NEA DATEBOOK

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1787, the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia, with George Washington presiding.

In 1935, Jesse Owens set three track and field world records and tied a fourth at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his plan to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

In 1977, the first “Star Wars” movie was released in American theaters.

In 2020, George Floyd was murdered while being arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), poet/essayist/philosopher; Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949), dancer/ actor; Gene Tunney (1897-1978), boxer; Robert Ludlum (1927-2001), author; Raymond Carver (1938-1988), author; Ian McKellen (1939- ), actor; Frank Oz (1944- ), puppeteer/film director; Mike Myers (1963- ), actor; Anne Heche (1969-2022), actress; Octavia Spencer (1970- ), actress; Cillian Murphy (1976- ), actor; Roman Reigns (1985- ), wrestler; Aly Raisman (1994- ), gymnast.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1986, an estimated 5 million people in the United States joined hands to form a human chain in support of the Hands Across America charity campaign. The event raised $31 million to combat hunger and homelessness.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1935, just a week before playing in his last major league game, Babe Ruth went 4-for-4 with three home runs, including his major league record 714th, in an 11-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Conduct of Life”