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 Today's
highlight in history:
On June 12, 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was fatally shot in front of his home in Jackson, Miss.; he was 37. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and sentenced to life in prison; he died in 2001.)
On this date:
In 1665, England installed a municipal government in New York, formerly the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam.
In 1776, Virginia's colonial legislature became the first to adopt a Bill of Rights.
In 1898, Philippine nationalists declared independence from Spain.
In 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, N.Y.
In 1963, one of Hollywood's most notoriously expensive productions, "Cleopatra," starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison, opened in New York.
In 1967, the Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages.
In 1971, Tricia Nixon and Edward F. Cox were married in the White House Rose Garden.
In 1978, David Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for each of the six "Son of Sam" .44-caliber killings that had terrified New Yorkers.
In 1981, major league baseball players began a 49-day strike over the issue of free-agent compensation. (The season did not resume until Aug. 10.)
In 1987, President Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."
Ten years ago: A jury in Hattiesburg, Miss., convicted 17-year-old Luke Woodham of killing two students and wounding seven others at Pearl High School. Space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth, bringing home the last American to live aboard Mir and closing out three years of U.S.-Russian cooperation aboard the aging space station.
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Five years ago: U.S. fighter jets bombed a suspected terrorist camp and
troops stormed through Sunni Muslim towns in Iraq, seeking Saddam Hussein
loyalists in one of the biggest American military assaults since the war
began. Israel killed seven Palestinians in its third rocket attack in 24
hours. Air France turned the oldest of its Concordes over to the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington. Academy Award-winning actor Gregory Peck died in
Los Angeles at age 87.
One year ago: President Bush went to Capitol Hill, where he prodded
rebellious Senate Republicans to help resurrect legislation that could
provide eventual citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Afghan
police mistook U.S. troops for Taliban fighters and opened fire, prompting
U.S. forces to return fire, killing seven Afghan police officers. Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter to lead the Detroit Tigers over the Milwaukee
Brewers 4-0. Don Herbert, television's "Mr. Wizard," died in Bell Canyon,
Calif., at age 89.
Today's birthdays: Banker/philanthropist David Rockefeller is 93. Former
President George H.W. Bush is 84. Singer Vic Damone is 80. Songwriter
Richard Sherman is 80. Actor-singer Jim Nabors is 78. Jazz musician Chick
Corea is 67. Sportscaster Marv Albert is 67. Singer Roy Harper is 67. Pop
singer Len Barry is 66. Rock singer Reg Presley (The Troggs) is 65. Rock
singer-musician John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson) is 59. Rock musician Bun E.
Carlos (Cheap Trick) is 57. Country singer-musician Junior Brown is 56.
Singer-songwriter Rocky Burnette is 55. Actor Timothy Busfield is 51. Singer
Meredith Brooks is 50. Actress Jenilee Harrison is 50. Rock musician John
Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 49. Rapper Grandmaster Dee (Whodini) is
46. Actress Paula Marshall is 44. Actress Frances O'Connor is 41. Blues
musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 31. Actor Wil Horneff is 29. Singer Robyn
is 29.
Thought for today: "It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love
one's neighbor." -- Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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