Today is Thursday, June 9, the 160th day of 2005. There are 205 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 9, A.D. 68, the Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide.
On this date:
In 1870, author Charles Dickens died in Godshill, England.
In 1940, Norway surrendered to the Nazis during World War II.
In 1953, about 100 people died when a tornado struck Worcester, Mass.
In 1954, during the Senate-Army Hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch asked Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy: “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
In 1969, the U.S. Senate confirmed Warren Burger to be the new chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren.
In 1973, Secretariat became horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 25 years by winning the Belmont Stakes.
In 1978, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints struck down a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men from the Mormon priesthood.
In 1980, comedian Richard Pryor suffered almost fatal burns at his San Fernando Valley, Calif., home when a mixture of “free-base” cocaine exploded.
In 1985, American educator Thomas Sutherland was kidnapped in Lebanon; he was released in November 1991 along with fellow hostage Terry Waite.
In 1993, as millions of Japanese watched on television, Crown Prince Naruhito wed commoner Masako Owada in an elaborate Shinto religious ceremony.
Ten years ago: One week after being shot down over Bosnia by a Bosnian Serb missile, and a day after being rescued, U.S. Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady was warmly welcomed by his comrades at Aviano Air Base in Italy.
Five years ago: The Justice Department released a report saying an 18-month investigation had found no credible evidence that conspirators aided or framed James Earl Ray in the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Painter Jacob Lawrence died in Seattle at age 82. Sculptor George Segal died at his New Jersey home at age 75.
One year ago: The body of Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda before the 40th president’s funeral. The Federal Communications Commission agreed to a record $1.75 million settlement with Clear Channel to resolve indecency complaints against Howard Stern and other radio personalities. Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. A new scoring system for figure skating was approved after the Olympic pairs scandal forced the sport’s governing body to make radical changes.
Today’s Birthdays: Guitarist Les Paul is 90. Former World Bank president and former defense secretary Robert S. McNamara is 89. Actress Mona Freeman is 79. Media analyst Marvin Kalb is 75. Actor Joe Santos is 69. Author Letty Cottin Pogrebin is 66. Rock musician Jon Lord is 64. Actor Michael J. Fox is 44. Writer-producer Aaron Sorkin is 44. Actor Johnny Depp is 42. Jazz musician Wayman Tisdale is 41. Actress Gloria Reuben is 41. Rock musician Dean Felber (Hootie & the Blowfish) is 38. Rock musician Dean Dinning is 38. Musician Ed Simons is 35. Actress Natalie Portman is 24. Actress Mae Whitman is 17.
Thought for Today: “Next to the slanderer, we detest the bearer of the slander to our ears.” — Mary Catherwood, American novelist (1847-1901).