingham, PA. It ceased to exist as an independent company in 1985, when it merged with Standard Oil of California.
William Larimer Mellon, Sr. (June 1, 1868 – October 9, 1949)
The first Edsel made by the Ford Motor Company rolled of the assembly line at the Somerville, Massachusetts Assembly Plant on this day in 1957. More than 2/3 of all Edsel’s were assembled at the Louisville plant, which is still in operation by the Ford Motor Company today. The Edsel was first introduced to the the public amid considerable publicity on "E Day"—September 4, 1957.
America’s iconic Crosley brand began in 1907 with the formation an automobile company in Connersville, Indiana. The company failed and the Crosley name was later applied to radios in the 1920’s along with many world-class appliances manufactured today.
The Crosley “Harko” radio.
Powel Crosley Jr. (September 18, 1886 – March 28, 1961)
On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson (left) signed into law the Social Security Act that established Medicare and Medicaid. It went into effect the following year.
Wrecked warehouses and scattered debris after the explosion.
The Black Tom explosion on July 30, 1916, in Jersey City, New Jersey, was an act of sabotage by German agents to destroy American-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. This incident, which happened prior to American entry into the war, is also notable for causing damage to the Statue of Liberty.
The Lehigh Valley pier after the blast.
The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on this day in 1945. The ship had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. Only 316 out of 1,196 men aboard survived the attack.
The USS Indianapolis in San Diego Harbor prior to the attack.
Ford at age 25.
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)
Founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, developed the assembly- line process for mass production. One of his first cars was the Model T (below).
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is 70 years old today.
Bodybuilder, actor, and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the governor of California from 2003 to 2011. His best known films include Conan the Barbarian (1982) Predator (1987), TheTerminator series (beginning in 1984), and Total Recall (1990). He decided to pursue a career as a bodybuilder at age fourteen, despite demonstrating ability in football. He became the youngest person to win the Mr. Universe contest when he was 20.
John Deere (February 7, 1804 – May 17, 1886) was born in Rutland, Vermont.
Entrepreneur John Deere was entrepreneur invented the steel plow and founded Deere & Company that had a worth of more than $40 billion in 2010. He began working as a blacksmith’s apprentice at age 17.
