Wally Amos made one of the most famous cookies ever. He was born in 1936 in Tallahassee, Florida, and grew up in Harlem, New York City. In 1975, Wally opened his first cookie store in Los Angeles. He called it "Famous Amos Cookies" and learned how to bake from his Aunt Della. He created the recipe, the brand, the shop, and had the smile. It all came from him. He built the business from the ground up with a $25,000 loan from friends like Marvin Gaye. In just a few years, Wally became a national name. His face was on every bag in every store. But Wally didn't know business like he knew baking. He brought in investors, trusted the wrong people, and signed contracts without fully understanding what they meant. Wally struggled to keep up with the brand's rapid growth. By 1985, Famous Amos reported a $300,000 loss on sales of $10 million. That same year, he sold a majority stake in Famous Amos to Bass Brothers Enterprises. Slowly, he lost control. By 1988, he had no ownership, no royalties, and couldn’t even use his own name. Famous Amos was eventually sold to another company for $61 million, and that was over 55 times what Wally sold his stake for just a few years earlier. Still, Wally didn't get bitter. He stayed kind and joyful. He began reading to kids, promoting literacy, mentoring others, and sharing the tough lessons he learned about why ownership matters. He wrote uplifting books like "The Path to Success Is Paved with Positive Thinking." Wally Amos passed away in 2024. Even after being pushed out of his own dream, he kept showing up for other people. That’s what made Wally legendary. Not the money. Not the cookies. It was the way he chose to give no matter what was taken from him. 📸 (Photo: Wally Amos)

Buddy Guy, BB King & Junior Wells captured at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1968. Buddy Guy: (left) is a highly influential blues guitarist and singer, known for his dynamic performances and impact on rock and blues musicians. B.B. King: (center) was an iconic blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Junior Wells: (right) was a prominent Chicago blues vocalist and harmonica player, known for his powerful amplified harmonica style and fervent vocals. 📷 David Gahr via the Newport Festivals Foundation collection

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🚨"God Forgives, I Don't" is the 5th studio album by #Miami rapper #RickRoss. ▪️It was released on July 30, 2012, by #MaybachMusic Group, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. ▪️The album was produced by several record producers, including Cool & Dre, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, #Pharrell, Jake One, and Rico Love, among others. ▪️Album features a wide array of artists. Notable collaborations include #JayZ and #DrDre on "Three Kings", #André3000 on "Sixteen", #Usher on "Touch'N You", #NeYo on "Maybach Music IV", Omarion on "Ice Cold", Wale and #Drake on "Diced Pineapples", and Meek Mill on "So Sophisticated"

"Ridin' Dirty" is the 3rd studio album by #Texas based hip-hop duo #UGK. ▪️It was released on July 30, 1996, by Jive Records. ▪️Featured production work primarily from: #PimpC with tracks also from N.O. Joe, Mr. 3-2, Sergio ▪️Features guest appearances from: Mr. 3-2, Ronnie Spencer, Smoke D, C-Note (of Botany Boyz) Big Smokin' Mitch, N.O. Joe. ▪️The album became one of the most influential albums in Southern hip-hop, especially the #Houston hip-hop scene. Prior to his murder in 1996, West Coast rapper #TupacShakur listened to the album after being introduced to the group by Houston rapper #Scarface. Shakur would go on to praise the album. 🙌

"L.A. Confidential Presents: Knoc-turn'al" is the debut extended play by #LongBeach rapper #Knocturnal. ▪️Originally it was supposed to be a full-length album titled Knoc's Landin', which was shelved due to undisclosed reasons and reduced to an EP released on July 30, 2002 through Elektra Records. ▪️Production was handled by #DrDre, Bud'da, Fredwreck, #KanyeWest. ▪️Features guest appearances from Slip Capone, Butch Cassidy, Dr. Dre, #JayoFelony, #MissyElliott, #NateDogg, Shade Sheist, Timebomb, #TooShort, #WarrenG, #Xzibit.

"Based on a True Story" is the debut studio album by #Miami based rapper #TrickDaddy, and the only studio album released under his 'Trick Daddy Dollars' alias. ▪️It was released on July 29, 1997, through Slip-N-Slide and Warlock Records. ▪️Production was handled by Alvin Clark, Darren "DJ Spin" Rudnick, Devastator X, Mike "Fresh" McCray, Righteous Funk Boogie, and Trak & Tek. ▪️It features guest appearances from Buddy Roe, #JTMoney, Verb and Jamal. The album peaked at number 59 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States.

Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930. Between 1905 and 1930, Seattle underwent one of the most ambitious urban engineering projects in American history: the regrading of its hills. The city’s steep terrain, while scenic, was seen as a barrier to economic growth and expansion. In response, entire hillsides (like Denny Hill, shown in this photo) were systematically flattened using sluicing, where high-pressure water cannons eroded the soil and sent it through massive flumes. The displaced earth was often used to fill in tide flats and create new, flatter land for development. What you see in this image are the final remnants of Denny Hill, isolated towers of earth known as “spite mounds,” left standing amid the newly carved landscape. The scale of the project was massive, moving millions of cubic yards of earth and permanently reshaping the city. Today, much of downtown Seattle sits on land that was once underwater or high above sea level, testament to a bold, if brutal, vision of progress. Fun Fact: To flatten Denny Hill, workers used high-powered water jets called "hydraulic monitors”, the same technology used during the California Gold Rush to blast through mountains in search of gold. In total, they moved enough earth to fill over 100,000 modern dump trucks. The sheer amount of mud and sediment caused issues too, at one point, streets were left suspended in midair as the ground beneath them was washed away faster than the infrastructure could be updated. Seattle locals joked they needed ladders just to reach their front doors!