Today is Sunday, June 19, the 170th day of 2005. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Father’s Day.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 19, 1865, Union troops commanded by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all slaves were free. (The anniversary of this celebration is called “Juneteenth.”)
On this date:
In 1586, English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, N.C., after failing to establish England’s first permanent settlement in America.
In 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.
In 1910, Father’s Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Wash.
In 1917, during World War I, King George IV ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames. The family took the name “Windsor.”
In 1934, the Federal Communications Commission was created; it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.
In 1945, millions of New Yorkers turned out to cheer Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was honored with a parade.
In 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.
In 1982, in a case that galvanized the Asian-American community, Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American, was beaten to death outside a nightclub in Highland Park, Mich., by two auto workers who later received probation for manslaughter.
In 1999, Britain’s Prince Edward married commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones in Windsor, England.
Ten years ago: Chechen rebels and more than 100 human shields rode a convoy of buses back to Chechnya following the end of a hostage drama at a Russian hospital. Chinese-American human rights activist Harry Wu was detained as he tried to enter China; he was jailed for 66 days before being expelled.
Five years ago: The Supreme Court reaffirmed, 6-3, that praying in public schools had to be private, barring officials from letting students lead stadium crowds in prayer before football games. The Los Angeles Lakers won their first championship in 12 years, defeating the Indiana Pacers 116-111 in game six of the NBA Finals (the post-game celebration, however, was marred by violent fans). Former Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita died in Tokyo at age 76.
One year ago: The U.S. military stepped up its campaign against militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , launching an airstrike that pulverized a suspected hideout in Fallujah.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Gena Rowlands is 69. Singer Al Wilson is 66. Singer Spanky MacFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang) is 63. Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is 60. Actress Phylicia Rashad is 57. Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 55. Musician Larry Dunn is 52. Actress Kathleen Turner is 51. Country singer Doug Stone is 49. Singer Mark DeBarge is 46. Singer-dancer Paula Abdul is 43. Rock singer-musician Brian Vander Ark (Verve Pipe) is 41. Actor Andy Lauer is 40. Actress Robin Tunney is 33. Actor Bumper Robinson is 31. Actress Poppy Montgomery is 30. Actress Zoe Saldana is 26.
Thought for Today: “Free thinkers are generally those who never think at all.” — Laurence Sterne, English author (1713-1768).
