Paradise Driver

----------------

Today is Saturday, June 12th.

The 164th day of 2004.

There are 202 days left in the year.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Today's Highlight in History:



On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were slashed to death outside her Los Angeles home. (O.J. Simpson was later acquitted of the killings in a criminal trial, but was eventually held liable in a civil action.)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



On this date:



In 1616, Pocahontas arrives in England



In 1667, The first successful blood transfusion was carried out by Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to King Louis XIV of France, on a 15-year-old-boy using blood from a sheep.



In 1672, The British government made it illegal to utter any criticism of the British government.



In 1776, Virginia's colonial legislature became the first to adopt a Bill of Rights.



In 1812, Napoleon's invasion of Russia began.



In 1838, The Iowa Territory was organized, separated from the Wisconsin Territory.



In 1849, The gas mask was patented by Lewis Haslett of Louisville, Kentucky.



In 1897, Carl Elsener patented his penknife. The object later became known as the Swiss army knife.



In 1898, Philippine nationalists declared independence from Spain.



In 1917, The Secret Service extends protection of the president to his family as well.



In 1929, Anne Frank, Jewish wartime diarist, was born in Germany. Her diary has captivated millions with her account of growing up in occupied Amsterdam during World War II. She died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945.



In 1935, U.S. Senator Huey Long of Louisiana made the longest speech on Senate record. The speech took 15 1/2 hours and was filled by 150,000 words.



In 1936, The world's first radio station (KDKA - Pittsburgh PA) becomes the first 50 KW US radio station.



In 1939, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, N.Y.



In 1942, American bombers strike the oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania for the first time.



In 1962, USAF Maj Robert M White takes X-15 to 56,270 m.



In 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.)



In 1963, Movie company United Artists sells its Santa Monica Boulevard lot to a real estate developer. It will be turned into a shopping center.



In 1963, "Cleopatra" starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison, and Richard Burton premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City.



In 1965, Sonny and Cher performed "I Got You Babe" on "American Bandstand."



In 1967, The Supreme Court struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages, in the case of the Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court.



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 1979, 26-year-old cyclist Bryan Allen flew the man-powered Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel.



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."



In 1989, The Supreme Court rules the burning of the American flag as a political protest is protected by the First Amendment.



In 1996, The Southern Baptist church voted to boycott Disney theme parks and Disney products because of Disney's decision to give benefits to companions of gay employees.



Ten years ago (1994):



Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the charismatic ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader, died in New York at age 92.



At the Tony Awards, "Angels in America: Perestroika" won best play while "Passion" won best musical.



Five years ago (1999):



Thousands of NATO peacekeeping troops poured into Kosovo by air and by land; but in a surprising move, a Russian armored column entered Pristina before dawn to a heroes' welcome from Serb residents.



Texas Gov. George W. Bush announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.



One year ago (2003):



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.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Today's Birthdays:



Banker David Rockefeller is 89.



Former President George H.W. Bush is 80.



Singer Vic Damone is 76.



Actor-singer Jim Nabors is 74.



Jazz musician Chick Corea is 63.



Sportscaster Marv Albert is 63.



Singer Roy Harper is 63.



Rock singer Reg Presley (The Troggs) is 61.



Rock singer-musician Brad Delp (Boston) is 53.



Rock musician Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) is 53.



Country singer-musician Junior Brown is 52.



Singer-songwriter Rocky Burnette is 51.



Actor Timothy Busfield is 47.



Singer Meredith Brooks is 46.



Actress Jenilee Harrison is 45.



Rock musician John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 45.



Rapper Grandmaster Dee (Whodini) is 42.



Actress Paula Marshall is 40.



Actress Frances O'Connor is 37.



Blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 27.



Actor Wil Horneff is 25.



Singer Robyn is 25.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Thought for Today:

"It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor." -

- Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983).

-----------------------