TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, the 155th day of 2020. There are 211 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY:
On this date in 1965, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to “walk” in space during the flight of Gemini 4.
In 1861, Illinois Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic presidential nominee in the 1860 election, died in Chicago of typhoid fever; he was 48.
In 1924, author Franz Kafka, 40, died near Vienna.
In 1935, the French liner Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.
In 1943, Los Angeles saw the beginning of its “Zoot Suit Riots” as white servicemen clashed with young Latinos wearing distinctive-looking zoot suits; the violence finally ended when military officials declared the city off limits to enlisted personnel.
In 1948, the 200-inch reflecting Hale Telescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory in California was dedicated.
In 1962, Air France Flight 007, a U.S.bound Boeing 707, crashed while attempting to take off from Orly Airport near Paris; all but two of the 132 people aboard were killed.
In 1963, Pope John XXIII died at age 81; he was succeeded by Pope Paul VI.
In 1977, the United States and Cuba agreed to set up diplomatic interests sections in each other’s countries; Cuba also announced the immediate release of 10 Americans jailed on drug charges.
In 1989, Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died. On the same day, Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations.
In 2004, President George W. Bush announced the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet amid a controversy over intelligence lapses about suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In 2008, Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, speaking in the same St. Paul, Minnesota, arena where Republicans would be holding their national convention in September 2008.
In 2016, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali died at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 74.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: The former president of Cuba, Raul Castro, is 89. Actress Irma P. Hall is 85. Author Larry McMurtry is 84. Rock singer Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) is 81. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Hale Irwin is 75. Actress Penelope Wilton, singer Eddie Holman and actor Tristan Rogers are 74. Musician Too Slim (Riders in the Sky) is 72. Singers Suzi Quatro and Deneice Williams are 70. Singer Dan Hill is 66. Actress Suzie Plakson and actor Scott Valentine are 62. Rock musician Kerry King (Slayer) and actor James Purefoy are 56. Rock singer-musician Mike Gordon is 55. TV host Anderson Cooper is 53. Country singer Jamie O’Neal is 52. Writer-director Tate Taylor is 41. Singers Gabriel and Ariel Hernandez (No Mercy), and actor Vik Sahay are 49. Rhythm and blues singer Lyfe Jennings is 47. Actress Arianne Zucker is 46. Actress Nikki M. James is 39. Tennis player Rafael Nadal and actor Josh Segarra are 34. Actresssinger Lalaine is 33. Actor Sean Berdy is 27. Actress Anne Winters is 26.