Francis Scott Key - August 1, 1779
Key is best known as the author of America's national anthem - "The Star-Spangled Banner".   Key's inspiration for the anthem came from an evening spent on a ship off the coast of Baltimore, Maryland.  So what was Key doing out there all night?  He and a partner had met with British officers aboard the HMS Tonnant for the purpose of negotiating the release of an American prisoner.  When the discussions were completed, Key was allowed to return to his own ship, but he was not allowed to return to Baltimore because he was now aware of British plans to bombard the city.  As a result, Key was unable to do anything but watch - bombs bursting in air and the rockets red glare - and the flag still waving when the smoke cleared.

Jimmy Hoffa Disappearance - July 30, 1975
Hoffa served as president of the Teamster's Union from 1958–1971. Hoffa, who had been convicted of jury tampering and attempted bribery in 1964, was imprisoned in 1967 after exhausting the appeal process. He did not officially resign the Teamsters' presidency until 1971, and only then as part of a bargain to obtain a pardon from President Nixon.  Four years later, in 1975, Hoffa mysteriously disappeared somewhere near a restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.  He was never found, and was declared legally dead in 1982.

World Wide Web Anniversary - August 1, 1990
On or about this date in 1990, two computer scientists suggested a means of sharing information amongst physicists who were located in throughout the world.  A few months later they had created the first 'browser'.  What would this new communication tool be called?   We know it now as the "World Wide Web" - but other names actually considered were 'Information Mesh' and 'The Information Mine'.    The first browsers were nothing like we have today - they could handle plain text only, and in 1993 there were only about 50 web servers worldwide.  The amount of progress made in the past 20 years is nothing short of amazing! 

Marilyn Monroe - Death Anniversay - August 5, 1962
Actress Marilyn Monroe, age 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills.  Many individuals, including the first Los Angeles Police Department officer to arrive at the death scene, believe that she was murdered. No murder charges were ever filed, but the Monroe's death has become one of the most debated conspiracy theories of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

Not To Be Missed

Sturgis Rally - August 4-13
One of the largest motorcycle rallies in the United States, the Sturgis, South Dakota rally will celebrate it's 77th anniversary this year.  What started as a get-together for a few dozen racers has grown exponentially.  Attendance in the year 2000 was estimated at over 750,000.