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About

Monday, July 31, 2023

News and Weather Briefing for Monday, July 31, 2023





Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
Support Macon Media


GENERAL OUTLOOK

A cold front will push south of the region tonight. This front will lead to at least scattered showers and thunderstorms into the evening. A few storms could become strong to severe. Weak high pressure builds in behind the cold front the first half of the workweek, bringing cooler temperatures. Another front may approach from the northwest later this week.

Winter Outlook 2023-24: El Niño's potential impacts (07-21-2023) | Matt Makens, Weatherman







---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



Weather Sponsor



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC

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DAY SPONSOR

Young Tree Service is sponsoring Macon Media for today.

They provide complete tree care, are licensed and insured. Specializing in low ground impact. Danger tree removal. Crane Service, Pruning, Views, 24 hr emergency service. Call 828-421-0967 for more information.

---END SPONSOR SEGMENT------




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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Wednesday Night





Franklin Area

Today
`Franklin Area `Franklin Area

Today

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with lows around 60. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Tuesday

Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Light and variable winds.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers in the early afternoon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s.


`Highlands Plateau

Today

A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Sunny, with highs near 80. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday

Sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers between 11am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain is 30%.

Wednesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60.


Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Patchy fog before midmorning. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 60. Winds out of the northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Tuesday

Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Calm winds.

Wednesday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s.


Nantahala Area

Today

A slight chance of showers in the midafternoon. Patchy fog before midmorning. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds before midmorning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 20%.

Tonight

Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with lows around 60. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Tuesday

Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Calm winds becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Light and variable winds.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Chance of rain is 30%.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s.




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Hazards and Tropical Weather



Hazardous weather is not expected today or tonight.





Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.

Space Weather

Incoming Solar Storm to Hit Earth amid Radiation Storm | Informal Solar Storm Forecast 30 July 2023




Back to Top • The Atlantic hurricane season has begun: What we know and what we don’t [ARS TECHNICA]

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

• The official hurricane season for the Atlantic basin is from June 1 to November 30, but tropical cyclone activity sometimes occurs before and after these dates, respectively. The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.




Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Mon Jul 31 2023

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

1. Central Tropical Atlantic (AL96):
Shower and thunderstorm activity continues in association with an area of low pressure located about 750 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Environmental conditions are forecast to be marginally favorable for development over the next few days, and a tropical depression is likely to form during the next day or so. The system is expected to move northwestward at about 15 mph today, and then turn northward over the central subtropical Atlantic by late tonight or Tuesday. Additional information on this system, including gale warnings, can be found in High Seas Forecasts issued by the National Weather Service.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...70 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days...high...80 percent.

2. Off the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast (AL97):
Shower and thunderstorm activity has recently shown little change in organization in association with an area of low pressure located offshore of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast. Environmental conditions appear generally favorable for some development, and a short-lived tropical cyclone could develop before the system merges with a frontal boundary within the next day or so. Regardless of whether the system becomes tropical or not, gale-force winds are expected starting later today, and additional information on this system can be found in High Seas Forecasts issued by the National Weather Service.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...30 percent.

* Formation chance through 7 days...low...30 percent.




TROPICAL TIDBITS

Tropical Tidbits is a website run by Macon Media's favorite no-nonsense tropical forecaster, Levi Cowan. He does not post material just to get clicks or to sensationalize the storms he covers to "make them more exciting." He is reliable and sober, unlike The Weather Channel crowd of Drama Queen Meteorologists.

Levi typically posts videos late in the afternoon or early before midnight on Youtube. [Youtube Channel]

[Thursday] Bret on Final Approach to Lesser Antilles; TD4 Forms (06-22-2023)



August and Beyond Looks Potentially Quite Busy July 28, 2023 | hurricanetrack





Back to Top
Almanac









PM2.5 AQI is 45 (GOOD/CODE GREEN) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 45 (GOOD/CODE GREEN)


Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (5.9 out of 12) today with Grasses and Nettle being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (6.1 out of 12).



Record Weather Events for July 31st

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 96°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1999
Lowest Temperature 47°F in Highlands in 2014
Greatest One-Day Rain 3.00 inches in Highlands in 1879
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since record-keeping began in 1871)

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of July Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 101°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 06-30-2012
Lowest Temperature 32°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 06-02-1966
Greatest Rainfall 7.63 inches in Highlands on 06-16-1949
Greatest Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded during June in Macon County)

Record Weather Events for July 31st in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 107°F in Belhaven, Beaufort County in 1931
Lowest Temperature 41°F in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1914
Greatest One-Day Rain 4.97 inches in New Bern, Craven County in 1963
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since 1872)

(the excessive rainfall was due to the remnants of Hurricane Gladys)

--> Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of July Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 105°F in Carthage, Moore County on 06-23-1981
Lowest Temperature 41°F in Jefferson, Ashe County on 06-17-1917
Greatest Rainfall 7.33 inches in Belhaven, Beaufort County on 06-30-1962
Greatest Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded during June in the state)




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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)

Saturday, July 15th

MidDay Music at Frog Quarters

BARRY ROMA—If you love Frank Sinatra, Roy Orbison and other oldies, some from the stage and screen, you’ll love hearing Barry and his beautiful, baritone voice. You’ll swear you’re back on that date, back decades ago!



Mountain Findings
432 Spruce Street (physical)
Highlands, North Carolina 28741
Web: MountainFindings.org

Mountain Findings (a thrift store) is open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm until October 2023.






Back to Top
Local and State News



State educators concerned about funding shortfalls | WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)



• Letter to the Editor: Keeping the Library "Local"? [Macon Media]

• Inside the Party Switch that Blew Up North Carolina Politics [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Local animal rescue launches innovative 'Working Cat Program' to save feral cats, offer natural pest control [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• Enjoy the fiery bursts of color from flame azalea [Sylva Herald and Ruralite]

• America's 10 best national parks for birding and an interactive map for summer bird-watching [Asheville Citizen-Times]

---Recent News Recap---
July 30th, 2023

GalaxyCon brings millions of dollars in revenue | WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)



• How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending July 27 [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Letter to the Editor: Keeping the Library "Local"? [Macon Media]

• Vietnam car maker begins build for NC electric vehicle plant that will employ thousands [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• Visiting Our Past: Market hunger for region's timberland began in 1883 [Asheville Citizen-Times]

• Pactiv Evergreen contests chemical dumping allegations [Smoky Mountain News]

• Does NC need natural gas from Mountain Valley Pipeline? How it impacts the climate fight [Raleigh News and Observer]

---NORTH CAROLINA BUDGET PROCESS---

• HB259 NC House Bill Budget Substitute [PDF Download (640 pages)]



Proposed State Budget for 2023-2025 [Download PDF]



• Macon County Board of Commissioners March 2023 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]




Back to Top
National and World News Roundup

Breaking down what's happening in the market amid Fed rate hike | Fox Business



• Trucking Giant Yellow Shuts Down Operations [WSJ] [WSJ]

• Denver plans to convert 194-unit, $26M hotel into city’s next homeless shelter [KMGH-TV (Dencver, CO)]

• Here are the 25 members of Congress who drive electric cars [Politico]

• $60 Million Refund Request Shows Financial Pressure on Trump From Legal Fees [DNYUZ]

• GOP candidate Will Hurd slams Ron DeSantis’ defense of Florida’s slavery curriculum [CNBC]

International News Headlines

Skills Wars Are The New Trade Wars | Economics Explained



‘We live in misery.’ Haitians struggle to survive as country spirals in chaos | PBS News Hour



• Suicide bomber at political rally in northwest Pakistan kills at least 44 people, wounds nearly 200 [AP News]

• Limitless ‘white’ hydrogen under our feet may soon shatter all energy assumptions [The Telegraph (UK)]

• Russia's Medvedev: We'd have to use a nuclear weapon if Ukrainian offensive was a success [Reuters (via Yahoo News)]

• Bolivia says massive manhunt closing in on accused drug lord [France 24]

• Heat wave forecast to continue across S. Korea [Yonhap News Agency]

On The Media: News About Journalism, Media Literacy, and Ethics in Journalism Katie Couric Interview: Empathy, Confidence, and the Art of Storytelling in Journalism | Kunhardt Film Foundation



• British media is broken – and it’s not just the tabloid [Analyst News]

• When the Press Fails: The 2023 Spanish Election [The Battleground]

• Multimedia journalists have a workflow guide thanks to one MMJ’s video project [Poynter]

• The Guardian’s editorial code has been updated [The UK Guardian (32-page PDF)]

• The Latest Fact Checks curated by Media Bias Fact Check 07/30/2023 (Weekend Edition) [Media Bias/Fact Check]

Face The Nation: Hutchinson, Kashkari, Nirenberg | Face the Nation



Full interview: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on "Face the Nation" | Face the Nation



Meet the Press full broadcast — July 30 | NBC News






Washington Today (7-28-23): Congress starts August recess with gov't funding bills up in the air | C-SPAN



Global National: July 30, 2023 | Wildfire near Osoyoos forces hundreds to flee homes in BC



NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - July 30


PBS NewsHour full episode, (July 30, 2023)




Back to Top
COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.



COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:



Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. Macon County Public Health will stop publishing weekly COVID updates but will continue to monitor local case levels and trends. In the event that case counts increase significantly, MCPH will notify the public and resume weekly COVID updates.




• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]

In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 8:14am CEST, 26 July 2023, there have been 103,436,829 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,127,152 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 2 June 2023, a total of 668,882,018 vaccine doses have been administered.

Globally, as of 8:14am CEST, 26 July 2023, there have been 768,560,727 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,952,522 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 23 July 2023, a total of 13,474,348,801 vaccine doses have been administered.


Ep 136 Osterholm Update: Perspective and Humility



• The role of vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic: what have we learned? [Springer Link: Seminars in Immunopathology]

• A Urologist Explains Whether Having Covid Can Really Shrink Your Penis [Men's Health]

• Disability rates rose sharply during the pandemic. Long COVID is largely to blame [Salon Magazine]

Beyond the Noise #10: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Should Stop Talking About Vaccines | Microbe TV



TWiV 1030: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | Microbe TV



• TWiV 1027: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]

• TWiV 1029: David Tuller on Long COVID and ME/CFS [Microbe TV]




Back to Top
Science and Technology News Roundup

• The Sky This Week from July 28 to August 4: Starting with a Super Moon [Astronomy Magazine]

Why Do Black Holes Look Like This?! | The Science Asylum



• After rebranding, X took @x from its original Twitter owner and offered him merch [NPR]

• Scientists Develop Game-Changing Vaccine Against Lyme Disease Ticks [Newsweek]

• The Role of Political Devotion in Sharing Partisan Misinformation and Resistance to Fact-Checking [APA PsycNet]

• Workers at companies that tested out a 4-day workweek are happier and more efficient — and firms made more money. One lawmaker says it's 'here to stay.' [Insider (via Yahoo News)]

• Characterization of Mass Shootings by State, 2014-2022 [Jama Network]

• Age of onset and cumulative risk of mental disorders: a cross-national analysis of population surveys from 29 countries [The Lancet: Psychiatry]

• Z-Library returns, aims to avoid seizures by giving each user a secret URL [ARS TECHNICA]


Evergreen Links

• Red Dead Online player bids farewell to Google Stadia save by releasing horse they named after their departed daughter [Games Radar]

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 69 - Twilight of the Æsir



Hardcore History: Addendum EP26 Dig This! | Dan Carlin



• Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 drops white paper on building the open metaverse [Venture Beat] [PDF of White paper]

• Yes, the Great Books Make Us Better People [New York Times]


How Do We Know What We Know? Philosophy of Science | Fraser Cain



• Free, legally available series/movies on YouTube in a Netlflix-like interface [Cinetimes]




Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

The Level1 Show July 28 2023: The Automated Press | Level1 Techs



Unfolding Samsung Galaxy Unpacked - DTNS 4569 | Daily Tech News Show



Tesla Solar Roof Review: Was it Worth It? | Marques Brownlee



The Milky, Murky Origins of Bubble Tea | Asianometry



Charles II & The Stuart Restoration Documentary | The People Profiles



What are Dumb Terminals? | The 8-Bit Guy



Silicon Shrank the Hearing Aid | Asianometry



--------------------

Civilization: Is the West History? | Episode 2: Science | BBC Select





Back to Top
Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 30 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for July 30th ]

• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 523 [Al Jazeera]

• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 522: US, Russia allegedly hold secret talks [Euromaiden Press]


Inside Ukraine's Ukraine Daily Update | Day 519 | Operator Starsky



The Black Sea and The Naval War in Ukraine - Drones, Grain, Blockades and the Bridge to Crimea | Perun



• Ukraine liveblog updates: Zelenskyy warns of Russia 'energy attacks' [DW News]

• Ukrainian hackers viciously troll Russian navy, send malware to their phones [TVP World]

• Saudi Arabia to host Ukraine peace talks, top official says [Al Jazeera]

• Ukraine war: Putin says Russia does not reject peace talks [BBC News]

• Liveblog: Deadly Russian missile strike hits Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia [France 24]

Drones rock Moscow over the weekend | NBC News



Moscow drone attacks: Business district damaged by blast | Al Jazeera



Is Wagner a threat to Polad? | World Today | TVP World



Russian draft exiles live in fear of discovery abroad | Focus on Europe



Ukrainian volunteers build decoy missiles to 'overwhelm' Russian air defences | FRANCE 24 English



Ukrainian Counteroffensive Continues - Russian Invasion | Kings and Generals



🔴 (redacted) - Snatch and Grab Raids, Kadyrov's Trenches, Drive-By's | Combat Footage Show



Why Do We Call the War in Ukraine Unprovoked? - Debunking Russian Claims | Kings and Generals




News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or articles/video about those who support Russia

America ‘wants’ the war with Russia: RFK, Jr. | Fox News



The Russian Forces Have Broken Through In Great Strength | Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor



• Mikhail Khodaryonok: Western talk about a 'new stage of Ukraine’s counteroffensive' is just a cover-up of the operation’s failure [Russia Today]

• Putin speaks on Russia's readiness for war with NATO [Pravda]

• US may escalate Ukraine conflict during 2024 elections — Russian official [TASS Russian News Agency]






Back to Top
On This Day

July 31st is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 153 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)


30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Alexandria (30 BC)]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Mark Antony]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Augustus]

781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Traditional Japanese date: Sixth day of the seventh month of the first year of the Ten'o (天応) era).

1009 – Pope Sergius IV becomes the 142nd pope, succeeding Pope John XVIII.

1201 – Attempted usurpation by John Komnenos the Fat for the throne of Alexios III Angelos.

1423 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant: The French army is defeated by the English at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Cravant]
• [WIkipedia: Hundred Years' War]

1451 – Jacques CÅ“ur is arrested by order of Charles VII of France.

1492 – The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect.

1498 – On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.

1588 – The Spanish Armada is spotted off the coast of England.

1618 – Maurice, Prince of Orange disbands the waardgelders militia in Utrecht, a pivotal event in the Remonstrant/Counter-Remonstrant tensions.

1655 – Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for six years.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Vilnius (1655)]
• [Wikipedia: Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)]

1658 – Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal emperor of India.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Aurangzeb]
• [Mughal Empire]
• [The Hindu Lit for Life 2019: The Myth and Reality of Emperor Aurangzeb - An Illustrated lecture]

1703 – Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Daniel Defoe]
• [HistoryPod Video]
• [Wiki[pedia article about the pamphlet]
• [The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters:] (PDF Copy)
• [Downloadable Copy on Internet Archive]

1712 – Action of 31 July 1712 (Great Northern War): Danish and Swedish ships clash in the Baltic Sea; the result is inconclusive.
• [Wikipedia: Action of 31 July 1712]

1715 – Seven days after a Spanish treasure fleet of 12 ships left Havana, Cuba for Spain, 11 of them sink in a storm off the coast of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure is salvaged from these wrecks.
• [Wikipedia: 1715 Treasure Fleet]
• [1715 Fleet Society]
• [The 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet]

1741 – Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.

1763 – Odawa Chief Pontiac's forces defeat British troops at the Battle of Bloody Run during Pontiac's War.

1777 – The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States."
• [Wikipedia Bio: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette]

1790 – The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.

1793 – Oulu Castle was destroyed in an explosion following the burning of a powder cellar.

1856 – Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city.

1865 – The first narrow-gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Queensland, Australia.

1874 – Dr. Patrick Francis Healy became the first African-American inaugurated as president of a predominantly white university, Georgetown University.

1904 – Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Hsimucheng: Units of the Imperial Japanese Army defeat units of the Imperial Russian Army in a strategic confrontation and forever changed the way naval wars are fought.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Hsimucheng]
• [The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 🇷🇺🇯🇵 Full Documentary] (The Pacific War Channel)
• [Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 - Battle of Tsushima ] (Kings and Generals)
• [The Battle of Tsushima]

1913 – The Balkan States sign an armistice in Bucharest.

1917 – World War I: The Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) begins near Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Passchendaele]
• [The Battle of Passchendaele - Mutiny in the German Navy I THE GREAT WAR Week 158]
• [The Battle of Passchendaele (1917)]
• [Why Passchendaele Was The Worst Battle Of WWI | The Battle Of Passchendaele | Timeline]

1932 – The NSDAP (Nazi Party) wins more than 38% of the vote in German elections.
• [Wikipedia: July 1932 German federal election]

1938 – Bulgaria signs a non-aggression pact with Greece and other states of Balkan Antanti (Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia).

1938 – Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.

1941 РThe Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann G̦ring, orders SS General Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question."
• [Preparations for the Final Solution begin] (History.com)

1941 – World War II: The Battle of Smolensk concludes with Germany capturing about 300,000 Soviet Red Army prisoners.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Smolensk (1941)]
• [Wikipedia: Eastern Front (World War II)]
• [Barbarossa Visualized: The Battle of Smolensk [July 1941] [Episode 5]]

1945 – Pierre Laval, the fugitive former leader of Vichy France, surrenders to Allied soldiers in Austria.

1948 – At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.

1948 – USS Nevada is sunk by an aerial torpedo after surviving hits from two atomic bombs (as part of post-war tests) and being used for target practice by three other ships.

1964 – Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
• [Ranger 7]
• [NASA: Ranger VII Photographs of the Moon]
• [JPL: Ranger 7 'Meets' the Moon]

1970 – Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.
• [Wikipedia: Black Tot Day]
• [31st July 1970: Black Tot Day ends the Royal Navy's daily rum ration]
• [Video Playlist Marking the 50th Anniversary of Black Tot Day]

1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.

1972 – The Troubles: In Operation Motorman, the British Army re-takes the urban no-go areas of Northern Ireland. It is the biggest British military operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the biggest in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence. Later that day, nine civilians are killed by car bombs in the village of Claudy.
• [Wikipedia: Operation Motorman]
• [Newsreel]
• [INSIGHT: OPERATION MOTORMAN 1972]

1973 – A Delta Air Lines jetliner, flight DL 723 crashes while landing in fog at Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts killing 89.

1975 – The Troubles: Three members of a popular cabaret band and two gunmen are killed during a botched paramilitary attack in Northern Ireland.

1987 – A tornado occurs in Edmonton, Canada.

1988 – Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia.

1991 – The United States and Soviet Union both sign the START I Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the first to reduce (with verification) both countries' stockpiles.
• [Wikipedia: START I]
• [Trip to Moscow and Kiev, Cuts of Signing Ceremony - 31 July 1991]
• [START I Nuclear Weapons Treaty Signing]

1992 – The nation of Georgia joins the United Nations.

1992 – Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashes into a mountain north of Kathmandu, Nepal killing all 113 people on board.

1999 – Discovery Program: Lunar Prospector: NASA intentionally crashes the spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the Moon's surface.
• [Lunar Prospector]
• [Spacecraft crash into lunar crater in search for ice]
• [Wikipedia: Discovery Program]

2006 РFidel Castro hands over power to his brother, Ra̼l.

2007 – Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end.

2008 – East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board.[5]

2012 – Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics.
• [Phelps' 19th Medal Breaks 48-Year-Old Record]

2014 – Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270.
• [2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions]
• [Video Compilation]

2018 - Facebook discloses and removes Russian-linked network of sites attempting to interfere in American politics

2019 - American officials announce Osama bin Laden's son, Hamza bin Laden and potential successor has been killed in US air strikes in Pakistan

• [Wikipedia Bio]
• [The death of Hamza bin Laden and the weakness of al-Qaida]
• [BBC NewsT]

2020 - Eurozone economic activity falls 11.9% for April-June with Spain the worst at -18.5%, its deepest in modern times 2020 - Mexico overtakes the UK to have the world's third highest death toll from COVID-19 with 46,688 fatalities 2020 - Apple wildfire starts near Beaumont, California, forcing the evacuation of nearly 8,000 people over the next few days

• [Wikipedia: Apple Fire]
• [InciWeb: Apple Fire]
• [Massive Apple Fire burns out of control in Riverside County I ABC7 (video feed, no audio)]
• [Wildfire Today: Apple Fire Archive (newest articles first)]

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Published at 5:00am on Monday, July 31, 2023
Author: Bobby Coggins


Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to the following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center. 

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Macon County Board of Elections 03-11-2014 The Macon County Board of Elections holds a special meeting to hear a challenge brought by Charles "Scoon" Nichols to the candidacy of Macon County Commissioner Ron Haven regarding his eligibility to file as a candidate in the District II County Commissioner race. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9lNBy-faAA ********************* Jair Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the US ahead of Lula’s inauguration https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/30/americas/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-us-lula-inauguration-intl-latam Dang. He pulled a Trump and snuck out of town and can't be civil during the transfer of power. What a toddler move. ******************** Fierce Kitty, Glorious Kitty, Little Ball of Fur. Honourable Kitty, Warrior Kitty, Qapla' Qapla' Qapla' --->