This Day in History – June 6
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
2011: After days of denials, New York Democratic Rep Anthony Weiner confesses that he had tweeted a photo of his bulging underpants to a woman and admitted to “inappropriate” exchanges with six women before and after getting married; Weiner apologised for lying but said he would not resign (which he ended up doing).
OTHER EVENTS
1799: American politician and orator Patrick Henry dies at Red Hill Plantation in Virginia.
1816: A snowstorm strikes the northeastern US, heralding what would become known as the “Year Without a Summer”.
1844: The Young Men’s Christian Association is founded in London.
1925: Walter Percy Chrysler founds the Chrysler Corp.
1939: The first baseball Little League game is played as Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
1944: During World War II, Operation Overlord, aimed at liberating German-occupied western Europe, commences as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on “D-Day”.
1955: The US Post Office introduces regular certified mail service.
1966: Black activist James Meredith is shot and wounded as he walks along a Mississippi highway to encourage black voter registration.
1968: Senator Robert F Kennedy dies at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, a day after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
1978: California voters overwhelmingly approve Proposition 13, a primary ballot initiative calling for major cuts in property taxes.
1985: Authorities in Brazil exhume a body later identified as the remains of Dr Josef Mengele, the notorious “Angel of Death” of the Nazi Holocaust.
1994: President Bill Clinton joined leaders from America’s World War II allies to mark the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. A China Northwest Airlines passenger jet crashed near Xian (SHEE’-ahn), killing all 160 people on board.
2001: Democrats formally assume control of the US Senate after the decision of Vermont Republican James Jeffords to become an independent.
2006: Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson acknowledges a stolen computer contained personal data about 2.2 million active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve personnel — not just 50,000 as initially believed. Iran and the United States have a rare moment of agreement, using similar language to describe “positive steps” toward an accord on a package of incentives aimed at persuading Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. Soul musician Billy Preston dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 59.
2011: Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, popular among social conservatives, plunged into the 2012 Republican presidential race. (Santorum suspended his campaign in April 2012.)
2015: Two convicted murderers escape from the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York (Richard Matt ended up being shot dead by authorities while David Sweat was recaptured). American Pharoah led all the way to win the Belmont Stakes by 5½ lengths, becoming the first horse in 37 years to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Serena Williams wins her third French Open title and 20th major singles trophy by beating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, 80, dies in Los Angeles.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Civil rights activist Roy Innis is 82. Country singer Joe Stampley is 73. Jazz musician Monty Alexander is 72. Actor Robert Englund is 69. Folk singer Holly Near is 67. Singer Dwight Twilley is 65. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein (FY’-ur-steen) is 64. Comedian Sandra Bernhard is 61. International Tennis Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg is 60. Actress Amanda Pays is 57. Comedian Colin Quinn is 57. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 57. Rock musician Steve Vai is 56. Rock singer-musician Tom Araya (Slayer) is 55. Actor Jason Isaacs is 53. Rock musician Sean Yseult (White Zombie) is 50. Actor Max Casella is 49. Actor Paul Giamatti is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Damion Hall (Guy) is 48. Rock musician Bardi Martin is 47. Rock musician James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) is 46. TV correspondent Natalie Morales is 44. Country singer Lisa Brokop is 43. Rapper-rocker Uncle Kracker is 42. Actress Sonya Walger is 42. Actress Staci Keanan is 41. Actress Amber Borycki is 33. Actress Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is nine.
— AP