Moments in Time: Dominion of Canada
The History Channel
On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland, who only started ballet at 13 but was receiving both awards and professional offers a mere two years later, became the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre.
On July 1, 1867, the autonomous Dominion of Canada -- a confederation of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the future provinces of Ontario and Quebec -- was officially recognized by Great Britain with the passage of the British North America Act. July 1 would later become known as Canada Day.
On July 2, 1992, the one-millionth Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Though it met the wildly unexpected fate of being swallowed by a sinkhole there in 2014, the car was rescued and restored to its former glory.
On July 3, 1952, the ocean liner SS United States departed from New York on her maiden voyage to Le Havre, France, eventually breaking the speed record for an eastbound Atlantic crossing. On her return trip, she earned further distinction by breaking the westbound record as well.
On July 4, 1971, a baby western lowland gorilla made her earthly debut at the San Francisco Zoo. Originally christened Hanabiko ("fireworks child" in Japanese), she was soon known as "Koko." Animal psychologist Francine "Penny" Patterson taught her sign language and the primate became celebrated for her personality and intelligence, as well as her pet cat she named All Ball, appearing in numerous articles and documentaries until she died at age 46 in 2018.
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered what would become his most celebrated speech -- "What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" -- to an audience of about 600 at the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society during an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, New York.
On July 6, 1921, Sergeant Stubby, a bull terrier mutt, received a gold medal from America's World War I commanding general John Pershing for "heroism of highest caliber" in 17 battles. Stubby's intrepid achievements included nabbing a German spy by biting his legs.