This Day in History
On June 3, 1965, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to “walk” in space during the flight of Gemini 4.
On this date
In 1861, Illinois Sen. Ste- phen A. Douglas, the Democratic presidential nominee in the 1860 election, died in Chicago of typhoid fever; he was 48.
In 1924, author Franz Kaf- ka, 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 re- flecting Hale Telescope at the Palomar Mountain Observa- tory in California was dedi- cated.
In 1962, Air France Flight 007, a U.S.-bound Boeing 707, crashed while attempt- ing to take off from Orly Air- port near Paris; all but two of the 132 people aboard were killed.
In 1963, Pope John XXIII died at age 81; he was suc- ceeded by Pope Paul VI.
In 1977, the United States and Cuba agreed to set up dip- lomatic interests sections in each other’s countries; Cuba also announced the immedi- ate 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 be- gan their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democ- racy demonstrations.
In 2004, President George W. Bush announced the res- ignation of CIA Director George Tenet amid a controversy over intelligence lapses about suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the September 11 terrorist at- tacks.
In 2008, Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, speaking in the same St. Paul, Minne- sota, arena where Republi- cans 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.