Hirschi Law Group PLLC

July 1 - 7

This Week in History
What's That Rated?

Red DawnJuly 1, 1984 - The Motion Picture Association of America came out with the new PG-13 movie rating after complaints about the violence portrayed in several PG-rated movies. Movies are rated by a MPAA-supervised board made up of 8-13 individuals who must have "parenthood experience" and "intelligent maturity." While studios are not required to have their movies rated by the MPAA many theaters will refuse to show films that have not been rated. The first film released with the new PG-13 rating was Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen.

Independent Thinking

Signing the Declaration

July 4, 1776 - The United States of America proclaimed its independence from Great Britain when it adopted the Declaration of Independence.  A common misconception about the Declaration of Independence is that it was signed on July 4. In reality the Declaration was voted on and adopted by the Second Continental Congress that day, but it was not actually signed by the delegates until later. The first copies of the Declaration of Independence were printed on the night of July 4 and began to be circulated the next day. The signed copy of the Declaration (referred to as the Engrossed Declaration), which is on display at the National Archives, was signed by the delegates nearly a month later on August 2.

SPAM (Not the Email Variety)

July 5, 1937 - The precooked meat product known as SPAM was first introduced. Sometimes ridiculed as "mystery meat" the ingredients of SPAM are chopped pork shoulder meat, ham meat, salt, water, modified potato starch and sodium nitrite. The highest consumption of SPAM was during World War II due to its inclusion in military rations. Surpluses of SPAM made their way into the diets of the natives in the Pacific arena of the war. As a result SPAM is very popular in Hawaii and other Pacific territories of the United States. SPAM is even offered on the menu in McDonald's and Burger King in Hawaii.

The Young Ambassador

July 7, 1983 - Samantha Smith, an 11-year-old schoolgirl from Manchester, Maine, visited the Soviet Union at the personal Samantha Smithrequest of General Secretary Yuri Andropov. Seven months earlier Smith had written a letter to the recently elected Andropov congratulating him on his new job and asking how he intended to avoid nuclear war with the United States. Surprisingly Andropov replied with an invitation to visit Moscow. The press learned of Andropov's invitation and a media whirlwind ensued with Smith being interviewed by Ted Koppel and Johnny Carson, among others. Smith was dubbed "America's Youngest Ambassador." During her two-week trip to the Soviet Union, Smith visited Moscow, Leningrad and Artek, a Soviet youth camp. Although some critics in the United States believed that Smith unwittingly served as an instrument of Soviet propaganda, she was popularly received in the Soviet Union. Smith was tragically killed in plane crash two years after her visit to Moscow. She was honored by several tributes in the Soviet Union, including a commemorative stamp of her likeness and a memorial built in Moscow. A diamond, asteroid, flower and ship have all been named after her.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

- The Declaration of Independence

Critical Review

Parent Previews

Want to know exactly what's in a movie before you let your kid head to the theater? Check out movie reviews done by real parents at ParentPreviews.com. This website grades movies  and provides thorough reports covering several categories that Mom and Dad will want to be aware of, including violence, language, drug use and sexual content.

Join Our Mailing List