On July 24th, 2005, American Professional Cyclist Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour de France title. That day, the Quincy Herald Whig published an article describing how Armstrong had managed to grab ahold of his 7th title. He had managed to overtake his biggest rivals and make his way to the end of the course, where he celebrated his victory with his three young kids. This was his last race, after the 2005 Tour de France Armstrong officially retired with 7 tour titles and countless more awards under his belt. However, by 2012, all seven of his titles would be stripped from him following an investigation of doping allegations. The 2012 investigation, led by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.
Further, they believed that Armstrong was the ringleader of a larger doping program in the world of sport. He was banned from competing in any sports that followed the World Anti-Doping Code, effectively ending his career. While he first denied the allegations, he later admitted that they were true. Interestingly enough, I found a quote from after his 7th title victory in the Quincy Herald Whig where they explained how Armstrong “hated the accusations that his success was based on anything other than the desire to push himself”, which seems inspirational until you remember that at that very moment he was doping to win. I guess in the end, there really was more to Armstrong’s key to success than pure motivation.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was first introduced in the 1988 legislative session. It wasn’t until July 26th, 1990, that the act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. As he signed it, he said, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down”. The law ensured that no American could be discriminated against based on disability, as well as enacting mandates to make public accommodations accessible. In The Gazette, I found two stories from people living with disabilities about what the act means for them. The first is the story of Tom Harkin’s nephew, who was unable to attend the signing ceremony for the act due to a lack of accessible accommodations. Harkin was one of the leaders of the act, and was greatly disappointed that he wasn’t able to find any accommodations with a roll in shower for his nephew. However, he said that the act gave him hope that things were about to change, and soon they would have an easier time finding accommodations. The second is the story of Tammy Nicholson, a student attending Coe College in Cedar Rapids who was considering transferring colleges due to a lack of accessibility. She explained that many campus buildings were not wheelchair friendly, and as a result she couldn’t get in them. She expressed that while changes to public accommodations might not come soon enough for her to finish her degree at Coe, that she hoped the changes would prevent future students from facing the same issues.
(1945 – 1980s) Through The Fog: Andrea Doria Sinks, 1956
The Andrea Doria was an Italian Transatlantic ocean liner, which sank on July 25th, 1956. That day, heavy fog had made navigating the Atlantic waters off the coast of Nantucket difficult. Because of this, by the time the Andrea Doria had made sight with the Swedish MS Stockholm liner, it was too late to avoid collision completely. While the MS Stockholm was able to recover its position, the Andrea Doria was fatally damaged and doomed to sink. 51 people died in the collision, 46 of which were passengers on the Andrea Doria. The casualties would have likely been greater if nearby ships hadn’t come to aid the sinking ship. In the Falmouth Enterprise, they included pictures of the scene as the coast guard and other ships came to the rescue of the Andrea Doria, as well as some children gathered around the radio as they listened to the events. Unfortunately the ship was too damaged to be saved, but with the help of onlookers and the coast guard they were able to prevent a greater tragedy.
On July 25th, 1943, the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini fell from power. In the early morning hours, members of the Grand Council met to discuss a transfer of power. Italy had continued to suffer losses in the war, and Italian leaders had lost faith in Mussolini’s leadership abilities. After all, he had led them to loss after loss, and the citizens of Italy had lost faith in him. It was at this meeting in the early hours of July 25th that they decided with a 19-8 vote that he should be removed from power. After Mussolini met with the king, he was arrested and formally ousted from the government. This transfer of power marked the beginning of the end for fascist Italy. The allied powers were understandably skeptical when the news of Mussolini’s departure spread. On the front page of the Newark Evening News, published on July 26th, 1943, they described “unconfirmed reports circulating” that Mussolini had either been arrested or fled the country. They did report that “usually reliable sources” claimed that Mussolini and other leaders of Italy’s fascist regime were in police custody.
(1824 – 1914) Sinking Ship: Eastland Disaster, 1915
July 24th, 1915, employees of the Western Electric Company began to board ships to embark on a trip across Lake Michigan. The trip was the beginning of a company retreat, and would take them from Chicago to Michigan City. One of the ships being used was the SS Eastland, which was best known for its speed, and less known for its history of being unstable. In the time that the passengers were boarding, the ship had begun to list before being stabilized multiple times. Around 7:30, as the ship began to move away from the dock, it listened yet again and rolled fully onto its side. As it tipped, hundreds were crushed by the ship or drowned in the water just off the coast of Chicago, yards from the shore. This incident became one of the worst maritime disasters in American history, and is responsible for the deaths of 844 passengers and crew members. On page 10 of the Forest Park Review, the Forest Park Historical Society shared a clipping from the news following the Eastland accident, where survivors recounted the incident and remembered those who were lost. One heartbreaking story was of a father whose daughter had expressed that she had a weird gut feeling something was about to go wrong just before the ship sank. Minutes after that conversation, the ship began to list for the last fatal time, and his daughter plunged into the water where she fell victim to the Eastland disaster. While her life, and many others, were lost, the Forest Park Historical Society does a lot to honor their memory, including a year full of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the disaster.
Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales.
Explore the “Read All About It” archives to read stories that spotlight our partners and their communities, announcements from our team, updates on current projects, and so much more. Discover articles about engagement, outreach, primary sources, community, digitization, education, and other topics of interest. Delve into the happenings in this week in history and take a deep dive into the events and people who helped shape our communities, our nation, and the world.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Advantage Archives works to build strong, community-based partnerships to provide free online access to local history, making it discoverable and easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, on any device. This allows communities to understand and connect to their past in a meaningful way. Through the Community History Archive search platform, we provide the community with the means to explore, discover, learn from, connect with, and share the stories of the people, places, and events that shaped their community.
The Community History Archives are intended to serve as a “portal to the past”, allowing local primary source documents to give an accounting of history as told by the individuals that witnessed it. Advantage Archives guiding principals center around building strong community-based partnerships, which is why we enter into them with the intent of shouldering our fair share, and taking the burden off of the community for the ongoing costs associated with storage, hosting, development, and maintenance of the Community’s History Archive. We are an active participant in the community’s efforts to make their collective history more accessible. The Community History Archives are maintained for free by Advantage and do not require a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or any other ongoing costs or expenses to the institution or members of the community.
If you would like to see more local history online, please contact your local library, newspaper publisher, genealogical society, historical society, or educational institution, and encourage them to learn more about creating a Community History Archive or have them contact Advantage Archives at (855) 303-2727
