This Day in History

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 22, 1843: Great Emigration departs for Oregon </h2>  A massive wagon train, made up of 1,000 settlers and 1,000 head of cattle, sets off down the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri . Known as the Great Emigration, the expedition came two years after the first modest party of settlers made the long, overland journey to Oregon.  <em class="date"> May 22, 1977: Jimmy Carter reaffirms his commitment to human rights </h2> President Jimmy Carter , in a speech delivered at Notre Dame University, reaffirms his commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy and disparages the inordinate fear of communism which once led us to embrace any dictator who joined us in that fear. Carter's speech marked a new direction for U.S. Cold War policy, one that led to both accolades and controversy.  <em class="date"> May 22, 1967: Belgian department store burns </h2> A fire at the L'Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, kills 322 people on this day in 1967. Poor preparation and safety features were responsible for the high death toll.  <em class="date"> May 22, 1958: Jerry Lee Lewis drops a bombshell in London </h2> The arrival in the United Kingdom of one of the biggest figures in rock and roll was looked forward to with great anticipation in May of 1958. Nowhere in the world were the teenage fans of the raucous music coming out of America more enthusiastic than they were in England, and the coming tour of the great Jerry Lee Lewis promised to be a rousing success. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Great Balls Of Fire had both been massive hits in the UK, and early demand for tickets was great enough that 27 appearances were booked in what promised to be the biggest tour yet by an American rock-and-roll star. There was just one problem: Unbeknownst to the British public and the organizers of the coming tour, Jerry Lee Lewis would be traveling to England as a newly married man, with his pretty young wife in tow. Just how young that wife really was would be revealed on this day in 1958, when Jerry Lee The Killer Lewis arrived at Heathrow Airport with his new child bride.  <em class="date"> May 22, 1802: Martha Washington dies </h2> President George Washington 's devoted widow and the nation's first first lady, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, dies at her Mt. Vernon home on this day in 1802. She was 70 years old.  <em class="date"> May 22, 2003: Sorenstam makes history </h2>   On May 22, 2003, golfer Annika Sorenstam becomes the first woman to play in a PGA tour event since Babe Didrikson 58 years earlier, after receiving a sponsors exemption to compete in the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 23, 1934: Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde </h2>  On this day in 1934, notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Sailes, Louisiana.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1960: Tsunami hits Hawaii </h2> A tsunami caused by an earthquake off the coast of Chile travels across the Pacific Ocean and kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii , on this day in 1960. The massive 8.5-magnitude quake had killed thousands in Chile the previous day.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1701: Captain Kidd walks the plank </h2> At London's Execution Dock, British privateer William Kidd, popularly known as Captain Kidd, is hanged for piracy and murder.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1900: Forgotten Civil War hero honored </h2> Sergeant William Harvey Carney is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery on July 18, 1863, while fighting for the Union cause as a member of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. He was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor, which is the nation's highest military honor.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1911: New York Public Library dedicated </h2>   In a ceremony presided over by President William Howard Taft , the New York Public Library, the largest marble structure ever constructed in the United States , is dedicated in New York City . Occupying a two-block section of Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, the monumental beaux-arts structure took 14 years to complete at a cost of $9 million. The day after its dedication, the library opened its doors to the public, and some 40,000 citizens passed through to make use of a collection that already consisted of more than a million books.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1979: Tom Petty defies his record label and files for bankruptcy </h2> The music industry is notorious for its creative accounting practices and for onerous contracts that can keep even some top-selling artists perpetually in debt to their record labels. In a typical recording contract, a record label advances an artist a certain sum of money against future earnings from royalties. But because the cost of things like studio time, marketing support and tour expenses must be recouped by the label before an artist earns any royalties, many artists who sign recording contracts never sell enough records to earn out their advance. Where this system truly breaks down is when a top-selling artist or group like TLC or Run-DMC finds itself deeply in debt to its record label despite having sold millions of records. Those are but two groups that have pursued a strategy made famous by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Tom Petty when he declared bankruptcy on this day in 1979 in an effort to free himself from his contract with Shelter Records.  <em class="date"> May 23, 1941: Joe Louis beats Buddy Baer to retain heavyweight title </h2> On May 23, 1941, Joe Louis beats Buddy Baer to retain his heavyweight title. The fight was widely considered the most exciting heavyweight match-up since Dempsey vs. Firpo in 1923. Baer proved to be more than Louis bargained for, and he shocked fans by sending the champ to the canvas for four seconds in the first round. Louis clawed his way back, however, and eventually gutted out a victory in front of 35,000 people at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 24, 1883: Brooklyn Bridge opens </h2>  After 14 years and 27 deaths while being constructed, the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River is opened, connecting the great cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. Thousands of residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan Island turned out to witness the dedication ceremony, which was presided over by President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland . Designed by the late John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension bridge ever built to that date.  <em class="date"> May 24, 1964: Riot erupts at soccer match </h2> A referee's call in a soccer match between Peru and Argentina sparks a riot on this day in 1964. More than 300 fans were killed and another 500 people were injured in the violent melee that followed at National Stadium in Lima, Peru.  <em class="date"> May 24, 1974: Duke Ellington dies </h2> The highest compliment Edward Kennedy Ellington knew how to pay to a fellow musician was to refer to him as being beyond category. If any label could possibly capture the essence of Ellington himself, it would be that one. In a career spanning five decades, the man they called Duke put an indelible stamp on 20th-century American music as an instrumentalist, as a composer and as an orchestra leader. Equally at home and equally revered in the Cotton Club and Carnegie Hall, if any musician ever defied categorization, it was Duke Ellington. Fifty years after becoming a household name, and without slowing down professionally until the very end, Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington died on May 24, 1974, at the age of 75.  <em class="date"> May 24, 1991: Thelma and Louise, featuring 1966 Ford Thunderbird, released </h2> On this day in 1991, the critically acclaimed road movie Thelma and Louise debuts in theaters, stunning audiences with a climactic scene in which its two heroines drive off a cliff into the Grand Canyon, in a vintage 1966 green Ford Thunderbird convertible.  <em class="date"> May 24, 1935: MLB holds first night game </h2> The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on this night in 1935 in Major League Baseballs first-ever night game, played courtesy of recently installed lights at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.   

 

[omeg]

Star Wars opens </h2>    On this day in 1977, Memorial Day weekend opens with an intergalactic bang as the first of George Lucas' blockbuster Star Wars movies hits American theaters.  <em class="date"> May 25, 1994: Pennsylvania man buried with his beloved Corvette </h2> On this day in 1994, the ashes of 71-year-old George Swanson are buried (according to Swanson's request) in the driver's seat of his 1984 white Corvette in Hempfield County, Pennsylvania .  <em class="date"> May 25, 1979: DC-10 crashes, killing all aboard </h2> Almost 300 people are killed on this day in 1979 when an American Airlines flight crashes and explodes after losing one engine just after takeoff.  <em class="date"> May 25, 1878: HMS Pinafore premieres in London </h2> By the spring of 1877, the English light-opera team of W.S. Gilbert and Richard Sullivan had established a strong reputation based on several well-received earlier works, but they had yet to have a true smash hit. That would change on this day in 1878, when Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore premiered at the Opéra-Comique in London, beginning a near-record run of 571 performances in its original production.  <em class="date"> May 25, 1975: Grizzly bear is classified as a threatened species </h2> In 1975, the grizzly bear--once the undisputed king of the western wilderness--is given federal protection as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.  <em class="date"> May 25, 1961: JFK asks Congress to support the space program </h2> On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy announces to Congress his goal of sending an American to the moon by the end of the decade and asks for financial support of an accelerated space program. He made the task a national priority and a mission in which all Americans would share, stating that it will not be one man going to the moonit will be an entire nation.  <em class="date"> May 25, 1935: Babe Ruth hits last home run </h2> On May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , Babe Ruth hits his 714th home run, a record for career home runs that would stand for almost 40 years. This was one of Ruths last games, and the last home run of his career. Ruth went four for four on the day, hitting three home runs and driving in six runs.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 26, 1897: Dracula goes on sale in London </h2>     The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, appear in London bookshops on this day in 1897.  <em class="date"> May 26, 1927: Last day of Model T production at Ford </h2>   On this day in 1927, Henry Ford and his son Edsel drive the 15 millionth Model T Ford out of their factory, marking the famous automobile's official last day of production.   <em class="date"> May 26, 1991: Plane crashes in Thai jungle </h2> On this day in 1991, a Boeing 767 crashes into the jungle near Bangkok, Thailand, and kills all 223 people on board. The plane was owned and operated by the Austrian company Lauda-Air was the nation's largest charter operation and famed race car driver Niki Lauda's first foray into business after his retirement from racing.   <em class="date"> May 26, 1864: Montana Territory created </h2> Anxious to create new free territories during the Civil War , U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs an act establishing the Montana Territory. However, as Montana was on the unstable frontier, it did little to add to the integrity of the Union, and Sidney Edgerton, the territory's first governor, fled after suffering through several months of Indian raids.  <em class="date"> May 26, 1868: President Johnson acquitted </h2>   At the end of a historic two-month trial, the U.S. Senate narrowly fails to convict President Andrew Johnson of the impeachment charges levied against him by the House of Representatives three months earlier. The senators voted 35 guilty and 19 not guilty on the second article of impeachment, a charge related to his violation of the Tenure of Office Act in the previous year. Ten days earlier, the Senate had likewise failed to convict Johnson on another article of impeachment, the 11th, voting an identical 35 for conviction and 19 for acquittal. Because both votes fell short--by one vote--of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Johnson, he was judged not guilty and remained in office.  <em class="date"> May 26, 2008: Sidney Pollack dies </h2> On this day in 2008, the film director, producer and actor Sidney Pollack, whose string of hits included Tootsie, Out of Africa and The Firm, dies of cancer at his home in Los Angeles , at the age of 73.  <em class="date"> May 26, 1962: The British Invasion has an odd beginning </h2>   If you'd told a randomly selected group of American music fans in the spring of 1962 that a British act would soon achieve total dominance of the American pop scene, change the face of music and fashion and inspire a generation of future pop stars to take up an instrument and join a band, they would probably have scratched their heads and struggled to imagine such a thing. And if any image popped into their heads, it wouldn't have been of young lads playing guitars in mop tops and Nehru jackets. The Beatles, after all, were complete unknowns at this point. No, if there was any image that would have come to mind, it would have been of middle-aged men playing the clarinet in bowler hats and stripey waistcoats. Up to that point, after all, the single, solitary Briton ever to have reached the top of the American charts in the rock and roll era was a man by the name of Mr. Acker Bilk. His instrumental single, Stranger On the Shore provided the first, false hint of the British Invasion to come when it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 1962.  <em class="date"> May 26, 1907: John Wayne is born </h2> John Wayne, an actor who came to epitomize the American West, is born in Winterset, Iowa .  <em class="date"> May 26, 1924: Coolidge signs stringent immigration law </h2> On this day in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signs into law the Comprehensive Immigration Act, the most stringent immigration policy up to that time in the nation's history.  <em class="date"> May 26, 1959: Haddix pitches 12 perfect innings, but loses </h2> On this day in 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves, only to lose the game on a two-run double by Braves first baseman Joe Adcock in the 13th inning. It was the first time a pitcher threw more than nine perfect innings in major league history.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 27, 1941: Bismarck sunk by Royal Navy </h2>  On May 27, 1941, the British navy sinks the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic near France. The German death toll was more than 2,000.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1937: Golden Gate Bridge opens </h2> On this day in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco with Marin County, California , officially opens amid citywide celebration.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1997: Tornado levels Texas subdivision </h2>   A tornado in Jarrell, Texas , destroys the town and kills nearly 30 people on this day in 1997. This F5 tornadoa rating indicating it had winds of more than 260 miles per hour--was unusual in that it traveled south along the ground; nearly all tornadoes in North America move northeast.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1703: St. Petersburg founded by Peter the Great </h2> After winning access to the Baltic Sea through his victories in the Great Northern War, Czar Peter I founds the city of St. Petersburg as the new Russian capital.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1963: Dylan's breakthrough album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, is released </h2> On this day in 1963, Bob Dylan releases his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, which goes on to transform him from a popular local act to a global phenomenon.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1941: FDR proclaims an unlimited national emergency </h2> President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces a state of unlimited national emergency in response to Nazi Germany 's threats of world domination on this day in 1941. In a speech on this day, he repeated his famous remark from a speech he made in 1933 during the Great Depression : the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  <em class="date"> May 27, 1972: Mark Donohue sets record at Indy 500 </h2> On May 27, 1972, Mark Donohue wins the Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 163.645 miles an hour, six miles an hour faster than the previous speed record.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 28, 1961: Appeal for Amnesty campaign launches </h2>  On this day in 1961, the British newspaper The London Observer publishes British lawyer Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners on its front page, launching the Appeal for Amnesty 1961--a campaign calling for the release of all people imprisoned in various parts of the world because of the peaceful expression of their beliefs.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1937: Volkswagen is founded </h2> On this day in 1937, the government of Germany--then under the control of Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party--forms a new state-owned automobile company, then known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH. Later that year, it was renamed simply Volkswagenwerk, or The People's Car Company.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1965: Mine explosion kills hundreds in India </h2>   Methane gas causes a mine explosion near Dharbad, India, that kills 375 people and injures hundreds more on this day in 1965. The blast was so powerful that even workers on the surface of the mine were killed.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1754: First blood of the French and Indian War </h2> In the first engagement of the French and Indian War, a Virginia militia under 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington defeats a French reconnaissance party in southwestern Pennsylvania . In a surprise attack, the Virginians killed 10 French soldiers from Fort Duquesne, including the French commander, Coulon de Jumonville, and took 21 prisoners. Only one of Washington's men was killed.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1998: Comic Phil Hartman killed by wife </h2>   On this day in 1998, the comedian and actor Phil Hartman, famous for his work on Saturday Night Live and NewsRadio, is shot to death by his troubled wife, Brynn, in a murder-suicide. He was 49.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1983: Irene Cara has a #1 pop hit with the Flashdance theme </h2> Irene Cara's song Flashdance (What a Feeling) , from the Flashdance movie soundtrack, goes to the top of the U.S. pop charts on this day in 1983.  <em class="date"> May 28, 1957: Baseball owners allow Dodgers and Giants to move </h2> On May 28, 1957, National League owners vote unanimously to allow the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to move to San Francisco and Los Angeles , respectively, at the mid-season owners meeting in Chicago , Illinois .  <em class="date"> May 28, 1969: U.S. troops abandon Hamburger Hill </h2> U.S. troops abandon Ap Bia Mountain. A spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division said that the U.S. troops have completed their search of the mountain and are now continuing their reconnaissance-in-force mission throughout the A Shau Valley.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 29, 1953: Hillary and Tenzing reach Everest summit </h2>  At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest , which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point on earth. The two, part of a British expedition, made their final assault on the summit after spending a fitful night at 27,900 feet. News of their achievement broke around the world on June 2, the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and Britons hailed it as a good omen for their country's future.  <em class="date"> May 29, 2005: Danica Patrick becomes first woman to lead Indy 500 </h2> On this day in 2005, 23-year-old Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to take the lead in the storied Indianapolis 500.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1979: Woody Harrelson's father is arrested for murder </h2> Judge John Wood, known as Maximum John, is assassinated outside his San Antonio, Texas , home as he bent down to look at a flat tire on his car. Actor Woody Harrelson's father, Charles Harrelson, was charged with the murder after evidence revealed that drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra, whose case was about to come up before Maximum John, had paid him $250,000.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1914: Ships crash in heavy fog </h2> Heavy fog causes a collision of boats on the St. Lawrence River in Canada that kills 1,073 people on this day in 1914. Caused by a horrible series of blunders, this was one of the worst maritime disasters in history.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1848: Wisconsin enters the Union </h2> Following approval of statehood by the territory's citizens, Wisconsin enters the Union as the 30th state.  <em class="date"> May 29, 2003: Bob Hope celebrates 100th birthday </h2>   Some 35 U.S. states declare it to be Bob Hope Day on this day in 2003, when the iconic comedic actor and entertainer turns 100 years old.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1913: Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps makes its infamous world premiere </h2> Some of those in attendance to see the Ballets Russes at the Théâtre des Champs-élysées on May 29, 1913, would already have been familiar with the young Russian composer Igor Stravinsky through his 1910 ballet L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird).But if they expected his newest work to proceed in the same familiar and pleasing vein as his first, they were in for a surprise. From the moment the premiere performance of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps (Rite of Spring) began on this night in 1913, it was clear that even an audience of sophisticated Parisians was totally unprepared for something so avant-garde.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1917: John F. Kennedy is born </h2> One of America's best-loved presidents, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is born into a politically and socially prominent family in Brookline, Massachusetts , on this day in 1917. He was the first American president to be born in the 20th century.  <em class="date"> May 29, 1922: Supreme Court rules in favor of Major League Baseball </h2> On May 29, 1922, the United States Supreme Court rules that organized baseball did not violate antitrust laws as alleged by the Baltimore franchise of the defunct Federal League in 1915. The Supreme Court held that organized baseball is not a business, but a sport.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date-loc">Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, honors the men and women who died while serving in the American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer. In 2011, Memorial Day is observed on Monday, May 30.   <em class="date"> May 30, 1431: Joan of Arc martyred </h2> At Rouen in English-controlled Normandy, Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who became the savior of France, is burned at the stake for heresy.   <em class="date"> May 30, 1911: First Indianapolis 500 held </h2> On this day in 1911, Ray Harroun drives his single-seater Marmon Wasp to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500, now one of the world's most famous motor racing competitions.   <em class="date"> May 30, 1927: Waters of Kentucky River peak </h2> On this day in 1927, the Kentucky River peaks during a massive flood that kills 89 people and leaves thousands homeless. Torrential rains caused this unprecedented flood.   <em class="date"> May 30, 1868: Civil War dead honored on Decoration Day </h2> By proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first major Memorial Day observance is held to honor those who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion. Known to some as Decoration Day, mourners honored the Civil War dead by decorating their graves with flowers. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery , after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.   <em class="date"> May 30, 1971: Mariner 9 departs for Mars </h2>   The U.S. unmanned space probe Mariner 9 is launched on a mission to gather scientific information on Mars, the fourth planet from the sun. The 1,116-pound spacecraft entered the planet's orbit on November 13, 1971, and circled Mars twice each day for almost a year, photographing the surface and analyzing the atmosphere with infrared and ultraviolet instruments. It gathered data on the atmospheric composition, density, pressure, and temperature of Mars, and also information about the surface composition, temperature, and topography of the planet.     <em class="date"> May 30, 1922: Former President Taft dedicates Lincoln Memorial </h2> Former President William Howard Taft dedicates the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington Mall on this day in 1922. At the time, Taft was serving as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  history..com -- Edited by PMM2008 on Monday 30th of May 2011 09:26:34 AM

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> May 31, 1859: Big Ben goes into operation in London </h2>  The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rings out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time on this day in 1859.  <em class="date"> May 31, 1929: Ford signs agreement with Soviet Union </h2>   After two years of exploratory visits and friendly negotiations, Ford Motor Company signs a landmark agreement to produce cars in the Soviet Union on this day in 1929.  <em class="date"> May 31, 1889: The Johnstown Flood </h2> The South Fork Dam collapses on this day in 1889, causing a flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania , that kills more than 2,200 people.  <em class="date"> May 31, 1962: Architect of the Holocaust hanged in Israel </h2> Near Tel Aviv, Israel, Adolf Eichmann , the Nazi SS officer who organized Adolf Hitler 's final solution of the Jewish question, was executed for his crimes against humanity.  <em class="date"> May 31, 1930: Clint Eastwood born </h2> Best known to his many fans for one of his most memorable screen incarnations--San Francisco Police Inspector Dirty Harry Callahan--the actor and Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood is born on this day in 1930, in San Francisco, California .  <em class="date"> May 31, 1977: The BBC bans the Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen </h2> Thirty years after its release, John Lydonbetter known as Johnny Rottenoffered this assessment of the song that made the Sex Pistols the most reviled and revered figures in England in the spring of 1977: There are not many songs written over baked beans at the breakfast table that went on to divide a nation and force a change in popular culture. Timed with typical Sex Pistols flair to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, the release of God Save The Queen was greeted by precisely the torrent of negative press that Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren had hoped. On May 31, 1977, the song earned a total ban on radio airplay from the BBCa kiss of death for a normal pop single, but a powerful endorsement for an anti-establishment rant like God Save The Queen.  <em class="date"> May 31, 1997: Ila Borders pitches in minor league game </h2> On this day in 1997, Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a minor league baseball game, when she enters a game in relief for the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League. Mike Veeck, son of famous baseball impresario and promoter Bill Veeck, owned the Saints, and signed Borders to garner publicity for his team and the Northern League, an independent minor league not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Borders, though, was more than an attraction: She could throw strikes, and she went on to pitch in the Northern League for three years.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 1, 1980: CNN launches </h2>  On this day in 1980, CNN (Cable News Network), the world's first 24-hour television news network, makes its debut. The network signed on at 6 p.m. EST from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia , with a lead story about the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. CNN went on to change the notion that news could only be reported at fixed times throughout the day. At the time of CNN's launch, TV news was dominated by three major networks--ABC, CBS and NBC--and their nightly 30-minute broadcasts. Initially available in less than two million U.S. homes, today CNN is seen in more than 89 million American households and over 160 million homes internationally.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1934: Nissan Motor Company founded </h2> On this day in 1934, the Tokyo-based Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha (Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in English) takes on a new name: Nissan Motor Company.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 2004: Opening statements begin in Scott Peterson murder trial </h2> On this day in 2004, opening statements begin in the trial of Scott Peterson, accused of murdering his wife Laci and the couple's unborn son. On Christmas Eve 2002, the pregnant Laci had disappeared from Modesto, California. The case captivated millions across America and saturated national media coverage for nearly two years.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1965: Coal mine explosion kills 236 in Japan </h2> A coal mine explosion kills 236 workers at the Yamano mine near Fukuoka, Japan , on this day in 1965. The tragic disaster might have been avoided if the operators of the mine had taken even the most basic safety precautions.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1968: Helen Keller dies </h2> On June 1, 1968, Helen Keller dies in Westport, Connecticut , at the age of 87. Blind and deaf from infancy, Keller circumvented her disabilities to become a world-renowned writer and lecturer.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1990: Superpowers to destroy chemical weapons </h2> At a superpowers summit meeting in Washington, D.C. , U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a historic agreement to end production of chemical weapons and begin the destruction of both nations' sizable reserves of them. According to the agreement, on-site inspectors from both countries would observe the destruction process.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1926: Marilyn Monroe born </h2> Norma Jeane Mortenson--who will become better known around the world as the glamorous actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe--is born on this day in 1926, in Los Angeles , California . She was later given her mothers name, and baptized Norma Jeane Baker.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1967: The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band </h2> Bob Dylan's instant reaction to the recently completed album Paul McCartney brought by his London hotel room for a quick listen in the spring of 1967 may not sound like the most thoughtful analysis ever offered, but it still to hit the nail on the head. Oh I get it, Dylan said to Paul on hearing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for the first time, you don't want to be cute anymore. In time, the Beatles' eighth studio album would come to be regarded by many as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, and oceans of ink would be spilt in praising and analyzing its revolutionary qualities. But what Bob Dylan picked up on immediately was its meaning to the Beatles themselves, who turned a critical corner in their career with the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on this day in 1967.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 2005: George Mikan dies </h2> On June 1, 2005, Basketball Hall of Famer George Mikan dies at age 80. The first true gate attraction in professional basketball, Mikan drew fans to NBA games at a time when the leagues success was far from assured.  <em class="date"> Jun 1, 1942: News of death camp killings becomes public for first time </h2> On this day in 1942, a Warsaw underground newspaper, the Liberty Brigade, makes public the news of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a death camp in Polandalmost seven months after extermination of prisoners began.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 2, 1935: Babe Ruth retires </h2>  On this day in 1935, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, ends his Major League playing career after 22 seasons, 10 World Series and 714 home runs. The following year, Ruth, a larger-than-life figure whose name became synonymous with baseball, was one of the first five players inducted into the sport's hall of fame.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1970: Race car driver and designer Bruce McLaren dies in crash </h2> The 32-year-old race car driver Bruce McLaren dies in a crash while testing an experimental car of his own design at a track in Goodwood, England on this day in 1970  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1921: Flash floods ravage Colorado </h2> Torrential rains slam Pueblo County in Colorado , causing a flash flood that leaves more than 100 people dead and millions of dollars in property damaged. This was the worst flood in state history to that time.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1985: Serial killing spree is put to an end </h2> Leonard Lake is arrested near San Francisco , California , ending one of the rare cases of serial killers working together. Lake and Charles Ng were responsible for a series of particularly brutal crimes against young women in California and the Pacific Northwest during the mid-1980s .  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1865: American Civil War ends </h2> In an event that is generally regarded as marking the end of the Civil War , Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi , signs the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. With Smith's surrender, the last Confederate army ceased to exist, bringing a formal end to the bloodiest four years in U.S. history.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1924: The Indian Citizenship Act </h2> With Congress' passage of the Indian Citizenship Act, the government of the United States confers citizenship on all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the country.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1953: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II </h2> On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II is formally crowned monarch of the United Kingdom in a lavish ceremony steeped in traditions that date back a millennium. A thousand dignitaries and guests attended the coronation at London's Westminster Abbey, and hundreds of millions listened on radio and for the first time watched the proceedings on live television. After the ceremony, millions of rain-drenched spectators cheered the 27-year-old queen and her husband, the 30-year-old duke of Edinburgh, as they passed along a five-mile procession route in a gilded horse-drawn carriage.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1997: McVeigh convicted for Oklahoma City bombing </h2> Timothy McVeigh, a former U.S. Army soldier, is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1962: Ray Charles takes country music to the top of the pop charts </h2> Ray Charles was one of the founding fathers of soul musica style he helped create and popularize with a string of early 1950s hits on Atlantic Records like I Got A Woman and What'd I Say. This fact is well known to almost anyone who has ever heard of the man they called the Genius, but what is less well knownto younger fans especiallyis the pivotal role that Charles played in shaping the course of a seemingly very different genre of popular music. In the words of his good friend and sometime collaborator, Willie Nelson, speaking before Charles' death in 2004, Ray Charles the R&B legend did more for country music than any other living human being. The landmark album that earned Ray Charles that praise was Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which gave him his third #1 hit in I Can't Stop Loving You, which topped the U.S. pop charts on this day in 1962  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1886: Grover Cleveland gets married in the White House </h2> President Grover Cleveland becomes the first sitting president to marry in the White House on this day in 1886.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1985: English football clubs banned from Europe </h2> On June 2, 1985, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) bans English football (soccer) clubs from competing in Europe. The ban followed the death of 39 Italian and Belgian football fans at Brussels Heysel Stadium in a riot caused by English football hooligans at that years European Cup final.  <em class="date"> Jun 2, 1965: First contingent of Australian combat troops arrives </h2> The first contingent of Australian combat troops arrives by plane in Saigon. They joined the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade at Bien Hoa air base. Another contingent of 400 Australian troops would arrive by ship on June 8. These Australian troops became part of the Free World Military Forces, an effort by President Lyndon B. Johnson to enlist other nations to support the American cause in South Vietnam by sending military aid and troops. The level of support was not the primary issue; Johnson wanted to portray international solidarity and consensus for U.S. policies in Southeast Asia and he believed that participation by a number of countries would do that. The effort was also known as the many flags program.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 3, 1989: Crackdown at Tiananmen begins </h2>  With protests for democratic reforms entering their seventh week, the Chinese government authorizes its soldiers and tanks to reclaim Beijing's Tiananmen Square at all costs. By nightfall on June 4, Chinese troops had forcibly cleared the square, killing hundreds and arresting thousands of demonstrators and suspected dissidents.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1957: U.S. Supreme Court rules against Du Pont in General Motors suit </h2> On this day in 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the chemical company E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. must give up its large stock interest in the Detroit-based automobile company General Motors on the grounds that it constituted a monopoly, or a concentration of power that reduced competition or otherwise interfered with trade.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1864: Union disaster at Cold Harbor </h2> On this day, Union General Ulysses S. Grant makes what he later recognizes to be his greatest mistake by ordering a frontal assault on entrenched Confederates at Cold Harbor, Virginia . The result was some 7,000 Union casualties in less than an hour of fighting.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1989: Natural gas explosion kills 500 in Russia </h2> In a freak and tragic accident, a natural-gas pipeline explodes in Russia's Ural Mountains just as two trains pass it.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1800: President Adams settles in new capital </h2> John Adams , the second president of the United States , becomes the first president to reside in Washington, D.C. , when he takes up residence at Union Tavern in Georgetown.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1965: An American walks in space </h2> One hundred and 20 miles above the earth, Major Edward H. White II opens the hatch of the Gemini 4 and steps out of the capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space. Attached to the craft by a 25-foot tether and controlling his movements with a hand-held oxygen jet-propulsion gun, White remained outside the capsule for just over 20 minutes. As a space walker, White had been preceded by Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei A. Leonov, who on March 18, 1965, was the first man ever to walk in space.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1956: Rock and roll is banned in Santa Cruz, California </h2> Santa Cruz, California , a favorite early haunt of author Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, was an established capital of the West Coast counterculture scene by the mid-1960s . Yet just 10 years earlier, the balance of power in this crunchy beach town 70 miles south of San Francisco tilted heavily toward the older side of the generation gap. In the early months of the rock-and-roll revolution, in fact, at a time when adult authorities around the country were struggling to come to terms with a booming population of teenagers with vastly different musical tastes and attitudes, Santa Cruz captured national attention for its response to the crisis. On June 3, 1956, city authorities announced a total ban on rock and roll at public gatherings, calling the music Detrimental to both the health and morals of our youth and community.    <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1937: Josh Gibson hits ball 580 feet in Yankee Stadium </h2> On this day in 1937, The Sporting News reports that catcher Josh Gibson of the Negro Leagues Homestead Grays hit a ball two feet from the top of the façade of Yankee Stadium, 580 feet from home plate. If Negro League records were kept alongside those of the National and American Leagues, Gibsons home run would eclipse Mickey Mantles record 565-foot home run hit off Chuck Stobbs in Washingtons Griffith Stadium on April 17, 1953 as the longest ever hit. This is not the only record Gibson might hold, and possibly not the only record for distance. Some credit him with crushing a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium in 1934, which if true would make him the only player ever to accomplish that feat.  <em class="date"> Jun 3, 1916: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs National Defense Act </h2> On June 3, 1916, United States President Woodrow Wilson signs into law the National Defense Act, which expanded the size and scope of the National Guardthe network of states' militias that had been developing steadily since colonial timesand guaranteed its status as the nation's permanent reserve force.  history.com

 

[Mben]

<em class="date" style="font-size:1.167em;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:#333333;font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;">Jun 9, 1973: Secretariat wins Triple Crown</h2> With a spectacular victory at the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat becomes the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win America's coveted Triple Crown--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. In one of the finest performances in racing history, Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, completed the 1.5-mile race in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, a dirt-track record for that distance. <em class="date" style="font-size:1.167em;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:#333333;font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;">Jun 9, 1993: Hollywood madam arrested</h2> On this day in 1993, the now-infamous madam-to-the-stars Heidi Fleiss is arrested as part of a sting operation run by the Los Angeles Police and Beverly Hills Police Departments and the U.S. Justice Department. <em class="date" style="font-size:1.167em;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:#333333;font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;">Jun 9, 1891: Cole Porter is born</h2> On this day in 1891, the great composer and lyricist Cole Porter-one of the most important American songwriters of the 20th century-is born in Peru, Indiana. <em class="date" style="font-size:1.167em;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:#333333;font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;">Jun 9, 1972: Flash flood hits Rapid City</h2> A flash flood in Rapid City, South Dakota, kills more than 200 people on this day in 1972. This flood demonstrated the danger of building homes and businesses in a floodplain region.

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 10, 1752: Franklin flies kite during thunderstorm this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite is struck by lightning, enabling him to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning. Franklin became interested in electricity in the mid-1740s, a time when much was still unknown on the topic, and spent almost a decade conducting electrical experiments. He coined a number of terms used today, including battery, conductor and electrician. He also invented the lightning rod, used to protect buildings and ships. </h2>   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1991: Evacuations save lives in the Philippines </h2> On this day in 1991 at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, 14,500 personnel are evacuated in anticipation of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Over the next several days, the eruptions killed hundreds of people and sent tons of ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1692: First Salem witch hanging </h2> In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 2002: Doughnut truck thief arrested </h2> On this day in 2002, Clint Messina, 21, of Lacombe, Louisiana , is arrested and charged in the attempted murder of a police officer after driving into a patrol car while attempting to flee from sheriffs deputies. Soon after, police discovered that he was already a wanted man.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1935: Alcoholics Anonymous founded </h2> In New York City , two recovering alcoholics, one a New York broker and the other an Ohio physician, found Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), a 12-step rehabilitation program that eventually helps countless people cope with alcoholism.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1990: Luther Campbell and fellow 2LiveCrew members are arrested on obscenity charges </h2> Though the First Amendment to the Constitution clearly states that the U.S. Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, free speech is widely understood to have its limits. It is dangerous and potentially criminal, for instance, to yell, Fire! in a crowded theater. But what about yelling $&%#@!! in a crowded nightclub? Lenny Bruce and other comedians tested the limits of that practice in the 1960s , but it was not until the late 1980s that the issue of obscenity came front and center in the world of popular music. The group that brought it there was 2LiveCrew, a hip-hop outfit led by Luther Luke Skyywalker Campbell. On June 10, 1990, just days after a controversial ruling by a Florida federal judge, Campbell and two other members of 2LiveCrew were arrested on charges of public obscenity after performing material from their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be in a Hollywood , Florida, nightclub.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1944: Joe Nuxhall makes MLB debut at 15 </h2> On June 10, 1944, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall becomes the youngest person ever to play Major League Baseball when he pitches in a game for the Cincinnati Reds. Nuxhall threw two-thirds of the ninth inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals; he was pulled only after one wild pitch and allowing five runs on five walks and two hits. The game was played during World War II , when it became common for adolescent and older players to fill in for big leaguers fighting overseas.   <em class="date"> Jun 10, 1963:   </h2> history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 11, 1979: John Wayne dies </h2>   On this day in 1979, John Wayne, an iconic American film actor famous for starring in countless westerns, dies at age 72 after battling cancer for more than a decade.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1776: Congress appoints Committee of Five to draft the Declaration of Independence </h2> On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress selects Thomas Jefferson of Virginia , John Adams of Massachusetts , Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania , Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York to draft a declaration of independence .  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1986: Ferris Bueller's Day Off released; features 1961 Ferrari </h2> The hit John Hughes-directed teen comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, released on this day in 1986, stars a young Matthew Broderick as a popular high school student in suburban Illinois who fakes an illness in order to score a day off from school, then leads his best friend and his girlfriend on a whirlwind day through Chicago . The movie's cast also included Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones and Jennifer Grey. However, the most memorable performer may have been an automobile: the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California , a custom-built car revered by auto collectors.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1962: Alcatraz proves escapable for three men </h2> John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Lee Morris attempt to escape from Alcatraz federal prison. The three men were never seen again, and although some believe that theirs was the only successful getaway from what was known as The Rock, it is far more likely that they drowned in the chilly water. Four days after their escape, a bag containing photos, which belonged to Clarence Anglin, was found in San Francisco Bay. Escape From Alcatraz, both a J. Campbell Bruce book and a Clint Eastwood movie, later dramatized the incident.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1955: Tragedy at Le Mans </h2> On this day in 1955, a racing car in Le Mans, France, goes out of control and crashes into stands filled with spectators, killing 82 people. The tragedy in the famous 24-hour race leads to a ban on racing in several nations.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1963: University of Alabama desegregated </h2> Facing federalized Alabama National Guard troops, Alabama Governor George Wallace ends his blockade of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and allows two African American students to enroll.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1982: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial released </h2>   Then 34-year-old director Steven Spielberg reportedly drew on his own experiences as an unusually imaginative, often-lonely child of divorce for his science-fiction classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which is released on this day in 1982.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1949: Hank Williams, Sr., makes his Grand Ole Opry debut </h2> In the tragically short life of country legend Hank Williams, Sr., there were many broken relationships, both personal and professional, that resulted from his self-destructive behavior. One such relationship was with the most important institution in his chosen field: The Grand Ole Opry. Shortly before it cost him his life, Hank's drinking cost him his membership in the Opry, just three years after his triumphant debut. That debut, however, remains one of the most famous in the history of the live country-music performance program broadcast weekly on WSN Nashville since 1925. Hank Williams took to the microphone for his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 11, 1949, electrifying a live audience at Ryman Auditorium that called Williams out for six encores and had to be implored not to call him out for more in order to allow the rest of the show to go on.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1963: JFK faces down defiant governor </h2> On this day in 1963, President John F. Kennedy issues presidential proclamation 3542, forcing Alabama Governor George Wallace to comply with federal court orders allowing two African-American students to register for the summer session at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The proclamation ordered Wallace and all persons acting in concert with him to cease and desist from obstructing justice.  <em class="date"> Jun 11, 1950: Ben Hogan wins U.S. Open with courageous comeback </h2> On June 11, 1950, Ben Hogan bests Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio in an 18-hole playoff at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania , to win the U.S. Open.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> June 12, 1987: Reagan challenges Gorbachev</h2> On this day in 1987, in one of his most famous Cold War speeches, President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall , a symbol of the repressive Communist era in a divided Germany. <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1940: Edsel Ford agrees to manufacture Rolls-Royce engines for war effort</h2> On this day in 1940, Edsel Ford telephones William Knudsen of the U.S. Office of Production Management (OPM) to confirm Ford Motor Company's acceptance of Knudsen's proposal to manufacture 9,000 Rolls-Royce-designed engines to be used in British and U.S. airplanes. <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman murdered</h2> Nicole Brown Simpson, famous football player O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, and her friend Ron Goldman are brutally stabbed to death outside Nicole's home in Brentwood, California, in what quickly becomes one of the most highly publicized trials of the century. With overwhelming evidence against him, including a prior record of domestic violence towards Brown, O.J. Simpson became the chief suspect.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1897: Deadly quake hits India</h2> On this day in 1897, a powerful earthquake in Assam, India, triggers deadly landslides and waves, killing more than 1,500 people.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1898: Philippine independence declared</h2> During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo proclaim the independence of the Philippines after 300 years of Spanish rule. By mid-August, Filipino rebels and U.S. troops had ousted the Spanish, but Aguinaldo's hopes for independence were dashed when the United States formally annexed the Philippines as part of its peace treaty with Spain.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1963: Medgar Evers assassinated</h2> In the driveway outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi , African American civil rights leader Medgar Evers is shot to death by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1942: Anne Frank receives a diary</h2> On this day, Anne Frank , a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, receives a diary for her 13th birthday. A month later, she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis in rooms behind her father's office. For two years, the Franks and four other families hid, fed and cared for by Gentile friends. The families were discovered by the Gestapo, which had been tipped off, in 1944. The Franks were taken to Auschwitz , where Anne's mother died. Friends in Amsterdam searched the rooms and found Anne's diary hidden away.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1971: Honey Cone earns a #1 hit with Want Ads </h2> Before they came together to form a group of their own, Edna Wright spent years as a Raelette, Shelly Clark as an Ikette and Carolyn Williswell, if Lou Rawls had named his backup group the way Ray Charles and Ike Turner did theirs, then Carolyn Willis would have spent years as a Louette. The three women were proven veterans, in other words, with more than two decades' worth of blue-collar service in the music business behind them before they came together and grabbed their own chance at stardom. Under the name Honey Cone, they earned their first and only #1 pop hit on this day in 1971 with the irresistible soul classic, Want Ads.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1924: George Herbert Walker Bush is born</h2>   Also on this day in history, the first Bush president, George Herbert Walker Bush, is born in Milton, Massachusetts . Bush served in the Navy during World War II and survived a harrowing ordeal when his torpedo bomber was shot down over the Pacific. Bush drifted in the water for several hours until a U.S. submarine picked him up. He was later awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in combat.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1944: John F. Kennedy receives medals</h2>   Lieutenant John F. Kennedy receives the Navy's highest honor for gallantry for his heroic actions as a gunboat pilot during World War II on this day in 1944. The future president also received a Purple Heart for wounds received during battle.  <em class="date"> Jun 12, 1920: Big Red sets record at Belmont Stakes</h2>   On this day in 1920, Man O War wins the 52nd Belmont Stakes, and sets the record for the fastest mile ever run by a horse to that time. Man O War was the biggest star yet in a country obsessed with horse racing, and the most successful thoroughbred of his generation. history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 13, 1966: The Miranda rights are established </h2>On this day in 1966, the Supreme Court hands down its decision in Miranda v. Arizona, establishing the principle that all criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before interrogation. Now considered standard police procedure, You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you, has been heard so many times in television and film dramas that it has become almost cliche.  <em class="date"> Jun 13, 1972: Hurricane Agnes is born </h2>On this day in 1972, severe weather conditions over the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico begin to converge and form a tropical depression that would become Hurricane Agnes over the next two weeks. By the time the storm dissipated, damages were in the billions and 121 people were dead. Although incredibly strong winds hit the Florida coast, it was the immense amount of rain that the storm brought to the northeastern United States that proved to be most deadly.  <em class="date"> Jun 13, 1967: Thurgood Marshall appointed to Supreme Court </h2>President Lyndon Johnson appoints U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thurgood Marshall to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Tom C. Clark. On August 30, after a heated debate, the Senate confirmed Marshall's nomination by a vote of 69 to 11. Two days later, he was sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren, making him the first African American in history to sit on America's highest court.  <em class="date"> Jun 13, 1983: Pioneer 10 departs solar system </h2>After more than a decade in space, Pioneer 10, the world's first outer-planetary probe, leaves the solar system. The next day, it radioed back its first scientific data on interstellar space.  <em class="date"> Jun 13, 1975: Linda Ronstadt has her first #1 hit on the country-music charts </h2> By the end of the 1970s , the decade of her greatest commercial success, Linda Ronstadt was being hailed with honors like the First Lady of Rock and Top Female Pop Singer of the Decade. But neither of those titles captured the true breadth of her musical pursuits or of her popularity. As synonymous as she was in the late 1970s with the pop mainstream, Ronstadt began her rise to stardom working in an idiom as compatible with country-music fashions as with rock. In fact, her first top-10 hit was with the Hank Williams song I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You), and the biggest hit of her career was When Will I Be Loved, which became a #1 hit on the country-music charts on this day in 1975.  <em class="date"> Jun 13, 1905: Christy Matthewson throws second no-hitter </h2>On June 13, 1905, pitcher Christy Matthewson of the New York Giants throws the second no-hitter of his career to lead his Giants to a 1-0 win over the powerful Chicago Cubs.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 14, 1777: Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes </h2>During the American Revolution , the Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white and that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation. The national flag, which became known as the Stars and Stripes, was based on the Grand Union flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes. According to legend, Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and Stripes, which consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the request of General George Washington . Historians have been unable to conclusively prove or disprove this legend.  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1777: Continental Congress chooses national flag </h2>On this day in 1777, during the American Revolution , the Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white and that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1985: TWA flight 847 is hijacked by terrorists </h2>TWA Flight 847 from Athens to Rome is hijacked by Shiite Hezbollah terrorists who immediately demand to know the identity of ''those with Jewish-sounding names. Two of the Lebanese terrorists, armed with grenades and a 9-mm. pistol, then forced the plane to land in Beirut, Lebanon.  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1903: Flash flood devastates Oregon town </h2>A flash flood in Oregon kills 324 people on this day in 1903. The sudden onslaught of water caused millions of dollars in damages to the central Oregon town of Heppner.  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1909: Folk singer Burl Ives is born </h2>Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives, a prominent folk singer and Academy Award-winning actor, is born on this day in 1909 near Hunt City, Illinois .  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1922: Harding becomes first president to be heard on the radio </h2>On this day in 1922, President Warren G. Harding , while addressing a crowd at the dedication of a memorial site for the composer of the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key, becomes the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio. The broadcast heralded a revolutionary shift in how presidents addressed the American public. It was not until three years later, however, that a president would deliver a radio-specific address. That honor went to President Calvin Coolidge .  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1998: Jordan leads Bulls to sixth NBA title </h2>On June 14, 1998, Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to an 87-86 win over the Utah Jazz in Game Six of the NBA Finals to clinch their third consecutive NBA title. Jordan scored 45 points and hit the winning jump shot with 5.2 seconds left on the clock in what seemed a fitting end to a historic career.  <em class="date"> Jun 14, 1969: U.S. command announces troop withdrawal </h2>The U.S. command announces that three combat units will be withdrawn from Vietnam. They were the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the U.S. Army 9th Infantry Division and Regimental Landing Team 9 of the 3rd Marine Division--a total of about 13,000 to 14,000 men. These troops were part of the first U.S. troop withdrawal, which had been announced on June 8 by President Richard Nixon at the Midway conference with South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. Nixon had promised that 25,000 troops would be withdrawn by the end of the year, and more support troops were later sent home in addition to the aforementioned combat forces in order to meet that number.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 15, 1215: Magna Carta sealed </h2>Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta , or Great Charter. The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation's laws. Although more a reactionary than a progressive document in its day, the Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1776: Delaware declares independence </h2>On this day in 1776, the Assembly of the Lower Counties of Pennsylvania declares itself independent of British and Pennsylvanian authority, thereby creating the state of Delaware .  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1986: Richard Petty makes 1,000th start </h2>On this day in 1986, driving legend Richard Petty makes the 1,000th start of his National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) career, in the Miller American 400 in Brooklyn, Michigan . He became the first driver in NASCAR history to log 1,000 career starts.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 2005: Search continues for Alabama teen missing in Aruba </h2>On this day in 2005, more than two weeks after Alabama teen Natalee Holloway disappeared while on vacation in Aruba, Aruban police search for any sign of her on Malmok Beach, a patch of swampy beachfront near a Marriott hotel. The search failed to turn up any leads.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1904: River excursion ends in tragedy </h2>More than 1,000 people taking a pleasure trip on New York City 's East River are drowned or burned to death when a fire sweeps through the boat. This was one of the United States ' worst maritime disasters.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1846: U.S.-Canadian border established </h2>Representatives of Great Britain and the United States sign the Oregon Treaty, which settles a long-standing dispute with Britain over who controlled the Oregon territory. The treaty established the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia as the boundary between the United States and British Canada. The United States gained formal control over the future states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho , and Montana , and the British retained Vancouver Island and navigation rights to part of the Columbia River  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1877: First African American graduate of West Point </h2>Henry Ossian Flipper, born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia , in 1856, is the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York . Flipper, who was never spoken to by a white cadet during his four years at West Point, was appointed a second lieutenant in the all-African American 10th Cavalry, stationed at Fort Sill in Indian Territory.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1963: Kyu Sakamoto tops the charts with Sukiyaki </h2>On June 15, 1963, Kyu Sakamoto accomplished something never achieved before or since when he earned a #1 hit on the American pop charts with a song sung entirely in Japanesea song originally written and recorded under the title Ue O Muite Aruk?. This was not the title under which it climbed the U.S. pop charts, however. Instead of a faithfully translated title like I Look Up When I Walk, Sakamoto's ballad was called, for no particular reason, Sukiyaki.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1775: George Washington assigned to lead the Continental Army </h2>On this day in 1775, George Washington , who would one day become the first American president, accepts an assignment to lead the Continental Army.  <em class="date"> Jun 15, 1938: Vander Meer pitches second consecutive no-hitter </h2>On this day in 1938, Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer pitches his second consecutive no-hit, no-run game. Vander Meer is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw two back-to-back no-hitters.  history.com

 

[Mben]

<em class="date"> Jun 15, 1776: Delaware declares independence </h2>On this day in 1776, the Assembly of the Lower Counties of Pennsylvania  declares itself independent of British and Pennsylvanian authority, thereby creating the state of Delaware .  235 years and a 7 days later, Mben was born in the first state of the Union! 

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 16, 1884: First roller coaster in America opens </h2>On this day in 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York . Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1903: Ford Motor Company incorporated </h2>At 9:30 in the morning on this day in 1903, Henry Ford and other prospective stockholders in the Ford Motor Company meet in Detroit to sign the official paperwork required to create a new corporation. Twelve stockholders were listed on the forms, which were signed, notarized and sent to the office of Michigan 's secretary of state.  The company was officially incorporated the following day, when the secretary of state's office received the articles of association.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1896: Tsunami ravages Japanese coast </h2>As daylight breaks, survivors of a tsunami in Japan find that more than 20,000 of their friends and family have perished overnight.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1963: First woman in space </h2>On June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to travel into space. After 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1965: Bob Dylan records Like A Rolling Stone </h2>By the spring of 1965, Bob Dylan's presence in the world of music was beginning to be felt well outside the boundaries of his nominal genre. Within the world of folk music, he had been hailed as a hero for several years already, but now his music was capturing the attention and influencing the direction of artists like the Byrds, the Beatles and even a young Stevie Wonder. With Dylan as a direct inspiration, popular music was about to change its direction, but so was Dylan himself. On June 16, 1965, on their second day of recording at Columbia Records' Studio A in Manhattan, he and a band featuring electric guitars and an organ laid down the master take of the song that would announce that change: Like A Rolling Stone. It would prove to be folksinger Bob Dylan's magnum opus and, arguably, the greatest rock and roll record of all time.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1858: Lincoln warns that America is becoming a house divided </h2>On this day in 1858, newly nominated senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln addresses the Illinois Republican Convention in Springfield and warns that the nation faces a crisis that could destroy the Union. Speaking to more than 1,000 delegates in an ominous tone, Lincoln paraphrased a passage from the New Testament: a house divided against itself cannot stand.  <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1968: Lee Trevino wins his first U.S. Open </h2>On June 16, 1968, golfer Lee Trevino wins the U.S. Open at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York . His score of 275 for 72 holes tied a U.S. Open record. <em class="date"> Jun 16, 1965: More troops to be sent to Vietnam </h2>Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announces that 21,000 more U.S. troops are to be sent to Vietnam. He also claimed that it was now known that North Vietnamese regular troops had begun to infiltrate South Vietnam. The new U.S. troops were to join the U.S. Marines and paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade that had arrived earlier to secure U.S. airbases and facilities. These forces would soon transition from defensive missions to direct combat operations. As the war escalated, more and more U.S. combat troops were sent to South Vietnam. By 1969, there were over 540,000 American troops in Vietnam. history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 17, 1885: Statue of Liberty arrives </h2>The Statue of Liberty , a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the , arrives in New York City 's harbor.  <em class="date"> Jun 17, 1994: O.J. Simpson leads L.A. police on a high-speed chase </h2>Viewers across the nation are glued to their television screens on this day in 1994, watching as a fleet of black-and-white police cars pursues a white Ford Bronco along Interstate-405 in Los Angeles, California. Inside the Bronco is Orenthal James O.J. Simpson, a former professional football player, actor and sports commentator whom police suspected of involvement in the recent murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.  <em class="date"> Jun 17, 1958: Bridge collapses, killing workers </h2>On this day in 1958, a bridge being built to connect eastern and northern Vancouver in western Canada collapses, killing 59 workers. The bridge, known as the Second Narrows Bridge, was finally completed in 1960 and, in 1996, it was renamed Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to commemorate the people who lost their lives during its construction. The disaster was the worst involving a bridge in Canada's history.  <em class="date"> Jun 17, 1972: Watergate burglars arrested </h2>In the early morning of June 17, 1972, five men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate, an office-hotel-apartment complex in Washington, D.C. In their possession were burglary tools, cameras and film, and three pen-size tear gas guns. At the scene of the crime, and in rooms the men rented at the Watergate, sophisticated electronic bugging equipment was found. Three of the men were Cuban exiles, one was a Cuban American, and the fifth was James W. McCord, Jr., a former CIA agent. That day, the suspects, who said they were anti-communists, were charged with felonious burglary and possession of implements of crime.  <em class="date"> Jun 17, 1989: New Kids on the Block land at the top of the pops </h2>While hairstyles and fashions may come and go, and while musical styles may evolve over time, one thing that repeats itself in music history with great regularity is the ascendancy of boy bands as a pop-cultural force. In the late 1980s , this cyclical process yielded New Kids on the Blockanother in a long line of telegenic male pop groups engineered to bedazzle America's preteen girls. Although they would last no longer than those who came before or after, New Kids on the Block enjoyed a tremendous run of success that peaked when I'll Be Loving You Forever reached #1 on the Billboard pop chart on June 17, 1989.  <em class="date"> Jun 17, 1954: Marciano beats Charles </h2>On June 17, 1954, Rocky Marciano successfully defends his heavyweight title against Ezzard Charles at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It was Marcianos 47th consecutive victory.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 18, 1812: War of 1812 begins </h2>The day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law--and the War of 1812 begins. The American war declaration, opposed by a sizable minority in Congress, had been called in response to the British economic blockade of France, the induction of American seaman into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. A faction of Congress known as the War Hawks had been advocating war with Britain for several years and had not hidden their hopes that a U.S. invasion of Canada might result in significant territorial land gains for the United States  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1923: Checker Cab produces first taxi at Kalamazoo factory </h2>On June 18, 1923, the first Checker Cab rolls off the line at the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan .  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1984: A radio host is gunned down for his controversial views </h2>Radio talk host Alan Berg, the self-described man you love to hate, is gunned down in the driveway of his home in Denver, Colorado . With his own show on KOA aiming to stir up controversy, Berg was used to receiving an endless stream of death threats.  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1972: Mysterious crash at Heathrow </h2>On this day in 1972, a Trident jetliner crashes after takeoff from Heathrow Airport in London, killing 118 people. The official cause of this accident remains unknown, but it may have happened simply because the plane was carrying too much weight.  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1942: Film critic Roger Ebert born </h2>On this day in 1942, Roger Ebert, who will become famous as the movie critic who used his thumbs to pass judgment on Hollywoods latest offerings on his long-running TV show, is born in Urbana, Illinois .  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1967: The Monterey Pop Festival reaches its climax </h2>By the time they got to Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who and the Grateful Dead were established superstarsheroes to the roughly half a million worshipful fans who trekked up to Max Yasgur's farm to see them in the summer of 1969. Yet just two years earlier, they were entirely unknown to most of those worshipers. All four iconic figures on the 1960s music scene entered the American popular consciousness at an event that preceded and provided the inspiration for Woodstock itself: the Monterey Pop Festival. Held over three days during the height of the Summer of Love, the Monterey Pop Festival came to a close on this day in 1967, with a lineup of performers that included all of the aforementioned acts as well as Ravi Shankar, Buffalo Springfield and the Mamas and the Papas.  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1798: Adams passes first of Alien and Sedition Acts </h2>President John Adams passes the Naturalization Act, the first of four pieces of controversial legislation known together as the Alien and Sedition Acts, on this day in 1798. Strong political opposition to these acts succeeded in undermining the Adams administration, helping Thomas Jefferson to win the presidency in 1800.  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1960: Arnold Palmer wins U.S. Open </h2>On June 18, 1960, Arnold Palmer shoots a 65 to win the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado . It was the best final round in U.S. Open history.  <em class="date"> Jun 18, 1965: SAC B-52s are used for the first time in South Vietnam </h2>For the first time, 28 B-52s fly-bomb a Viet Cong concentration in a heavily forested area of Binh Duong Province northwest of Saigon. Such flights, under the aegis of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), became known as Operation Arc Light. The B-52s that took part in the Arc Light missions had been deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and more bombers were later deployed to bases in Okinawa and U-Tapao, Thailand.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 19, 1953: Rosenbergs executed </h2>On this day in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, are executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York . Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed for espionage during peacetime and their case remains controversial to this day.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 2005: Controversy at U.S. Grand Prix </h2>After 14 Formula One race car drivers withdraw due to safety concerns over the Michelin-made tires on their vehicles, German driver Michael Schumacher wins a less-than-satisfying victory at the United States Grand Prix on this day in 2005. The race, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana , will go down one of the most controversial Formula One racing events in history.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 1938: Montana flood causes train wreck </h2>On this day in 1938, a flood in Montana kills 46 people and seriously injures more than 60 when it washes out train tracks.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 1856: First Republican national convention ends </h2>In Music Fund Hall in Philadelphia, the first national convention of the Republican Party, founded two years before, comes to its conclusion. John Charles Fremont of California , the famous explorer of the West, was nominated for the presidency, and William Dewis Dayton of New Jersey was chosen as the candidate for the vice presidency.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 1905: First nickelodeon opens </h2>On this day in 1905, some 450 people attend the opening day of the worlds first nickelodeon, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , and developed by the showman Harry Davis. The storefront theater boasted 96 seats and charged each patron five cents. Nickelodeons (named for a combination of the admission cost and the Greek word for theater) soon spread across the country. Their usual offerings included live vaudeville acts as well as short films. By 1907, some 2 million Americans had visited a nickelodeon, and the storefront theaters remained the main outlet for films until they were replaced around 1910 by large modern theaters.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 1970: Carole King has her first #1 hit as a performer </h2>Carole King began her career in music as a young newlywed and college graduate, working a 9-to-5 shift alongside her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, in Don Kirshner's songwriting factory, Aldon Music. It was there, working in a cubicle with a piano, staff paper and tape recorder that she co-wrote her first hit song (the Shirelles' Will You Love Me Tomorrow, 1960), her second and third hit songs (the Drifters' Some Kind Of Wonderful and Bobby Vee's Take Good Care Of My Baby, both 1961), her 14th and 17th hit songs (the Chiffons' One Fine Day, 1963, and Herman's Hermits' Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good, 1964) and so on and so forth. It was not until 10 years after her songwriting breakthrough, however, that Carole King finally fulfilled her long-held dream of having her own hit record as both singer and songwriter. On June 19, 1971, she earned her first #1 single as a performer with the double-sided hit It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move.  <em class="date"> Jun 19, 1972: Curt Flood case decided </h2>On June 19, 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against Curt Flood in Flood v. Kuhn, denying Flood free agency as a baseball player. Flood was trying to break the reserve clause that had tied baseball players to one franchise since the establishment of professional baseball.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 20, 1975: Jaws released </h2>On this day in 1975, Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opens in theaters. The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New England resort town became an instant blockbuster and the highest-grossing film in movie history until it was bested by 1977's Star Wars. Jaws was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category and took home three Oscars, for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film, a breakthrough for director Spielberg, then 27 years old, spawned three sequels.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1782: Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States </h2>On this day in 1782, Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States after six years of discussion.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1941: Ford signs first contract with autoworkers' union </h2>After a long and bitter struggle on the part of Henry Ford against cooperation with organized labor unions, Ford Motor Company signs its first contract with the United Automobile Workers of America and Congress of Industrial Organizations (UAW-CIO) on this day in 1941.     <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1863: West Virginia enters the Union </h2>During the Civil War , West Virginia is admitted into the Union as the 35th U.S. state, or the 24th state if the secession of the 11 Southern states were taken into account. The same day, Arthur Boreman was inaugurated as West Virginia's first state governor.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1947: Bugsy Siegel, organized crime leader, is killed </h2>Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, the man who brought organized crime to the West Coast, is shot and killed at his mistress Virginia Hill's home in Beverly Hills, California . Siegel had been talking to his associate Allen Smiley when three bullets were fired through the window and into his head, killing him instantly.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 2002: Coal mine explosion kills 111 in China </h2>A gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine kills 111 workers on this day in 2002. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this tragic incident is that it was not unique. Poor safety regulations in China have long made mining there an extremely hazardous occupation.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1977: Oil flows in Alaska </h2>With a flip of a switch in Prudhoe Bay, crude oil from the nation's largest oil field begins flowing south down the trans-Alaska pipeline to the ice-free port of Valdez, Alaska. The steel pipeline, 48 inches in diameter, winds through 800 miles of Alaskan wilderness, crossing three Arctic mountain ranges and hundreds of rivers and streams. Environmentalists fought to prevent its construction, saying it would destroy a pristine ecosystem, but they were ultimately overruled by Congress, who saw it as a way of lessening America's dependence on foreign oil. The trans-Alaska pipeline was the world's largest privately funded construction project to that date, costing $8 billion and taking three years to build.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1981: Beatles and Disco equals a #1 pop hit for Stars on 45 </h2>It was the summer of 1981, and after an 11-year hiatus, the sound of the Fab Four once again ruled the radio airwaves. Only instead of John, Paul, George and Ringo, this time the world had to settle for Bas, Hans, Jaap and Okkiethe Dutch studio musicians behind the phenomenon called Stars on 45. Not so much a band as an audacious business plan, Stars on 45 climbed all the way to the top of the U.S. pop charts on June 20, 1981, with a single whose impossibly long title takes almost as long to read as the song itself takes to play: Medley: Intro 'Venus '/Sugar Sugar/No Reply/I'll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do You Want To Know A Secret/We Can Work It Out/I Should Have Known Better/Nowhere Man/You're Going To Lose That Girl/Stars On 45.  <em class="date"> Jun 20, 1979: Solar-energy system installed at White House </h2>President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter climb to the White House roof to celebrate the installation of solar-energy panels there on this day in 1979.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 21, 1788: U.S. Constitution ratified </h2> New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States , thereby making the document the law of the land.  <em class="date"> Jun 21, 1964: The KKK kills three civil rights activists </h2>Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney are killed by a Ku Klux Klan lynch mob near Meridian, Mississippi . The three young civil rights workers were working to register black voters in Mississippi, thus inspiring the ire of the local Klan. The deaths of Schwerner and Goodman, white Northerners and members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), caused a national outrage.  <em class="date"> Jun 21, 1990: Earthquake devastates Iran </h2>An earthquake near the Caspian Sea in Iran kills more than 50,000 and injures another 135,000 people on this day in 1990. The 7.7-magnitude tremor wrecked havoc on the simply constructed houses in the area.  <em class="date"> Jun 21, 1982: Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity </h2>John W. Hinckley, Jr., who on March 30, 1981, shot President Ronald Reagan and three others outside a Washington, D.C. , hotel, was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity. In the trial, Hinckley's defense attorneys argued that their client was ill with narcissistic personality disorder, citing medical evidence, and had a pathological obsession with the 1976 film Taxi Driver, in which the main character attempts to assassinate a fictional senator. His lawyers claimed that Hinckley had watched the movie more than a dozen times, was obsessed with the lead actress, Jodie Foster, and had attempted to reenact the events of the film in his own life. The movie, not Hinckley, they successfully argued, was the actual planning force behind the events that occurred on March 30, 1981.  <em class="date"> Jun 21, 1920: Pickford and Fairbanks mobbed by crowds </h2>Swarms of admirers mob the Hollywood film actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who arrive in London on their honeymoon on this day in 1920. Two of films earliest stars, Pickford and Fairbanks had been business partners since 1919, when they teamed up with Charlie Chaplin and director D.W. Griffith to form United Artists. As a wedding present for Pickford, Fairbanks bought an estate boasting 22 rooms and Beverly Hills first swimming pool. The couple dubbed the sprawling property Pickfair.  <em class="date"> Jun 21, 1965: Mr. Tambourine Man is released, and the folk-rock revolution is on </h2>Released on this day in 1965, the Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, marked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. In just a few months, the Byrds had become a household name, with a #1 single and a smash-hit album that married the ringing guitars and backbeat of the British Invasion with the harmonies and lyrical depth of folk to create an entirely new sound.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 22, 1944: FDR signs G.I. Bill </h2>On this day in 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services--known as G.I.s--for their efforts in World War II . As the last of its sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt's administration created the G.I. Bill--officially the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944--hoping to avoid a relapse into the Great Depression after the war ended. FDR particularly wanted to prevent a repeat of the Bonus March of 1932, when 20,000 unemployed veterans and their families flocked in protest to Washington. The American Legion, a veteran's organization, successfully fought for many of the provisions included in the bill, which gave returning servicemen access to unemployment compensation, low-interest home and business loans, and--most importantly--funding for education.  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 2001: Blockbuster hit movie The Fast and the Furious released </h2>On this day in 2001, The Fast and the Furious, a crime drama based in the underground world of street racing in Southern California , debuts in theaters across the United States .  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 2006: Jury selection begins in Andrea Yates retrial </h2>On this day in 2006, jury selection begins in the retrial of Andrea Yates, the former Texas nurse who in 2001 drowned her five children in a bathtub. Yates was charged with the deaths of Noah, 7, Mary, 6, and John, 5, and found guilty in March 2002.  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 1962: Mysterious crash in Guadeloupe </h2>On this day in 1962, an Air France Boeing 707 crashes on the island of Guadeloupe, killing all 113 passengers and crew members aboard. This crash was only one of five major accidents involving Boeing 707s during the year. Altogether, the five crashes killed 457 people.  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 1937: Louis becomes champ </h2>In Chicago 's Comiskey Park, Joe Louis wins the world heavyweight boxing title when he defeats American Jim Braddock in an eighth-round knockout. Louis was the first African American heavyweight champ since Jack Johnson, who lost the title in 1915. During his subsequent reign, the longest in the history of the heavyweight division, Louis successfully defended his title 25 times, scoring 21 knockouts.  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 2008: George Carlin dies </h2>On this day in 2008, the influential comic writer, actor and stand-up comedian George Carlin dies of heart failure at the age of 71.  <em class="date"> Jun 22, 1986: Hand of God helps out Maradona </h2>On this day in 1986 , Argentine midfielder Diego Maradona scores two goals to lead Argentina past England and into the semifinals of the World Cup.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 23, 1992: Teflon Don sentenced to life </h2>Mafia boss John Gotti, who was nicknamed the Teflon Don after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s , is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on 14 accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. Moments after his sentence was read in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, hundreds of Gotti's supporters stormed the building and overturned and smashed cars before being forced back by police reinforcements.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1902: Mercedes registered as a brand name </h2>On this day in 1902, German automaker Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) first registers Mercedes as a brand name; the name will gain full legal protection the next September.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1934: Even without the corpse, a murderer is uncovered </h2>William Bayly is convicted of murder in New Zealand despite the fact that the body of one of his alleged victims was never found. Most of the evidence against Bayly consisted of trace amounts of human hair, bone, and tissue, representing a marked advance in the field of forensics.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1944: Tornadoes hit West Virginia and Pennsylvania </h2>A spate of tornadoes across West Virginia and Pennsylvania kills more than 150 people on this day in 1944. Most of the twisters were classified as F3, but the most deadly one was an F4 on the Fujita scale, meaning it was a devastating tornado, with winds in excess of 207 mph.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1989: Batman released </h2>On this day in 1989, Tim Burtons noir spin on the well-known story of the DC Comics hero Batman is released in theaters.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1972: Nixon signs Higher Education Act </h2>On this day in 1972, President Richard Nixon signs into law the Higher Education Act, which includes the groundbreaking Title IX legislation. Title IX barred discrimination in higher education programs, including funding for sports and other extracurricular activities. As a result, women's participation in team sports, particularly in collegiate athletics, surged with the passage of this act.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1972: Title IX enacted </h2>On this day in 1972, Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 is enacted into law. Title IX prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. It begins: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. As a result of Title IX, any school that receives any federal money from the elementary to university level--in short, nearly all schools--must provide fair and equal treatment of the sexes in all areas, including athletics.  <em class="date"> Jun 23, 1940: Hitler takes a tour of Paris </h2>On this day in 1940, Adolf Hitler surveys notable sites in the French capital, now German-occupied territory.  history.com

 

[omeg]

<em class="date"> Jun 24, 1997: U.S. Air Force reports on Roswell </h2>On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell , New Mexico , almost exactly 50 years earlier.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1966: Senate passes landmark auto safety bill </h2>On this day in 1966, the United States Senate votes 76-0 for the passage of what will become the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson the following September, the act created the nation's first mandatory federal safety standards for motor vehicles.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1993: Mail bomb kills Yale professor </h2>On June 24, 1993, Yale University computer science professor David Gelernter (1955- ) is seriously injured while opening his mail when a padded envelope explodes in his hands. The attack just came two days after a University of California geneticist was injured by a similar bomb and was the latest in a string of bombings since 1978 that authorities believed to be related.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1975: Eastern Flight 66 crashes at J.F.K. </h2>An Eastern Airlines jet crashes near John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City , killing 115 people on this day in 1975. The Boeing 727 was brought down by wind shear, a sudden change in wind speed or direction.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1901: Picasso exhibited in Paris </h2>On June 24, 1901, the first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso's artwork opens at a gallery on Paris' rue Lafitte, a street known for its prestigious art galleries. The precocious 19-year-old Spaniard was at the time a relative unknown outside Barcelona, but he had already produced hundreds of paintings. The 75 works displayed at Picasso's first Paris exhibition offered moody, representational paintings by a young artist with obvious talent.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1997: Disney pulls album on release day </h2>On June 24, 1997, the Walt Disney Corporation orders one of its subsidiary record labels to recall 100,000 already shipped copies of an album by a recently signed artistInsane Clown Posseon the day of its planned release. The issue at hand: the graphic nature of the Detroit horror-core rap duo's lyrics.  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1953: Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy announce engagement </h2>On this day in 1953, Jacqueline Bouvier and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy publicly announce their engagement. Kennedy went on to become the 35th president and Jackie, as she was known, became one of the most popular first ladies ever to grace the White House .  <em class="date"> Jun 24, 1915: First operational flight of new German fighter plane </h2>On June 24, 1915, young Oswald Boelcke, one of the earliest and best German fighter pilots of World War I , makes the first operational flight of the Fokker Eindecker plane.  history.com