Today is Saturday, June 4, the 155th day of 2005. There are 210 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history:
On June 4, 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 II.
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: At the Tony Awards, “Sunset Boulevard” won best Broadway musical while “Love! Valour! Compassion!” by Terrence McNally was chosen best play.
Five years ago: President Clinton and Russian President Putin ended their summit by conceding differences on missile defense, agreeing to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium and pledging early warning of missile and space launches. A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 100 people. “Copenhagen” was chosen best play, “Contact” best musical and “Kiss Me, Kate” best musical revival at the Tony Awards.
One year ago: A powerful bomb blast ripped through a crowded outdoor market in central Russia, killing at least 11 people. President Bush nominated former Missouri Sen. John Danforth to be America’s U.N. ambassador.
Today’s Birthdays: Former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) is 88. Actor Dennis Weaver is 81. Actor Bruce Dern is 69. Country singer Freddy Fender is 68. Musician Roger Ball is 61. Jazz musician Anthony Braxton is 60. Singer Gordon Waller (Peter and Gordon) is 60. Rock musician Danny Brown (The Fixx) is 54. Actor Parker Stevenson is 53. Actor Keith David is 49. Actress Julie Gholson is 47. Actor Eddie Velez is 47. Singer-musician El DeBarge is 44. Tennis player Andrea Jaeger is 40. Actor Scott Wolf is 37. Actor Noah Wyle is 34. Rock musician Stefan Lessard (The Dave Matthews Band) is 31. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 31. Actress Angelina Jolie is 30. Rock musician JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 25.
Thought for Today: “Reputation is a bubble which a man bursts when he tries to blow it for himself.” — Emma Carleton, American journalist (1850-1925).