Today in History

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Today in History

Sat, 06/12/2021 - 00:20
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Saturday, June 12, 2021

Today is the 163rd day of 2021 and the 85th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi.

In 1964, anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in a speech delivered in divided Berlin.

In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of professional football player O.J. Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman were murdered in Los Angeles.

In 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), priest/historian/author; Uta Hagen (1919-2004), actress; George H.W. Bush (1924-2018), 41st U.S. president; Anne Frank (1929-1945), diarist/Holocaust victim; Jim Nabors (1930-2017), actor; Marv Albert (1941- ), sportscaster; Chick Corea (1941-2021), musician; Hideki Matsui (1974- ), baseball player; Dave Franco (1985- ), actor; Blake Ross (1985- ), software engineer.

TODAY’S FACT: Assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers’ brother, Charles Evers, was the first African American since Reconstruction to be elected a mayor in Mississippi, in 1969.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1939, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Friendship is like a glass ornament; once it is broken, it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way.” -- Charles Kingsley

TODAY’S NUMBER: 28 -- years the Berlin Wall stood separating East and West Berlin.

TODAY’S MOON: Between new moon (June 10) and first quarter moon (June 17).

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Today is the 164th day of 2021 and the 86th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American to be nominated as a Supreme Court justice.

In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts from the Pentagon Papers.

In 1996, the Montana Freemen surrendered after an 81-day standoff with federal agents outside Jordan, Montana.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), poet/dramatist; Harold “Red” Grange (1903-1991), football player; John Forbes Nash Jr. (1928-2015), mathematician; Christo (1935- ), artist; Malcolm McDowell (1943- ), actor; Ban Ki-moon (1944- ), U.N. secretary-general; Stellan Skarsgard (1951- ), actor; Tim Allen (1953- ), actor; Steve-O (1974- ), stunt performer; Chris Evans (1981- ), actor; Kat Dennings (1986- ), actress; Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen (1986- ), actresses; Aaron Taylor-Johnson (1990- ), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: Eight spellers were crowned as co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019, the first time a group shared the title in the event’s 92-year history.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1948, Babe Ruth appeared at Yankee Stadium for the last time, on the occasion of the New York Yankees’ Silver Anniversary Day, during which his No. 3 jersey was ceremonially retired.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “ I have spread my dreams under your feet. / Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” -- William Butler Yeats

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1,722 -- depth (in feet) of the nowinactive Mirny mine in Eastern Siberia, Russia, the 4thdeepest mine in the world. Diamond-bearing deposits were first discovered at the site on this day in 1955.

TODAY’S MOON: Between new moon (June 10) and first quarter moon (June 17).

Monday, June 14, 2021

Today is the 165th day of 2021 and the 87th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1775, the U.S. Army was established.

In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag.

In 1900, Hawaii became a territory of the United States.

In 1982, Argentine troops surrendered their last stronghold in the Falkland Islands to the British, ending the Falklands War.

In 2007, Palestine’s Fatah-Hamas unity government was dissolved after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811- 1896), author; Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915), physician; Burl Ives (1909-1995), singer/actor; Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1928- 1967), revolutionary leader; Donald Trump (1946- ), 45th U.S. president; Pat Summitt (1952-2016), basketball coach; Boy George (1961- ), singersongwriter; Faizon Love (1968- ), actor/comedian; Steffi Graf (1969- ), tennis player; Diablo Cody (1978- ), screenwriter; Kevin McHale (1988- ), singer/actor.

TODAY’S FACT: The highest rank in the Army, General of the Armies, was created for John Pershing in 1919. The rank was awarded posthumously to George Washington in 1976.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1987, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, earning the franchise’s 10th NBA Championship.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

TODAY’S NUMBER: 2,755 -- billionaires in the world, according to a Forbes report from April 2021. The billionaires on the list have a combined net worth of $13.1 trillion.

TODAY’S MOON: Between new moon (June 10) and first quarter moon (June 17).