HISTORY
On this day July 31 - August 6, 2022 (week 31)
July 31, 2022 - August 6, 2022 - Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, Spider-Man, the Chilean writer Isabel Allende, Christopher Columbus, Lebanon’s capital Beirut, movie star Marilyn Monroe and the devastation of Hiroshima by an atomic bomb.
July 31, 2012: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps became the most prolific medallist in Olympic history. He eventually retired after Rio 2016 with a total of 28 medals, 23 of them gold
August 1, 1962: The superhero Spider-Man made his first appearance in issue 15 of Amazing Fantasy, published by Marvel Comics. The character was an instant success
August 2, 1942: Isabel Allende, Chilean writer whose novels include The House of the Spirits, was born. One of the world’s most widely read Spanish language authors, she is 80 today
August 3, 1492: Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three ships, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, on a voyage that would take him to the New World
August 4, 2020: Lebanon’s capital Beirut was devastated when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate ignited in the port area. The blast killed over 200 people and left 300,000 homeless
August 5, 1962: Movie star Marilyn Monroe was found dead in the bedroom of her Los Angeles home at age 36. Her death was caused by an overdose of sleeping pills
August 6, 1945: The city of Hiroshima was obliterated by an atomic bomb. The only structure left standing near the bomb’s hypocentre is preserved as a Peace Memorial