Key events, births and deaths which occurred on July 1st throughout history make interesting reading.  From the first international telephone call in 1881 to the huge loss of life in the First Battle of the Somme in  1916; from the formation of the European Community in 1967 to the death of Marlon Brando in  2004;  from the first Gay Pride March in England in 1972 to the birth of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1961 .....

July 1 Events

1881 – The world's first international telephone call is made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States.

1908 – SOS is adopted as the international distress signal.

1916 – World War I: First day on the Somme – On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army are killed and 40,000 wounded.

1967 – The European Community is formally created out of a merger with the Common Market, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Commission.

1972 – The first Gay Pride march in England takes place.

1979 – Sony introduces the Walkman.

1990 – German re-unification: East Germany accepts the Deutsche Mark as its currency, thus uniting the economies of East and West Germany.

1997 – The People's Republic of China resumes sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule.

1999 – The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on the day that legislative powers are officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.

2007 – Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces. With the ban already in force in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, this means it is illegal to smoke in indoor public places anywhere in the UK. The ban is also put into effect in Australia.

July 1  Births

1899 – Charles Laughton, English actor (d. 1962)

1903 – Amy Johnson, English pilot (d. 1941)

1906 – Estée Lauder, American entrepreneur (d. 2004)

1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-born actress

1934 – Jean Marsh, English actress

1942 – Geneviève Bujold, Canadian actress

1945 – Deborah (Debbie) Harry, American musician (Blondie)

1951 – Trevor Eve, British actor

1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales (d. 1997)

1961 – Carl Lewis, American athlete

1967 – Pamela Anderson, Canadian model and actress

1976 – Patrick Kluivert, Dutch footballer

1976 – Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dutch footballer

1977 – Liv Tyler, American actress

July 1 Deaths

1109 – King Alfonso VI of Castile (b. 1040)

1860 – Charles Goodyear, American inventor (b. 1800)

1925 – Erik Satie, French composer (b. 1866)

1974 – Juan Perón, President of Argentina (b. 1895)

1996 – Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (b. 1954)

1997 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (b. 1917)

2000 – Walter Matthau, American actor (b. 1920)

2004 – Marlon Brando, American actor (b. 1924)

2005 – Luther Vandross, American singer (b. 1951)

2006 – Fred Trueman, English cricketer (b. 1931)

2009 – Karl Malden, American actor (b. 1912)

2009 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (b. 1922)

With thanks to Wikipedia