It was on this day in 1853 that Commodore Matthew C. Perry steamed into what in now known as Tokyo Bay. Japan had a culture of isolationism, allowing only trade with the Dutch and the Chinese, and the US wanted to change that. Four warships dropped anchor in the bay as the Commodore demanded that a letter from President Fillmore be presented to the Emperor. The Japanese had never seen steamships before and thought that the Americans were riding dragons. After several months of negotiations, Japan opened up two of their ports to US ships while formally establishing “peace and friendship” between the two countries.
The first event that Wiki says happened on this day is “1099 – First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in a religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on” and the most recent is “2007 – Boeing unveiled its first 787 in a roll-out ceremony at its Everett assembly factory.”
A couple other events that also took place on this day are:
1889 – The premiere issue of the Wall Street Journal is published.
1948 – The US Air Force begins accepting females into their ranks.
1960 – Soviet Union charges US pilot Francis Gary Powers with espionage.
Wishes for a happy birthday go out to Beck, Toby Keith, Kevin Bacon, Carlos Cavazo, and Jai Johanny Johanson.