Today in History

[teri88]

hmmmm apparently,nothing happened in history on June 11th, 12th, 13th!

[Janet]

No, all the typewriters in the world were broken those days and the repair place was closed.

[katcarasella]

Today is Saturday, June 14, the 166th day of 2008. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag.
On this date:
In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created.
In 1801, former American Revolutionary War General and notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold died in London.
In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the Republic of California.
In 1928, the Republican National Convention nominated Herbert Hoover for president on the first ballot.
In 1940, in German-occupied Poland, the Nazis opened their concentration camp at Auschwitz; the same day, German troops entered Paris.
In 1943, the Supreme Court, in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, ruled that schoolchildren could not be compelled to salute the flag of the United States.
In 1954, the words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
In 1967, the space probe Mariner 5 was launched from Cape Kennedy, Fla., on a flight that took it past Venus.
In 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands.
In 1985, the 17-day hijack ordeal of TWA Flight 847 began as a pair of Lebanese Shiite Muslim extremists seized the jetliner shortly after takeoff from Athens, Greece.
Ten years ago: The Chicago Bulls clinched their sixth NBA championship, defeating the Utah Jazz in Game 6 played in Salt Lake City, 87-86.

[DianaB]

Today is Tuesday, June 17, the 169th day of 2008. There are 197 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 17, 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill took place near Boston. The battle, which actually occurred on Breed's Hill, was a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses while dislodging the rebels.

On this date:

In 1856, the Republican Party, meeting in Philadelphia, nominated John Charles Fremont to be its presidential candidate. Fremont ended up losing to James Buchanan.

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.

In 1928, Amelia Earhart embarked on a trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Wales with pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon, becoming the first woman to make the trip as a passenger.

In 1944, the Republic of Iceland was established.

In 1948, a United Air Lines DC-6 crashed near Mount Carmel, Pa., killing all 43 people on board.

In 1957, mob underboss Frank Scalice was shot to death at a produce market in New York.

In 1961, Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West while his troupe was in Paris.

In 1963, the Supreme Court, in Abington School District v. Schempp, struck down rules requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or reading of Biblical verses in public schools.

In 1971, the United States and Japan signed a treaty under which Okinawa would revert to Japanese control following America's postwar occupation.

In 1972, President Nixon's eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside Democratic national headquarters in Washington's Watergate complex.

[katcarasella]

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.

I remember this day like it was yesterday..

[Janet]

And for some darn reason....I believe you.....

[teri88]

June 18, 1988 I got married!

[DianaB]

Congratulations, Teri and your husband!!!!!! How many years has it been? Did you do something special?

[Janet]

Well, I didn't see this!! Happy Anniversary (late) !!!! Congratulations.

[teri88]

Thanks guys. Apparently Diana doesn't do math It was 20 years. We didn't do anything because he works 3 jobs so he doesn't get home until 10 pm. (He leaves the house at 5 am) So, I guess the special thing I did was wait up for him that night! (I can't keep my eyes open past 9:30) He brought me the most gorgeous roses! He got them at Shoprite, I'm shocked how beautiful they are, they don't even look real!

[Gina]

Happy Belated Anniversary Teri! I buy flowers at the ShopRite Floral dept. they are beautiful.. Enjoy the roses and many more anniversaries..

[Forgivenmom5]

That was a very sweet thing for your husband to do. He must have been very tired and still made the effort to do something nice for you. Congratulations on your anniversary and best wishes for many more.

[teri88]

My hubby is incredible. He works 65 hours a week and then today he spent the day in the kitchen making dinners for the week. He just told me the stuff he made and put in containers in the fridge. As wonderful as it is, it kind of bums me out, too. I became disabled 2 years ago and I have very little use of my hands. You should see how long it takes me to type! Anyway, cooking is difficult because I drop everything. But instead of complaining that there is nothing to eat he does something like this. Is there another man on the planet like him? I doubt it.

sorry that I somehow seem to have highjacked the history thread

[katcarasella]

Today is Monday, June 23, the 174th day of 2008. There are 191 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his "Type-Writer."
On this date:
In 1757, forces of the East India Co. led by Robert Clive defeated troops loyal to the provincial governor of Bengal in the Battle of Plassey, which effectively marked the beginning of British colonial rule in India.
In 1836, Congress approved the Deposit Act, which contained a provision for turning over surplus federal revenue to the states.
In 1931, aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on a round-the-world flight that lasted eight days and 15 hours.
In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Authority was established.
In 1947, the Senate joined the House in overriding President Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, designed to limit the power of organized labor.
In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.
In 1967, President Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin held the first of two meetings at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.
In 1969, Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice by the man he was succeeding, Earl Warren.
In 1972, President Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation. (Revelation of the tape recording of this conversation sparked Nixon's resignation in 1974.)
In 1985, all 329 people aboard an Air-India Boeing 747 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, after a bomb on board exploded.
Ten years ago: President Clinton said the reported discovery of traces of deadly nerve gas on an Iraqi missile warhead gave the United States new ammunition to maintain tough U.N. sanctions against the Baghdad government.
Five years ago: A divided Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed the nation's colleges and universities to select students based in part on race. The Supreme Court said the government could require public libraries to equip computers with anti-pornography filters. Democrat Howard Dean formally announced his presidential campaign. Maynard Jackson Jr., the first black mayor of Atlanta, died in Washington, D.C., at age 65.
One year ago: Searchers in Summit County, Ohio, found the body of Jessie Davis, a missing 26-year-old pregnant woman. (Bobby Cutts Jr., a former Canton police officer who was the father of Davis' unborn child, was later convicted of murder and aggravated murder and sentenced to 57 years to life in prison.)
Today's Birthdays: Singer Diana Trask is 68. Musical conductor James Levine is 65. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosetta Hightower (The Orlons) is 64. Actor Ted Shackelford is 62. Actor Bryan Brown is 61. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is 60. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is 52. Actress Frances McDormand is 51. Rock musician Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) is 46. Actor Paul La Greca is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chico DeBarge is 38. Actress Selma Blair is 36. Rock singer KT Tunstall is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Virgo Williams (Ghostowns DJs) is 33. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 31. Rock singer Duffy is 24. Country singer Katie Armiger is 17.
Thought for Today: "One today is worth two tomorrows." — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).

[goofywife]

1997: Report explains Roswell sightings
The United States Air Force released a report today on the 1947 'Roswell Incident,' in which a flying disc had reportedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. The report, in response to witnesses that claimed to see the military recovering alien bodies, stated that the bodies were actually life-sized dummies.

"Just as sightings of squids and whales once spawned tales of sea monsters, the Air Force says, the shadowy doings of brave fliers, high-altitude balloons, lifelike crash dummies and saucerlike craft were glimpsed and embellished into false evidence of aliens," reported the Syracuse Herald Journal on June 25, 1997. "Dummies were routinely dropped from balloons to test parachutes and were sometimes lost in the desert and disfigured in suggestive ways, their hands often missing a finger. A distinguishing characteristic of the aliens supposedly sighted near Roswell, the report notes, is four fingers."

NOTE: The report did not convince those who witnessed the Roswell incident, as they quickly pointed out that the parachute tests occurred years after the sightings. While the Air Force stated there was no other explanation, believers continued to voice their opinion that the report was part of a government cover-up.

1975: Jetliner crashes at JFK Airport
"An Eastern Airlines 727 jetliner coming in for a landing in a thunderstorm crashed and burned just short of Kennedy airport Tuesday, killing more than 100 persons aboard," informed the Florence Morning News on June 25, 1975. "At least two eyewitnesses reported seeing lightning strike the aircraft just before it tore through three landing approach light stanchions and plowed into an area of parkland north of the airport. As it skidded along the ground, the big airliner spun across heavily traveled Rockaway Boulevard, but did not strike any vehicles. Then it flipped upside down."NOTE: Official reports after the accident did not mention lightning as the probable cause. Instead, a high descent rate due to strong winds was thought to have caused the crash, which left 113 people dead.

1957: Court rules obscenity not protected by First Amendment
The United States Supreme Court ruled today that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees free speech and freedom of the press. "The law was attacked by Samuel Roth, New York publisher, who was convicted of sending obscene literature through the mails and got five years' imprisonment and $5,000 fine," explained The Greeley Daily Tribune on June 24, 1957. "The statute involved in the Roth case makes unlawful the mailing of 'every obscene, lewd, lascivious or filthy book, pamphlet, picture, paper, letter, writing, print or other publication of an indecent character.'" NOTE: In 1973, another Supreme Court case led to the creation of the Miller test, which defines when materials are considered obscene.

1908: Grover Cleveland dies
Former U.S. President Grover Cleveland died of heart failure today at his home in Princeton, New Jersey. On June 26, 1908, the Bedford Gazette published a message to the American people from President Theodore Roosevelt. "In [Cleveland's] death the nation has been deprived of one of its greatest citizens," read the message. "As mayor of his city, as governor of his state, and twice as President, he showed signal power as an administrator, coupled with entire devotion to the country's good and a courage that quailed before no hostility when once he was convinced where his duty lay."