This day in history

[June 02, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, June 1, the 152nd day of 2011. There are 213 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 1, 1861, Capt. John Quincy Marr, CSA, was killed during a skirmish with Union cavalrymen near Fairfax Court House in Virginia; he is widely regarded as the first Confederate officer killed in the Civil War.

On this date:

In 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state of the union.

In 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state.

In 1813, the mortally wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, Capt. James Lawrence, gave the order, "Don't give up the ship" during a losing battle with the British frigate HMS Shannon in the War of 1812.

In 1868, James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, died near Lancaster, Pa., at age 77.

In 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition opened in Seattle. (The fair closed in October the same year.)

In 1943, a civilian flight from Portugal to England was shot down by the Germans during World War II, killing all 17 people aboard, including actor Leslie Howard.

In 1958, Charles de Gaulle became premier of France, marking the beginning of the end of the Fourth Republic.

In 1961, an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale shook northeastern Ethiopia, killing 160 people. Regular FM stereo broadcasting began in the United States.

In 1971, American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, 78, died in Stockbridge, Mass.

In 1980, Cable News Network made its debut.

Ten years ago: A suicide bomber attacked a Tel Aviv nightclub, killing himself and 21 Israelis, most of them teenagers. The king, queen and seven other members of Nepal's royal family were shot dead by Crown Prince Dipendra, who then mortally wounded himself. "Dennis the Menace" creator Hank Ketcham died in Pebble Beach, Calif., at age 81.

Five years ago: Six world powers, including the U.S., agreed on a package of incentives to persuade Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program. A contrite U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took responsibility for the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Seven family members were shot to death in an Indianapolis house. (Two suspects were later convicted of murder; Desmond Turner was sentenced to life in prison without parole while co-defendant James Stewart received 425 years in prison.)

One year ago: Attorney General Eric Holder said federal authorities had opened criminal and civil investigations into the BP oil spill. A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that criminal suspects had to explicitly invoke their right to remain silent, and that simply remaining silent was not sufficient to stop police questioning. Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced their separation after 40 years of marriage.

Today's birthdays: Actor Richard Erdman is 86. Actor Andy Griffith is 85. Singer Pat Boone is 77. Actor-writer-director Peter Masterson is 77. Actor Morgan Freeman is 74. Actor Rene Auberjonois is 71. Opera singer Frederica von Stade is 66. Actor Brian Cox is 65. Rock musician Ronnie Wood is 64. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 64. Actor Powers Boothe is 63. Actress Gemma Craven is 61. Blues-rock musician Tom Principato is 59. Country singer Ronnie Dunn is 58. Actress Lisa Hartman Black is 55. Singer-musician Alan Wilder is 52. Rock musician Simon Gallup (The Cure) is 51. Country musician Richard Comeaux (River Road) is 50. Actor-comedian Mark Curry is 50. Actor-singer Jason Donovan is 43. Actress Teri Polo is 42. Basketball player-turned-coach Tony Bennett is 42. Actor Rick Gomez is 39. Model-actress Heidi Klum is 38. Singer Alanis Morissette is 37. TV personality Damien Fahey is 31. Pop singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is 30. Tennis player Justine Henin is 29. Actor Taylor Handley is 27.

Thought for today: "Our age knows nothing but reaction, and leaps from one extreme to another." -- Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

[Associated Press]

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