TODAY IN HISTORY
On June 6, 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.
Also on this date
In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in London.
In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established.
In 1939, the first Little League game was played as Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, 251⁄2 hours after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law imposing an automatic death sentence on defendants convicted of the firstdegree murder of a police officer.
In 1982, Israeli forces invaded Lebanon to drive Palestine Liberation Organization fighters out of the country. (The Israelis withdrew in June 1985.)
In 2001, Democrats formally assumed control of the U.S. Senate after the decision of Vermont Republican James Jeffords to become an independent.
In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that people who smoked marijuana because their doctors recommended it to ease pain could be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.
In 2020, massive, peaceful protests took place nationwide to demand police reform as services for George Floyd were held in North Carolina, near his birthplace.
Ten years ago: Business social network LinkedIn reported that some of its users’ passwords had been stolen and leaked onto the Internet.
Five years ago: Bill Cosby’s chief accuser, Andrea Constand, took the stand at his sexual assault trial to tell her story publicly for the first time, saying the comedian groped her after giving her three blue pills that left her paralyzed and helpless. (The jury deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial, but Cosby was convicted in a second trial; Pennsylvania’s highest court would toss out that conviction.)
One year ago: Several ceremonies were held in France to commemorate the 77th anniversary of DDay, though for the second year in a row, commemorations were marked by virus travel restrictions that prevented many veterans and families of fallen soldiers from attending.