State for the Colonies put the death toll at 200 in Palestine and another eight in the neighboring Trans-Jordan (now Jordan). Hardest hit were Nablus, Ramallah and Lydda. The River Jordan dried up, and remained that way for 21 hours. More than a century after her death, a sealed box, owned by Joanna Southcott and said to contain her final prophecies, was opened at Westminster. Inside the container was a pistol, a nightcap, some coins and other personal belongings, but nothing mysterious. African-American singer and actress Ethel Waters made her Broadway debut, appearing in the production Africana. Born: Theodore H. Maiman, American inventor and physicist who developed the laser, patented in 1960; in Los Angeles (d. 2007) Tuesday, July 12, 1927 Chen Duxiu, who had been the first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, resigned from that position. In 1925, he had been succeeded as chairman by Mao Zedong. The convention to create the International Relief Union was adopted at the League of Nations by the 43 states in attendance, and entered into force on December 27, 1932. Intended as a unified organization for disaster relief, the I.R.U. had only limited success in assisting the International Red Cross. Born: Tom Benson, American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and owner of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans; in New Orleans (d. 2018) Wednesday, July 13, 1927 French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré, who was also the Finance Minister, received a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies and an endorsement of his call to not add further spending to the budget. Informing the legislators that "Messieurs, the whole fate of French finances rests on your decision," Poincaré won his point by a margin of 347 to 200. Born: Simone Veil, President of the European Parliament (1979–1982), former French Minister of Health, and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust; as Simone Annie Liline Jacob, in Nice (d. 2017) Thursday, July 14, 1927 The government of Czechoslovakia created the autonomous Slovak Province (Slovenska Krajina) in response to demands by the Slovak People's Party. Born: Peggy Parish, American author who created the Amelia Bedelia series of books; in Manning, South Carolina (d. 1988) John Chancellor, American news anchorman for NBC Nightly News from 1970 to 1982, and a commentator 1982 to 1993; in Chicago (d. 1996). Friday, July 15, 1927 Eighty-four protesters were killed in Vienna, and the