Today is Sunday, June 5, the 156th day of 2005. There are 209 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
One year ago, on June 5, 2004, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long twilight struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
On this date:
In 1783, Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier publicly demonstrated their hot-air balloon in a ten-minute flight over Annonay, France.
In 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, which prohibited Americans from enlisting in the service of a foreign power.
In 1917, about 10 million American men began registering for the draft in World War One.
In 1933, the United States went off the gold standard.
In 1940, the Battle of France began during World War II.
In 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University in which he outlined an aid program for Europe that came to be known as The Marshall Plan.
In 1967, war erupted in the Mideast as Israel raided Egyptian military targets. Syria, Jordan and Iraq entered the conflict.
In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after claiming victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested.
In 1975, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to international shipping, eight years after it was closed because of the 1967 war with Israel.
In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five homosexuals in Los Angeles had come down with a rare kind of pneumonia; they were the first recognized cases of what later became known as AIDS.
Ten years ago: Allison, a minimal hurricane, buffeted the Gulf Coast with 75 mph winds, swamping streets and spinning off tornadoes but causing no major damage.
Five years ago: President Clinton visited the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, the last stop in his weeklong European tour, where he dispensed $80 million in American aid to help entomb the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice under an agreement that dropped murder charges in the stabbing deaths of two men outside a Super Bowl party in Atlanta. (Lewis was sentenced to a year of probation.)
One year ago: The U.S.S. Jimmy Carter, the most advanced nuclear submarine in the U.S. Navy, was christened at a shipyard in Groton, Conn., in the presence of the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, who cracked a bottle of champagne against the sail. Smarty Jones lost his Triple Crown bid when 36-to-1 shot Birdstone ran him down near the finish of a thrilling Belmont Stakes. Anastasia Myskina beat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 to win the French Open.
Today’s Birthdays: Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 71. Rhythm-and-blues singer Floyd Butler (Friends of Distinction) is 64. Country singer Don Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 60. Rock musician Fred Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 59. Rock singer Laurie Anderson is 58. Country singer Gail Davies is 57. Author Ken Follett is 56. Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 53. Jazz musician Kenny G is 49. Rock singer Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) is 49. Actor Jeff Garlin is 43. Actress Karen Sillas is 40. Actor Ron Livingston is 38. Singer Brian McKnight is 36. Rock musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 35. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 34. Actor Chad Allen is 31. Rock musician P-nut (311) is 31. Actress Liza Weil is 28. Rock musician Seb Lefebvre (Simple Plan) is 24.
Thought for Today: “Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts.” — Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States (1911-2004).