EVENTS
- 1859 – The Comstock Lode is discovered near Virginia City, Nevada.
- 1898 – The Philippines declared their independence from Spain. The islands were named after King Philip II. Once freed from Spain, the islands were then invaded and occupied by U.S. forces. They became an American colony and remained so until after World War II.
- 1939 – Opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, New York.
Baseball Hall of Fame - 1963 – Civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi, by a rifle bullet from an ambush. He had been active in seeking integration of schools and voter registration for African Americans in the South. Widespread public outrage following his death led President John F. Kennedy to propose a comprehensive Civil Rights law. Evers was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
- 1964 – Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison. The South African anti-apartheid activist spent 27 years in prison. In 1993, he received the Nobel Peace Prize and one year later he became President of South Africa.
- 1987 – President Ronald Reagan challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
- 1991 – Russians elect Boris Yeltsin as the president of their new republic.
- 1994 – The world’s largest twinjet takes off on its maiden flight. The Boeing 777, or Triple Seven, typically transports up to 451 passengers. It is one of Boeing’s commercially most successful planes.
- 2016 – Mass Shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida Kills 49 People. In what is now thought to be one of the deadliest incidents of violence against LGBTQ people in history, the shooting committed by 29-year old Omar Mateen is also the second deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1897 – Anthony Eden (British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
- 1924 – George Bush (41st US President)
- 1929 – Anne Frank (Wrote diary of hiding from the Nazis)
- 1930 – Jim Nabors (Actor)
- 1941 – Roy Harper (English singer-songwriter, guitarist, poet, actor)
Roy Harper - 1941 – Marv Albert (Sportscaster)
- 1971 – Mark Henry (American weightlifter, wrestler)
- 1979 – Dallas Clark (NFL Football player)
DEATHS
- 1963 – Medgar Evers (American civil rights activist)
- 1980 – Billy Butlin (South African/English businessman, founded Butlins)
- 1994 – Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Russian/French rabbi)
- 2006 – György Ligeti (Romanian/Austrian composer)
György Ligeti - 2010 – Al Williamson (American illustrator)
