TODAY IN HISTORY: Oscar Wilde jailed
In 1792, a highwayman named Pelletier became the first person under French law to be executed by the guillotine.
In 1895, Irish playwright Oscar Wilde was convicted in London on a morals charge for his involvement with another man. Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison.
In 1977, the first “Star Wars” film (later renamed “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope”) was released in the U.S. (It was released in Canada on June 24.)
In 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed on takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare airport.
In 1985, more than 11,000 people were killed as a cyclone and tidal surge devastated Bangladesh.
In 1986, folk singer Pete Seeger dedicated a free concert in Vancouver's Stanley Park to Olaf Solheim, who died after being evicted from a downtown hotel. Solheim had lived in the Patricia Hotel on and off for 60 years, but he was kicked out when it was renovated for Expo '86 visitors.
In 1998, prisoners at Manitoba's Headingley Correctional Centre went on a rampage, beating guards and torturing other inmates in a 24-hour riot at the jail near Winnipeg.
In 1999, KISS lead vocalist Paul Stanley began a 10-week stint as the title character in the Toronto production of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Reviews were pretty good.
In 2004, the Boston Archdiocese said it would close 65 of 357 parishes, an offshoot of the clergy sex abuse scandal.
In 2005, future country superstar Carrie Underwood beat out Bo Bice to win the fourth season of “American Idol.”
In 2009, North Korea reported it successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, its second since 2006.
In 2011, the final episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” aired with the talk show queen appearing alone on her Chicago stage, talking to viewers about what they had meant to her during the show's 25-year run.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI's butler Paolo Gabriele was arrested in the “Vatileaks” scandal for releasing confidential documents that shed light on power struggles and intrigue inside the highest levels of the Catholic Church. He was convicted of aggravated theft and sentenced to 18 months in a Vatican City cell. The pope granted him a Christmas pardon, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting.
In 2018, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to New York City police and was charged with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him that sparked the #MeToo movement.