Sunday, June 12, 2011

Today in History: Anniversary of Reagan's Berlin wall speech

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 12, 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was shot and killed outside his home in Jackson, Miss. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and sentenced to life in prison; he died in 2001.)


On this date:

In 1665, England installed a municipal government in New York, formerly the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam.

In 1776, Virginia's colonial legislature became the first to adopt a Bill of Rights.

In 1898, Philippine nationalists declared independence from Spain.

In 1920, the Republican national convention, meeting in Chicago, nominated Warren G. Harding for president on the tenth ballot. Calvin Coolidge was nominated for vice president.

In 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, N.Y.

In 1967, the Supreme Court, in Loving vs. Virginia, struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages.

In 1971, Tricia Nixon and Edward F. Cox were married in the White House Rose Garden.

In 1981, major league baseball players began a 49-day strike over the issue of free-agent compensation. (The season did not resume until Aug. 10.) "Raiders of the Lost Ark," directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, was first released.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."

In 1991, Russians went to the polls to elect Boris N. Yeltsin president of their republic.


Ten years ago: President George W. Bush arrived in Madrid, Spain, on his first official trip to Europe. A federal court in New York sentenced Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al-'Owhali (moh-HAH'-mehd rah-SHEED' dah-ood ahl-oh-WAHL'-ee), a Saudi Arabian follower of Osama bin Laden, to life in prison without parole for his role in the deadly bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya.

Five years ago: Al-Qaida in Iraq named a successor to slain leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (AH'-boo MOO'-sahb ahl-zahr-KOW'-ee), Abu Ayyub al-Masri (ah-BOO' eye-YOOB' ahl MAH'-sree), who was killed in a U.S.-Iraqi air strike in April 2010. FBI statistics showed violent crime across the U.S. surged in 2005 by the largest margin in 15 years. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash. Composer Gyorgy Ligeti died in Vienna, Austria, at age 83.

One year ago: A French fishing vessel rescued 16-year-old Abby Sunderland from her crippled sailboat in the turbulent southern Indian Ocean, ending the California teen's attempt to sail around the world solo. Ethnic riots wracked southern Kyrgyzstan (KEER'-gih-stan), forcing thousands of Uzbeks (OOZ'-behx) to flee as their homes. Daniel Nava hit the first pitch he saw as a big leaguer for a grand slam - only the second player to do it - leading the Boston Red Sox to a 10-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies.


Today's Birthdays: Banker/philanthropist David Rockefeller is 96. Former President George H.W. Bush is 87. Singer Vic Damone is 83. Songwriter Richard Sherman is 83. Actor-singer Jim Nabors is 81. Jazz musician Chick Corea is 70. Sportscaster Marv Albert is 70. Singer Roy Harper is 70. Rock singer Reg Presley (The Troggs) is 70. Pop singer Len Barry is 69. Rock singer-musician John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson) is 62. Rock musician Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) is 60. Country singer-musician Junior Brown is 59. Singer-songwriter Rocky Burnette is 58. Actor Timothy Busfield is 54. Singer Meredith Brooks is 53. Actress Jenilee Harrison is 53. Rock musician John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 52. Rapper Grandmaster Dee (Whodini) is 49. Actress Paula Marshall is 47. Actress Frances O'Connor is 44. Actor Jason Mewes is 37. Blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 34. Actor Wil Horneff is 32. Singer Robyn is 32. Country singer Chris Young is 26. Actor Ryan Malgarini is 19.


Thought for Today: "Adventure is not outside man; it is within." - George Eliot, English novelist (1819-1880).

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