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Today in History — June 3

Celebrity birthdays, highlights in history, plus more facts about this day.
/ Source: The Associated Press

BC-History-June 3,0583

Today in History

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday, June 3, the 154th day of 2007. There are 211 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 3, 1965, astronaut Edward White became the first American to “walk” in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.

On this date:

In 1621, the Dutch West India Company received its charter for a trade monopoly in parts of the Americas and Africa.

In 1808, Jefferson Davis — the first and only president of the Confederacy — was born in Christian County, Ky.

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, 11 hours and 42 minutes.

In 1937, the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Warfield Simpson in Monts, France.

In 1948, the 200-inch reflecting Hale Telescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory in California was dedicated.

In 1963, Pope John XXIII died at age 81. He was succeeded by Pope Paul VI.

In 1968, pop artist Andy Warhol was shot and critically wounded in his New York film studio, known as “The Factory,” by Valerie Solanas, an actress and self-styled militant feminist.

In 1982, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Shlomo Argov, was shot and critically wounded outside a London hotel. The assassination attempt was followed by Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.

In 1989, Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died.

Ten years ago: After a bloody coup, 1,200 foreigners fled Sierra Leone aboard an American warship. The government banned most slaughtered-animal parts from U.S. livestock feed because of concerns over mad cow disease.

Five years ago: President Bush, in Little Rock, Ark., to promote his welfare initiative, said intelligence agencies and the FBI had to do a better job tracking and catching terrorists, emphasizing pursuit of “this shadowy enemy.” A rock concert at Buckingham Palace celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 50 years on the throne. Movie mogul Lew Wasserman died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 89.

One year ago: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, attending a security conference in Singapore, branded Iran the world’s leading terrorist nation yet hoped Tehran seriously would consider incentives from the West in exchange for suspending suspect nuclear activities. Gunmen attacked a car belonging to the Russian Embassy in Baghdad, killing one diplomat and kidnapping four employees who were later slain.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Tony Curtis is 82. Musician Boots Randolph is 80. TV producer Chuck Barris is 78. Actress Irma P. Hall is 72. Author Larry McMurtry is 71. Rock singer Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) is 68. Singer Eddie Holman is 61. Musician Too Slim (Riders in the Sky) is 59. Singer Suzi Quatro is 57. Singer Deneice Williams is 56. Rock musician Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd) is 55. Singer Dan Hill is 53. Actor Scott Valentine is 49. Rock musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 43. CNN host Anderson Cooper is 40. Country singer Jamie O’Neal is 39. Singers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez (No Mercy) are 36. Actress Lalaine (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 20.

Thought for Today: “Religion is a temper, not a pursuit.” — Harriet Martineau, English writer and social critic (1802-1876).