Today in History

[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."

[goofywife]

1950: North Korea invades South Korea
Armed forces from Communist North Korea invaded the American-supported republic of South Korea today when they crossed the 38th parallel, the boundary that divides the zones. It was unclear at first whether the United States would take direct military action to defend the nation. However, South Korean Ambassador John Myun Chang said during a conference at the State Department, "I don't think the United States will abandon us."

"The extent and purpose of the attacks remained unclear for hours after the first fragmentary reports of the invasion were received," reported The Cedar Rapids Gazette on June 25, 1950. "But shortly after noon, the Communists' radio at Pyongyang, the Northern capital, said that war had been declared effective at 11 a.m."

NOTE: Two days after the invasion, President Truman authorized the use of American forces to aid South Korea. The June 25 attacks marked the beginning of the Korean War, a conflict that lasted until 1953.

1981: Male-only draft registration declared constitutional
The U.S. Supreme Court declared today that Congress has the constitutional power to exclude women when authorizing a military draft registration. "Women's groups had cautioned that the outcome of the case would have significant impact on the legal future of equality between the sexes," informed the European Stars And Stripes on June 26, 1981. "But [Justice] Rehnquist said, 'This case is quite different from several of the gender-based discrimination cases we have considered.' He said Congress' deliberation 'clearly establishes that the decision to exempt women from registration was not the accidental byproduct of a traditional way of thinking about women.'"

1971: Titian artwork sells for more than $4 million
A 400-year-old painting by Italian artist Titian sold for $4,032,000 today at Christie's auction house in London. The masterpiece, called "The Death of Actaeon," was sold to American art dealer Julius Weitzner. At the time, it was the second highest price paid for a painting. "Only Velasquez's 'Juan de Parreja,' auctioned here last November to New York dealer Alec Wildenstein for $5,604,000, has carried a higher price tag, but Weitzner shrugged: 'The bids were so low – I thought they would go higher,'" explained The Odessa American on June 26, 1971. NOTE: The most expensive art sold to date is Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, for $140 million in 2006.

1951: CBS airs first color telecast
Seven sponsors paid $1,000 each for a one-minute ad today on the first commercial color television show. The historic program was transmitted by the Columbia Broadcasting System after the company won a battle against RCA-Victor in the Supreme Court. While color television sets were generally not available yet, it was estimated that about 40,000 people saw the first color program. "CBS said there are at least 1,000 sets in the New York area alone that have been home-built or home-converted for color broadcasts. CBS estimated that for the big premiere an average of 10 persons watch each of those sets," reported the Long Beach Press-Telegram on June 26, 1951.

1876: Custer is defeated at Little Bighorn
Lt. Col. George A. Custer and the 7th Calvary were annihilated by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians today during the Battle of Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory. "From the reports which have come to hand, it appears that, after assigning Major Reno with seven companies to attack the lower part of the Indian camp, and stationing three companies in reserve, Gen. Custer placed himself at the head of five companies – about 300 men – and dashed into a nest of three or four thousand Sioux warriors, the same men who, under Sitting Bull, recently defeated Gen. Crook on Rosebud Creek," explained The Decatur Republican on July 13, 1876. While Custer was respected for his military experience, a Chicago Tribune reporter called him "reckless, hasty and impulsive" in 1876.