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1944 – Bob writes article for Grapevine “On Cultivating Tolerance”.

1962 – ‘Victor E’ cartoon first appeared in Grapevine. (some say May 1962).

July 1-3, 1960 – 25th Anniversary of AA in Long Beach, CA.

July 2-3, 1955 – 20th Anniversary Convention at St. Louis, MO. The Three Legacies, of Recovery, Unity, and Service, turned over to the movement by the old timers. AA comes of Age.

July 2, 1960 – Father Ed Dowling dies.

July 2, 1965 – “Best of Bill” and Pocket-Sized “12 and 12” 1st sold.

July 2, 1965 – 1st “La Vigne”, Canadian Grapevine, published.

July 2-4, 1965 – 30th Anniversary of AA in Toronto. Adopted “I Am Responsible.”

July 2, 1993 – 50 years of AA celebrated in Canada.

July 2, 2000 – 20 millionth copy of Big Book given to Al-Anon in Minneapolis, MN.

July 3-5, 1970 – 35th Anniversary of AA in Miami. “Declaration of Unity”. Bill’s last public appearance.

July 3-6, 1980 – 45th Anniversary of AA in New Orleans. First true marathon meeting was held.

July 3-6, 1980 – Gay AA’s have own program at 40th AA Anniversary in New Orleans.

July 4, 1939 – 1st AA meeting started in Flatbush, NY.

July 4-6, 1975 – 40th Anniversary of AA in Denver. Worlds largest coffee server serves 1/2 million cups a day.

July 5-7, 1985 – 50th AA Anniversary in Montreal, Canada. Ruth Hock given 5,000,000th Big Book. House of Seagrams flew their flags at half mast for 3 days.

July 5-8, 1990 – 55th AA Anniversary in Seattle, WA. Nell Wing given 10,000,000th Big Book.

July 7, 1940 – Bill attends 1st Summer Session at School of Alcohol Studies at Yale University.

July 8, 1940 – 1st AA Group formed in Dayton, Ohio.

July 10, 1941 – Texas newspaper publishes anonymous letter from founding member of Texas AA Group. (Larry J)

July 11, 1960 – Time published article called “Passionately Anonymous” on the 25th Convention.

July 14, 1939 – Dr Tiebout gives Big Book to Marty M. who promptly throws it back at him.

July 15 1938 – 1st documented use name Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A. archives letter Bill to Willard Richardson.

July 16, 1965 – Frank Amos, AA Non-Alcoholic Trustee, dies.

July 18 1938 – in letter to Dr. Richards at Johns Hopkins, Bill used Alcoholics Anonymous as working title for Big Book & name for the fellowship.

July 20, 1941 – First AA group formed in Seattle, Washington.

July 22, 1877 – Willian Duncan Silkworth born in Brooklyn, NY.

July 22, 1980 – Marty M. early AA woman and founder of NCADD dies.

July 23, 1940 – Philly AA’s send 10% of kitty to Alcoholic Foundation, sets precedent.

July 23, 1943 – New Haven CT Register reports arrival of AA’s to study with E M Jellinek.

July 24, 1943 – L.A. press reports formation of all-Mexican AA Group.

July 28-30, 1950 – First AA International Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio. Twelve Traditions adopted. Dr. Bob made last appearance at large AA gathering.

An old man who was teaching me…instructed me in what he called the “wedge system.” Said he: “Ten-minute periods faithfully and regularly held every day are far better than half-hour sessions held occasionally or in spurts. When the ten-minute wedge is firmly inserted in your daily routine (and this might take six months or a year), then you can drive it in a little further, maybe expanding the time to fifteen minutes — later to twenty — later to thirty — and so on, up to what your real capacity for daily practice of this kind turns out to be. It is wrong to lag, but it is no good trying to be a saint overnight, either.”

When I first began to listen to this man, he questioned me about my habits of prayer. “How long do you go?” he asked. “About two hours at a stretch,” I said, trying with a great effort to appear modest. (It was true. I was less than twelve months out of a moral and physical collapse in which I had been floundering for years. But I had been reading books, and I am inclined to excess, and I was practicing, at that time, two hours at a clip.)

My old spiritual father looked at me narrowly.

“You do this every day?” he said.

“Well, no,” I said.

“You do it for a few days and then skip a few days?” he said.

“Yes,” I said.

“And sometimes you skip a few weeks, perhaps?” he said.

“That’s the way it goes,” I said.

“Ten minutes a day for you,” he said. “No less and no more.”