Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 6, 1944, during World War II, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on “D-Day” as they began the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.
On this date:
In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London.
In 1912, Novarupta, a volcano on the Alaska peninsula, began a three-day eruption, sending ash as high as 100,000 feet; it was the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century and ranks among the largest in recorded history.
In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established.
In 1939, the first Little League game was played as Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, 25 1/2 hours after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
In 1977, a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law imposing an automatic death sentence on defendants convicted of the first-degree murder of a police officer.
In 1982, Israeli forces invaded Lebanon to drive Palestine Liberation Organization fighters out of the country. (The Israelis withdrew in June 1985.)
In 1984, Video game Tetris is first released in the Soviet Union by Alexey Pajitnov
In 1989, burial services were held for Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Washington state Democrat Tom Foley succeeded Jim Wright as House speaker.
In 2001, Democrats formally assumed control of the U.S. Senate after the decision of Vermont Republican James Jeffords to become an independent.
In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that people who smoked marijuana because their doctors recommended it to ease pain could be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.
In 2006, soul musician Billy Preston died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 59.
In 2020, tens of thousands rallied in cities from Australia to Europe to honor George Floyd and voice support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Massive, peaceful protests took place nationwide to demand police reform, as services for George Floyd were held in North Carolina, near his birthplace.
Ten years ago: Business social network LinkedIn reported that some of its users’ passwords had been stolen and leaked onto the Internet. New Yorkers lined the West Side waterfront to welcome the space shuttle Enterprise as it sailed up the Hudson River to its new home aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
Five years ago: Bill Cosby’s chief accuser, Andrea Constand, took the stand at his sexual assault trial to tell her story publicly for the first time, saying the comedian groped her after giving her three blue pills that left her paralyzed and helpless. (The jury deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial, but Cosby was convicted in a second trial; Pennsylvania’s highest court would toss out that conviction.) George and Amal Clooney welcomed twins Ella and Alexander. Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, 81, once one of the world’s richest men, who was implicated in the Iran-Contra affair, died in London.
One year ago: Several ceremonies were held in France to commemorate the 77th anniversary of D-Day, though for the second year in a row, commemorations were marked by virus travel restrictions that prevented many veterans and families of fallen soldiers from attending. Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open, a day after a four-set third-round victory, in order to rest before Wimbledon.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer-songwriter Gary “U.S.” Bonds is 83. Country singer Joe Stampley is 79. Jazz musician Monty Alexander is 78. Actor Robert Englund is 75. Folk singer Holly Near is 73.
Singer Dwight Twilley is 71. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is 70. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein (FY’-ur-steen) is 70. Comedian Sandra Bernhard is 67. International Tennis Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg is 66. Actor Amanda Pays is 63. Comedian Colin Quinn is 63. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 63. Rock musician Steve Vai is 62. Rock singer-musician Tom Araya (Slayer) is 61. Actor Jason Isaacs is 59. Actor Anthony Starke is 59. Rock musician Sean Yseult (White Zombie) is 56. Actor Max Casella is 55. Actor Paul Giamatti is 55. R&B singer Damion Hall (Guy) is 54. Rock musician James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) is 52. TV correspondent Natalie Morales is 50. Country singer Lisa Brokop is 49. Rapper-rocker Uncle Kracker is 48. Actor Sonya Walger is 48. Actor Staci Keanan is 47. Jazz singer Somi is 46. Actor Amber Borycki is 39. Actor Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is 15.
