Today in History, June 9
A.D. 68: The Roman emperor Nero committed suicide.
1870: Author Charles Dickens died in Godshill, England.
1940: Norway surrendered to the Nazis during World War II.
1953: About 100 people died when a tornado hit Worcester, Mass.
1954: During the Senate-Army Hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch asked Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
1969: The U.S. Senate confirmed Warren Burger to be the new chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren.
1973: Secretariat became horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 25 years by winning the Belmont Stakes.
1978: Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struck down a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men from the Mormon priesthood.
1980: Comedian Richard Pryor suffered almost fatal burns at his San Fernando Valley, Calif., home when a mixture of “free-base” cocaine exploded.
1985: American educator Thomas Sutherland was kidnapped in Lebanon; he was released in November 1991 along with fellow hostage Terry Waite.
1986: The Rogers Commission released its report on the Challenger disaster, criticizing NASA and rocket builder Morton Thiokol for management problems leading to the explosion that killed seven astronauts.
1996: White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said it was wrong for an investigator to have obtained secret FBI files on 341 people, including prominent Republicans, and President Clinton agreed with Panetta that an apology was called for.
2001: Jennifer Capriati beat Kim Clijsters 1-6, 6-4, 12-10, to win the French Open, and Point Given won the Belmont Stakes.
2005: President Bush defended the USA Patriot Act, saying it had made America safer and should be made permanent.
Today’s Birthdays
Les Paul, guitarist, 91
Mona Freeman, actress, 80
Dick Vitale, sports commentator, 67
Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author, 67
Jon Lord, rock musician, 65
Patricia Cornwell, mystery author, 50
Michael J. Fox, actor, 45
Aaron Sorkin, writer-producer, 45
Johnny Depp, actor, 43
Wayman Tisdale, jazz musician, 42
Gloria Reuben, actress, 42
Dean Felber (Hootie & the Blowfish), rock musician, 39
Ed Simons, musician, 36
Natalie Portman, actress, 25
Mae Whitman, actress, 18
QUOTABLE
“The public! the public! How many fools does it take to make up a public?” — Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (1740-1794)
