DAY IN HISTORY

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Today is the 161st day of 2020 and the 83rd day of spring. TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1790, John Barry’s “The Philadelphia Spelling Book” became the first copyrighted work in the United States.

In 1856, nearly 500 Mormon “handcart pioneers” began a pilgrimage on foot from Iowa City, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1954, Army counsel Joseph Welch confronted Sen. Joseph Mccarthy during the Army-mccarthy hearings.

In 1999, Yugoslavia signed a peace treaty pledging that Serbian forces would withdraw from Kosovo in 11 days, thus ending the Kosovo War.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Cole Porter (1891-1964), composer; Robert Cummings (1910-1990), actor; Les Paul (1915-2009), musician/inventor; Robert Mcnamara (1916-2009), World Bank head/u.s. secretary of defense; Jackie Wilson (19341984), singer-songwriter; Dick Vitale (1939- ), sportscaster; Gregory Maguire (1954- ), author; Michael J. Fox (1961- ), actor; Aaron Sorkin (1961- ), screenwriter/producer; Johnny Depp (1963- ), actor; Natalie Portman (1981), actress.

TODAY’S FACT: Legendary guitarist Les Paul is the only person to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes and became the ninth horse in history to complete horse racing’s Triple Crown. His time of 2:24 remains the American record for the 1.5 mile on dirt.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Books fall open, you fall in. When you climb out again, you’re a bit larger than you used to be.” — Gregory Maguire

TODAY’S NUMBER: 5 -- weeks that Robert Mcnamara served as the president of Ford Motor Co. before he was appointed the secretary of defense in 1960. Mcnamara was the first Ford president who was not related to founder Henry Ford.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (June 5) and last quarter moon (June 12).