Also on July 23

Telstar, an early communications satellite, was launched on this date in 1962. While Telstar became operational upon its successful launch on July 10 and did indeed broadcast a television signal on that day, the first significant broadcast occurred on July 23, when Telstar was first used to relay a live trans-Atlantic television signal, the first of its kind anywhere. The plan for this inaugural telecast was to broadcast live comments to be made by President Kennedy. The President wasn’t ready when the network was, however, and rather than fill the gap with either dead air or infomercials, a bit of the Phillies - Cubs game at Wrigley Field was used to fill the time until Kennedy was ready. Apparently serious consideration was never given to showing the Olympic Curling Trials which had to have been being held somewhere, perhaps Falmouth, Massachusetts.