This day in history

[June 05, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Friday, June 5, the 156th day of 2009. There are 209 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 5, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in California's Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested.

On this date:

In 1884, Civil War hero Gen. William T. Sherman refused the Republican presidential nomination, saying, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected."

In 1916, the Arab Revolt against Turkish Ottoman rule began during World War I.

In 1917, about 10 million American men began registering for the draft in World War I.

In 1933, the United States went off the gold standard.

In 1940, during the World War II Battle of France, Germany attacked French forces along the Somme line.

In 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University in which he outlined an aid program for Europe that came to be known as The Marshall Plan.

In 1967, war erupted in the Mideast as Israel raided military aircraft parked on the ground in Egypt; Syria, Jordan and Iraq entered the conflict.

In 1976, 14 people were killed when the Teton Dam in Idaho burst.

In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five homosexuals in Los Angeles had come down with a rare kind of pneumonia; they were the first recognized cases of what later became known as AIDS.

In 1993, country star Conway Twitty died in Springfield, Mo., at age 59.

Ten years ago: Jazz and pop singer Mel Torme died in Los Angeles at age 73. Pope John Paul II began a 13-day pilgrimage to his native Poland. Charismatic failed in his bid to win racing's Triple Crown, finishing third behind Lemon Drop Kid and Vision and Verse in the Belmont Stakes. Steffi Graf won her sixth French Open title, beating top-ranked Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the first devoted to any women's sport, opened in Knoxville, Tenn.

Five years ago: Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The nuclear submarine USS Jimmy Carter was christened in Groton, Conn., in the presence of the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, who cracked a bottle of champagne against the sail. Smarty Jones lost his Triple Crown bid when 36-to-1 shot Birdstone ran him down near the finish of a thrilling Belmont Stakes. Anastasia Myskina beat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 to win the French Open.

One year ago: Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after embarrassing nuclear mix-ups. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton met privately at the Washington home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the first such get-together since Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the reputed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, told a military judge at his arraignment he welcomed the death penalty as a way to martyrdom and ridiculed the proceedings as an "inquisition." Astronauts opened up Japan's new billion-dollar space station lab, Kibo, aboard the international space station.

Today's birthdays: Actor-singer Bill Hayes is 84. Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 75. Author Margaret Drabble is 70. Country singer Don Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 64. Rock musician Fred Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 63. Rock singer Laurie Anderson is 62. Country singer Gail Davies is 61. Author Ken Follett is 60. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is 58. Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 57. Jazz musician Kenny G is 53. Rock singer Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) is 53. Actor Jeff Garlin is 47. Actress Karen Sillas is 46. Actor Ron Livingston is 42. Singer Brian McKnight is 40. Rock musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 39. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 38. Actor Chad Allen is 35. Rock musician P-Nut (311) is 35. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Torry Holt is 33. Actress Navi Rawat is 32. Actress Liza Weil is 32. Rock musician Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) is 30. Rock musician Seb Lefebvre (Simple Plan) is 28. Actress Amanda Crew is 23.

Thought for today: "Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts." -- Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States (1911-2004)

[Associated Press]

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