Today is Thursday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2006. There are 192 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 22, 1945, the World War II battle for Okinawa officially ended; 12,520 Americans and 110,000 Japanese were killed in the nearly three-month campaign.
On this date:
In 1611, English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay by mutineers.
In 1870, Congress created the Department of Justice.
In 1906, writer-director-producer Billy Wilder was born.
In 1911, Britain’s King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
In 1938, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch at Yankee Stadium.
In 1940, during World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.
In 1944, President Roosevelt signed the Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the GI Bill of Rights.
In 1969, singer-actress Judy Garland died in London at age 47.
In 1970, President Nixon signed a measure lowering the voting age to 18.
In 1993, former first lady Pat Nixon died in Park Ridge, N.J., at age 81.
Ten years ago: At their first summit in six years, Arab leaders meeting in Cairo, Egypt, urged Israel to prove its commitment to peace by resuming negotiations without delay.
Five years ago: The British government announced that Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who were 10 years old when they kidnapped and killed toddler James Bulger, had been granted parole. Striking Comair pilots ratified a new contract, ending a three-month strike.
One year ago: An American U-2 spy plane crashed while returning to its base in the United Arab Emirates, killing the pilot after a mission in support of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Federal drug agents launched a wide-ranging crackdown on medical marijuana providers in northern California.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ralph Waite is 78. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 70. CBS News correspondent Ed Bradley is 65. Actor Michael Lerner is 65. Fox News correspondent Brit Hume is 63. Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer is 62. Singer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 62. Actor Andrew Rubin is 60. Actor David L. Lander is 59. Singer Howard “Eddie” Kaylan is 59. Singer-musician Todd Rundgren is 58. Actress Meryl Streep is 57. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 57. Singer Alan Osmond is 57. Actor Murphy Cross is 56. Actor Graham Greene is 54. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper is 53. Actor Chris Lemmon is 52. Actor Tim Russ is 50. Rock musician Garry Beers (INXS) is 49. Actor-producer-writer Bruce Campbell is 48. Rock musician Alan Anton (Cowboy Junkies) is 47. Actress Tracy Pollan is 46. Rock singer-musician Jimmy Somerville is 45. Rock singer-musician Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) is 42. Actress Amy Brenneman is 42. Actress Paula Irvine is 38. Rock singer Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) is 36. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is 35. TV personality Carson Daly is 33. Rock musician Chris Traynor (Helmet) is 33. Actor Donald Faison is 32. TV personality/actor Jai Rodriguez is 27. Actress Lindsay Ridgeway is 21.
Thought for Today: “Study men, not historians.” — President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).