It's time for the July 2023 edition of "This Month in YesterYear History!"
In this series, we take a brief look back at the big pop culture moments from the past 20 (2003), 25 (1998), and 30 (1993) years ago!
Below, you'll find a little time capsule of what was significant in our lives back then. Hopefully, as you read these brief synopses of the past, you'll begin to remember the who, when, and where of your memories from that time. That's why I post to this site, after all!
POINTS OF REFERENCE
2003: LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant is arrested in Eagle, Colorado, for sexual assault on July 2nd, with charges that were eventually dropped. On July 5th, the WHO declared the SARS virus "officially contained." Serena Williams defeats her older sister Venus to win at Wimbledon on July 6th. On July 15th, AOL Time Warner disbanded Netscape. Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, is formed on the same day. On July 16th, Lance Armstrong wins the ESPY Award for best male athlete. On July 22nd, Members of the 101st Airborne of the United States, aided by Special Forces, attacked a compound in Iraq, killing Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay. On July 30th, the last "old style" VW Beetle rolls off the assembly line in Mexico.
1998: July 1st sees the start of an NBA player lockout that last 204 days and shortens the season by 50 games. On July 2nd, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the 2nd Harry Potter book, is published. On July 5th, Roger Clemens earns his 3,000th strikeout while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Tampa Bay Rays. The infamous Honk Kong Kai Tek Airport closes on July 6th as the new Hong Kong International opens. On the 7th, the highest-scoring MLB All-Star game occurs when the AL wins 13-8. On the 10th, the Catholic Church must pay $23.4 million to nine former alter boys in a sexual abuse scandal in Dallas, Texas. On July 12th, Nelson Mandela accompanied the Queen on a coach ride through London. "The Mask of Zorro," starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, debuts at the box office on July 17th. On July 24th, the Academy Award Winning "Saving Private Ryan" debuts at the box office. On July 24th, Russell Eugene Weston Jr. burst into the United States Capitol and opened fire, killing two police officers. He is later ruled to be mentally incompetent to stand trial.
1993: Richard Riordan was elected the first Republican mayor of Los Angeles in 36 years on July 1st. He was also the last Republican mayor, leaving office in 2001. Pope John Paul was hospitalized for Cat Scan tests on the 2nd. On July 4th, the Pizza Hut BigFoot Blimp deflates and lands on a building in New York City. On July 5th, Oakland A's outfielder Rickey Henderson leads off both games of a doubleheader with home runs, the first time since 1913. Singer Bjork releases her debut album on the same day. On July 6th, JFK, JR quits as New York Assistant District Attorney. On the 7th, Lenny Dykstra ends a 20-inning game with a bases-loaded double to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to victory over the LA Dodgers. Jack Nicklaus won his 2nd US Senior Title by one stroke on July 11th. Russian national airline Aeroflot starts service from Moscow to New York on July 14th. On the 19th, President Clinton fires FBI Director William Sessions. New York Yankee Don Mattingly hits his 200th homerun on the 22nd. On July 25th, "Sleepless in Seattle" debuts in theaters. NBC earns the rights for the 1996 Olympic Games coverage for a record $456 million.
TOP MOVIES
2003: "Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines" - This science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Mostow stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken. It is the third installment of the Terminator franchise and a sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
While Terminator creator James Cameron was interested in directing the third film, he ultimately had no involvement. The $187 million budget included a record $30 million salary for Schwarzenegger. Filming took place in California from April to September 2002.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was released on July 2nd, 2003. It received generally positive reviews and earned $433.4 million worldwide, finishing its theatrical run as the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2003. A sequel, Terminator Salvation, was released in 2009.
1998: "Armageddon" - Armageddon is a science fiction disaster film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth. It stars Bruce Willis with Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Keith David, Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Stormare, and Steve Buscemi.
The film was a commercial success, grossing $553 million worldwide against a $140 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998. However, the film received mixed reviews from critics. It was also very similar to another 1998 film, Deep Impact.
1993: "The Firm" - The Firm is a legal thriller directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, and Gary Busey. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Firm by author John Grisham. The Firm was one of two films released in 1993 that were adapted from a Grisham novel, the other being The Pelican Brief.
Released on June 30th, 1993, the film was a major success, grossing $270.2 million against a budget of $42 million, making it the highest-grossing movie adapted from a Grisham novel and the highest-grossing R-rated film of 1993. It received positive reviews for the performances from Cruise and Hunter, although the writing and dialogue received some criticism. Holly Hunter was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
TOP SONGS
2003: "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce
1998: "This Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica
1993: "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" by UB40
TOP TV NEWS
As is typical for summertime television, July is a pretty slow news month.
2003:
July 14th - David Muir is named the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, replacing Derek McGinty.
1998:
No noteworthy news from July 1998.
1993:
July 2nd - Don Drysdale makes what turns out to be his final broadcast for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before handing it off to Vin Scully, he provided play-by-play on the first six innings of a game between the Dodgers and Montreal Expos on KTLA 5. Drysdale later died of a heart attack in his hotel room just hours after the game ended.
July 13th - The Major League Baseball All-Star Game from Baltimore airs on CBS for the fourth consecutive year. To date, this is the final time that CBS will broadcast Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.
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