TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Friday, June 3, the 154th day of 2022. There are 211 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 3, 1989, Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations.
On this date:
■ In 1621, the Dutch West India Co. received its charter for a trade monopoly in parts of the Americas and Africa.
■ In 1888, the poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.
■ 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 1937, Edward, The Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony in Monts, France.
■ 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 1965, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to “walk” in space during the flight of Gemini 4.
■ 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 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 2011, physician-assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian died at a Michigan hospital at 83. Actor James Arness (TV: “Gunsmoke”), 88, died in Brentwood, California.
■ In 2016, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali died at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 74.
■ In 2020, prosecutors charged three more police officers in the death of George Floyd and filed a new, tougher charge of second-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the officer who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck. (Chauvin would be convicted on all charges.) Defense Secretary Mark Esper took issue with President Donald Trump’s threats to use the full force of the military to quell street protests. Enforcing a curfew, police in New York City moved in on crowds of demonstrators, at times blasting people with pepper spray.
Ten years ago: A Dana Air MD-83 jetliner carrying 153 people crashed on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and at least 10 people on the ground. The River Thames became a royal highway as Queen Elizabeth II led a motley but majestic flotilla of more than 1,000 vessels to mark her Diamond Jubilee. Tiger Woods birdied three of his last four holes to win the Memorial, closing with a 5-under 67.
Five years ago: A white van slammed into pedestrians on London Bridge, killing eight people; the three attackers were shot and killed by police. SpaceX launched its first recycled cargo ship to the International Space Station. Former major leaguer Jimmy Piersall, who bared his soul about his struggles with mental illness in his book “Fear Strikes Out,” died in Wheaton, Illinois, at age 87. Albert Pujols (POO’hohlz) of the Angels hit a grand slam for his 600th homer during the fourth inning of Los Angeles’ 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
One year ago: California workplace regulators approved controversial rules that allowed workers to go maskless only if every employee in a room was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.