Today In History

Today is Saturday, June 6, the 158th day of 2020. There are 208 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1968: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, 25 1/2 hours after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.

ON THIS DATE

› 1816: A snowstorm struck the northeastern U.S., heralding what would become known as the “Year Without a Summer.”

› 1933: The first drive-in movie theater was opened by Richard Hollingshead in Camden County, New Jersey. (The movie shown was “Wives Beware,” starring Adolphe Menjou.)

› 1939: The first Little League game was played as Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

› 1944: During World War II, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on “D-Day” as they began the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.

› 1955: The U.S. Post Office introduced regular certified mail service.

› 1978: California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13, a primary ballot initiative calling for major cuts in property taxes.

› 2005: The Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that people who smoked marijuana because their doctors recommended it to ease pain could be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Singer-songwriter Gary “U.S.” Bonds is 81. Country singer Joe Stampley is 77. Jazz musician Monty Alexander is 76. Actor Robert Englund is 73. Folk singer Holly Near is 71. Singer Dwight Twilley is 69. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is 68. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 68. Actress Amanda Pays is 61. Comedian Colin Quinn is 61. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 61. Rock musician Steve Vai is 60. Rock singer-musician Tom Araya (Slayer) is 59. Actor Jason Isaacs is 57. Actor Anthony Starke is 57. Rock musician Sean Yseult (White Zombie) is 54. Rock musician James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) is 50. TV correspondent Natalie Morales is 48. Country singer Lisa Brokop is 47. Rapper-rocker Uncle Kracker is 46. Actress Sonya Walger is 46. Actress Staci Keanan is 45. Jazz singer Somi is 44. Actress Amber Borycki is 37.