Today In History
Today is Thursday, June 11, the 163rd day of 2020. There are 203 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1776: The Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence calling for freedom from Britain.
ON THIS DATE
› 1770: Captain James Cook, commander of the British ship Endeavour, “discovered” the Great Barrier Reef off Australia by running onto it.
› 1864: German composer Richard Strauss was born in Munich.
› 1955: In motor racing’s worst disaster, more than 80 people were killed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France when two of the cars collided and crashed into spectators.
› 1962: Three prisoners at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay staged an escape, leaving the island on a makeshift raft; they were never found or heard from again.
› 1993: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that people who commit “hate crimes” motivated by bigotry may be sentenced to extra punishment. The Steven Spielberg science-fiction film “Jurassic Park” opened in wide release two days after its world premiere in Washington, D.C.
› 2009: With swine flu reported in more than 70 nations, the World Health Organization declared the first global flu pandemic in 41 years.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Former U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., is 90. Comedian Johnny Brown is 83. International Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie Stewart is
81. Singer Joey Dee is 80. Actor Roscoe Orman is
76. Actress Adrienne Barbeau is 75. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is
71. Animal rights activist Ingrid Newkirk is 71. Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 70. Rock singer Donnie Van Zant is
68. Actor Peter Bergman is 67. Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 64. Actor Hugh Laurie is 61. TV personality Mehmet Oz, M.D., is 60. Singer Gioia Bruno (Expose) is
57. Rock musician Dan Lavery (Tonic) is 54. Country singer-songwriter Bruce Robison is
54. Actress Clare Carey is 53. Actor Lenny Jacobson is 46. Rock musician Tai Anderson (Third Day) is 44. Actor Joshua Jackson is 42. Americana musician Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers) is 42. Christian rock musician Ryan Shrout is 40. Actor Shia LaBeouf is 34.