This day in history

[June 03, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Friday, June 3, the 154th day of 2011. There are 211 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 3, 1861, Illinois Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic presidential nominee in the 1860 election, died in Chicago of typhoid fever; he was 48.

On this date:

In 1621, the Dutch West India Co. received its charter for a trade monopoly in parts of the Americas and Africa.

In 1808, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was born in Christian County, Ky.

In 1888, the poem "Casey at the Bat," by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

In 1937, the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Warfield Simpson in Monts, France.

In 1948, the 200-inch reflecting Hale Telescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory in California was dedicated.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev opened two days of summit talks in Vienna.

In 1963, Pope John XXIII died at age 81; he was succeeded by Pope Paul VI.

In 1965, astronaut Edward White became the first American to "walk" in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II left a Rome hospital and returned to the Vatican three weeks after the attempt on his life.

In 1989, Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died. Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations. SkyDome (now called Rogers Centre) opened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ten years ago: Alejandro Toledo (al-ay-HAHN'-droh toh-LAY'-doh) defeated ex-president Alan Garcia in Peru's presidential election. Actor Anthony Quinn died in Boston at age 86. Mel Brooks' musical comedy "The Producers" won a record 12 Tony Awards. Golfer Karrie Webb won the U.S. Women's Open in a runaway for the second year in a row.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, attending a security conference in Singapore, branded Iran the world's leading terrorist nation yet hoped that Tehran would seriously consider incentives from the West in exchange for suspending suspect nuclear activities. Gunmen attacked a car belonging to the Russian Embassy in Baghdad, killing one diplomat and kidnapping four employees who were later slain.

One year ago: BP sliced off a pipe with giant shears to make way for a cap in the latest bid to curtail the worst oil spill in U.S. history. During an Oval Office face-off over illegal immigration, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told President Barack Obama Americans "want our border secured" while Obama underscored his objections over the tough immigration law Brewer had signed, calling it discriminatory. Joran van der Sloot (YOHR'-uhn VAN'-dur-sloht), long suspected in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba, was arrested in Chile following the slaying of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Peru. Emmy-winning actress Rue McClanahan, 76, died in New York.

Today's birthdays: TV producer Chuck Barris is 82. Actress Irma P. Hall is 76. Author Larry McMurtry is 75. Rock singer Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) is 72. Singer Eddie Holman is 65. Actor Tristan Rogers is 65. Musician Too Slim (Riders in the Sky) is 63. Rock musician Richard Moore is 62. Singer Suzi Quatro is 61. Singer Deneice Williams is 60. Singer Dan Hill is 57. Actress Suzie Plakson is 53. Actor Scott Valentine is 53. Rock musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 47. Rock singer-musician Mike Gordon is 46. CNN host Anderson Cooper is 44. Country singer Jamie O'Neal is 43. Singers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez (No Mercy) are 40. Actress Nikki M. James is 30. Tennis player Rafael Nadal is 25. Actress-singer Lalaine is 24.

Thought for today: "It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it." -- Lillian Hellman, American playwright (1905-1984)

[Associated Press]

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