Today is Sunday, June 4, the 155th day of 2006. There are 210 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history:
On June fourth, 1942, the Battle of Midway began during World War II.
On this date:
In 1812, the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory.
In 1878, Turkey turned Cyprus over to the British.
In 1892, the Sierra Club was incorporated in San Francisco.
In 1896, Henry Ford made a successful pre-dawn test run of his horseless carriage, called a “quadricycle,” through the streets of Detroit.
In 1940, the Allied military evacuation from Dunkirk, France, ended.
In 1944, the U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome during World War Two.
In 1947, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Taft-Hartley Act.
In 1954, French Premier Joseph Laniel and Vietnamese Premier Buu Loc initialed treaties in Paris according “complete independence” to Vietnam.
In 1986, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to spying for Israel. (He is serving a life prison term.)
In 1989, hundreds, possibly thousands of people died as Chinese army troops stormed Beijing to crush a pro-democracy movement.
Ten years ago: Russian President Boris Yeltsin, campaigning for re-election, indulged in a bit of onstage boogie at a pop concert for young voters.
Five years ago: Nepal’s King Dipendra died, three days after he reportedly shot and killed most members of the royal family before turning the gun on himself; he was succeeded by his uncle, Prince Gyanendra.
One year ago: The White House downplayed a Pentagon report detailing incidents in which U-S guards at Guantanamo Bay prison desecrated the Quran, saying in a statement, “It is unfortunate that some have chosen to take out of context a few isolated incidents by a few individuals.” Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Mary Pierce 6-1, 6-1 to win the French Open women’s singles title.
Today’s Birthdays: Former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (Democrat, Ohio) is 89. Actor Bruce Dern is 70. Country singer Freddy Fender is 69. Musician Roger Ball is 62. Jazz musician Anthony Braxton is 61. Singer Gordon Waller (Peter and Gordon) is 61. Rock musician Danny Brown (The Fixx) is 55. Actor Parker Stevenson is 54. Actor Keith David is 50. Actress Julie Gholson is 48. Actor Eddie Velez is 48. Singer-musician El DeBarge is 45. Tennis player Andrea Jaeger is 41. Actor Scott Wolf is 38. Actor Noah Wyle is 35. Rock musician Stefan Lessard (The Dave Matthews Band) is 32. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 32. Actress Angelina Jolie is 31. Rock musician JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 26.
Thought for Today: “As people used to be wrong about the motion of the sun, so they are still wrong about the motion of the future. The future stands still; it is we who move in infinite space.” --Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet (1875-1926).