Today in History
Today is Friday, June 9, the 160th day of 2023. There are 205 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 9, 2004, the body of Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda before the 40th president’s funeral.
On this date:
In 1732, James Oglethorpe received a charter from Britain’s King George II to found the colony of Georgia.
In 1870, author Charles Dickens died in Gad’s Hill Place, England.
In 1915, guitarist, songwriter and inventor Les Paul was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In 1940, during World War II, Norway decided to surrender to the Nazis, effective at midnight.
In 1954, during the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch berated Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., asking: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
In 1969, the Senate confirmed Warren Burger to be the new chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren.
In 1972, heavy rains triggered record flooding in the Black Hills of South Dakota; the resulting disaster left at least 238 people dead and $164 million in damage.
In 1978, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struck down a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men from the Mormon priesthood.
In 1983, Britain’s Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, won a decisive election victory.
In 1986, the Rogers Commission released its report on the Challenger disaster, criticizing NASA and rocket-builder Morton Thiokol for management problems leading to the explosion that claimed the lives of seven astronauts.
In 1993, the science-fiction film “Jurassic Park,” directed by Steven Spielberg, had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.
In 2020, hundreds of mourners packed a Houston church for the funeral of George Floyd, a Black man whose death during a Minneapolis arrest inspired a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice.
Ten years ago: Risking prosecution by the U.S. government, 29-year-old intelligence analyst Edward Snowden was revealed as the source of The Guardian and The Washington Post disclosures about secret American surveillance programs. Rafael Nadal became the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament after beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the French Open final. Inbee Park birdied the third hole of a sudden-death playoff with Catriona Matthew to win the rain-delayed LPGA Championship. “Kinky Boots” was named best musical at the Tony Awards; “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” won best play.
Five years ago: After leaving the annual G-7 summit in Canada, President Donald Trump pulled out of a joint statement with other summit leaders, citing what he called “false statements” by the host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau warned that he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate against new U.S. tariffs. Justify, ridden by Mike Smith and trained by Bob Baffert, won the Belmont Stakes to become horse racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner and the second in the past four years. Simona Halep won her first Grand Slam trophy, beating Sloane Stephens in the women’s final at the French Open.
One year ago: At its first public hearing on the matter, the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, laid the blame firmly on Donald Trump, saying the assault was not spontaneous but an “attempted coup” and a direct result of the defeated president’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. The hearing included a never-before-seen 12-minute video of extremist groups leading the deadly siege and startling testimony from Trump’s most inner circle. The U.S. Justice Department opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police amid mounting evidence that the agency showed a pattern of looking the other way in the face of beatings of mostly Black men. Financial reports showed that Supreme Court justices took in $800,000 in book royalties in the previous year, a lucrative supplement to their judicial salaries.
Today’s Birthdays: Media analyst Marvin Kalb is 93. Sports commentator Dick Vitale is 84. Author Letty Cottin Pogrebin is 84. Rock musician Mick Box (Uriah Heep) is 76. Retired MLB All-Star Dave Parker is 72. Film composer James Newton Howard is 72. Mystery author Patricia Cornwell is 67. Actor Michael J. Fox is 62. Writer-producer Aaron Sorkin is 62. Actor Johnny Depp is 60. Actor Gloria Reuben is 59. Gospel singer-actress Tamela Mann is 57. Rock musician Dean Felber (Hootie & the Blowfish) is 56. Rock musician Dean Dinning is 56. Musician Ed Simons is 53. Actor Keesha Sharp is 50. Bluegrass singer-musician Jamie Dailey (Dailey & Vincent) is 48. Actor Michaela Conlin is 45. Actor Natalie Portman is 42. Actor Mae Whitman is 35. Actor Lucien Laviscount is 31.
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