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| French entrance, Chamonix |
July 19, 1965: The Mont Blanc Tunnel opens, connecting Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy. Cutting through the Alps, it is one of the most celebrated international crossings in the world.
At 15,766 feet, Mont Blanc ("white mountain") is the highest peak in Western Europe. Trying to get around it had long been desired, but did not seem possible with the technology of the time. The development of widespread rail travel made it more desirable, and the invention of dynamite made it plausible.
Still, it took until 1908 for a design to be presented to each country's respective parliament, and the World Wars and the Great Depression made construction politically unfeasible. Finally, Italy ratified the charter for construction in 1957, and France did the same in 1959, after which construction began. The drilling teams met on August 4, 1962. On July 16, 1965, Presidents Charles de Gaulle of France and Giuseppe Saragat of Italy held an opening ceremony, and the 7.2-mile tunnel was opened to traffic 3 days later.
Italian entrance, Courmayeur
Chamonix, site of the 1st Winter Olympics, in 1924, is 382 miles southeast of Paris, 322 miles northeast of Marseille, and 139 miles east of Lyon. In Italy, where the crossing is known as Il Traforo del Monte Bianco, it's nearly 500 miles northwest of Rome, 140 miles west of Milan, and 96 miles northwest of Turin. There's nearly a 3rd country involved here: It's 50 miles southeast of Geneva, Switzerland.
As with many much-hyped roads, the Mont Blanc Tunnel became a victim of its own success. Or, as would be said in America, "If you build it, they will come." So many people came that a 2nd tunnel was built, about 100 miles to the north. The Fréjus Road Tunnel opened in 1980, and connects Col du Fréjus, France and Bardonecchia, Italy.
A Belgian transport truck caught fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel on March 24, 1999, leading to the deaths of 39 people. Repairs and an overhaul of safety features led to the tunnel being closed for 3 years. (UPDATE: An additional closure, for maintenance, was in effect from September to December 2023.)
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July 19, 1965 was a Monday. These baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3-1 at Yankee Stadium. Jim Lonborg outpitched Jim Bouton. Mickey Mantle went 1-for-4. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-5.
* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Braves, 6-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Ken Johnson pitched a 7-hit shutout. Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Felipe Alou and Joe Torre all hit home runs for the Braves.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Lee Stange pitched a 4-hit shutout. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-1 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Frank Robinson and Pete Rose both went 1-for-4.
* The Washington Senators beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-0 at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Phil Ortega pitched a 3-hit shutout, and Mickey Lolich didn't get out of the 3rd inning. Al Kaline went 0-for-2 before being taken out.
* The Kansas City Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the California Angels, 5-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew hit a home run.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2 at the original Busch Stadium (formerly the last Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 8-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* And the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Ernie Banks went 1-for-5. Willie Mays went 1-for-4.
