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Today is Sunday, June 27th.

The 179th day of 2004.

There are 187 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 27, 1950, President Truman ordered the Air Force and Navy into the Korean conflict following a call from the U.N. Security Council for member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North.



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On this date:



In 1652, New Amsterdam (now N.Y.C.) imposes the first speed limit in the U.S., specifying that it is illegal for traffic within the city limits to proceed at a gallop.



In 1776, Thomas Hickey, one of George Washington's guards, went into the history books for all the wrong reasons. He was convicted of plotting to deliver George Washington to the British and became the first person to be executed by the army of the U.S.



In 1787, In Lausanne, Switzerland, Edward Gibbon completes the sixth and final volume of his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the great works of history in the English language.



In 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Ill.



In 1847, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires.



In 1880, Author/Educator Helen Adams Keller was born in Tuscumbia AL. Blind and deaf from the age of 19 months, her early life is best remembered from the movie "The Miracle Worker". She died in Westport CT on June 1, 1968 at age 87.



In 1893, The New York stock market crashed. By the end of the year 600 banks and 74 railroads had gone out of business.



In 1927, Actor/Author Robert "Bob" Keeshan was born in Lynbrook NY. The original "Clarabell the Clown" on the "Howdy Doody Show" on NBC-TV (1947-1952), he was most famous at "Captain Kangaroo" on the CBS-TV show of the same name from 1955 to 1985. He died January 23, 2004 at age 76.



In 1942, The FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island.



In 1950, The US sends 35 military advisers to South Vietnam



In 1951, "Amos ’n’ Andy" moved to CBS-TV from CBS radio.



In 1954, The world's first atomic power station begins producing electricity in Obninsk, U.S.S.R, near Moscow.



In 1955, The nation's first automobile seat belt legislation is enacted in Illinois.



In 1957, More than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas.



In 1959, The play, "West Side Story," with music by Leonard Bernstein, closed after 734 performances on Broadway.



In 1964, Jan & Dean's "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" was released.



In 1969, Patrons at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, clashed with police in an incident considered the birth of the gay rights movement.



In 1973, Former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" kept by the Nixon White House.



In 1976, Palestinian extremists hijacked an Air France plane in Greece with 246 passengers and 12 crew. They eventually took it to Entebbe, Uganda, where Israeli commandos rescued over 100 hostages from a terminal building on July 4.



In 1977, The Supreme Court struck down state laws and bar association rules that had prohibited lawyers from advertising their fees for routine services.



In 1980, President Carter signed legislation reviving draft registration.



In 1984, The Supreme Court ended the National Collegiate Athletic Association's monopoly on controlling college football telecasts, ruling such control violated antitrust law.



In 1985, The legendary Route 66, which originally stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., passed into history as officials decertified the road.



In 1986, The World Court ruled that the U.S. had broken international law by aiding Nicaraguan rebels.



In 1987, The Rev. Jerry Falwell denied that he had "hoodwinked" Jim Bakker into giving up control of the PTL ministry.



In 1995, Actor Hugh Grant was arrested in Los Angeles for engaging in "lewd behavior" with a prostitute in a rented BMW.



In 1997, The Supreme Court threw out a key part of the Brady gun-control law, saying the federal government could not make local police decide whether people are fit to buy handguns. However, the court left intact the five-day waiting period for gun purchases.



In 1998, An English woman was impregnated with her dead husband's sperm after two-year legal battle over her right to the sperm.



In 1998, In a live joint news conference in China U.S. President Clinton and President Jiang Zemin offered an uncensored airing of differences on human rights, freedom, trade and Tibet.



In 2002, In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission required companies with annual sales of more than $1.2 billion to submit sworn statements backing up the accuracy of their financial reports.



Ten years ago (1994):



U.S. Coast Guard cutters intercepted 1,330 Haitian boat people on the high seas in one of the busiest single days since refugees began leaving Haiti following a 1991 military coup.



President Clinton replaced White House chief of staff Mack McLarty with budget director Leon Panetta.



The dollar dropped below 100 yen in Tokyo for the first time since the modern exchange rate system was established a half-century ago.



Five years ago (1999):



George Papadopoulos, the head of Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship, died of cancer in Athens at age 80.



Juli Inkster shot a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam (the first was Pat Bradley).



The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome.



One year ago (2003):



More than 735,000 phone numbers were registered on the first day of a national do-not-call list aimed at blocking unwelcome solicitations from telemarketers.



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Today's Birthdays:



Business executive (Ray) H. (Henry) "Ross" Perot is 74.



The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, is 68.



Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is 66.



Singer-musician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 62.



Actress Julia Duffy is 53.



Actress Isabelle Adjani is 49.



Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 45.



Actor Brian Drillinger is 44.



Actor Yancey Arias is 33.



Actor Tobey Maguire is 29.



Gospel singer Leigh Nash is 28.



Actress Madylin Sweeten is 13.



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Thought for Today:

"If a man cannot be a Christian in the place where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere." -

- Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887).

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Today is Saturday, June 26th.

The 178th day of 2004.

There are 188 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 26, 1963, President Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he was greeted by more than a million of the divided city's residents. In a speech, he made his famous declaration: "Ich bin ein Berliner" In English, the intended translation is "I am a Berliner," a phrase Kennedy hoped would encourage the isolated city. In fact, a "Berliner" is local slang for something like a donut, so he was saying "I Am a Jelly Doughnut", but everyone seemed to understand what the President meant. The pun is still famous in Germany, and many comics will still use the line.



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On this date:



In 1483, In a royal drama later told by Shakespeare, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, takes the crown of England as Richard III, following the death of King Edward IV and the imprisonment of the young Edward V.



In 1498, The toothbrush is invented in China.



In 1804, The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.



In 1819, The Bicycle was patented by William Clarkson Jr. of New York.



In 1858, China was forced to open its port cities to foreigners by the threat of military force by European ships.



In 1870, The first section of Atlantic City, New Jersey's Boardwalk was opened to the public.



In 1894, The first U.S. patent for a gasoline-driven automobile is issued to Karl Benz of Germany.



In 1894, Railroad workers led by Eugene V. Debs begin a national strike in sympathy with employees at the Pullman railcar company. Later, troops sent by President Grover Cleveland put a violent end to the strike.



In 1900, A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever.



In 1904, Actor/Director Peter Lorre (Laszlo Loewenstein) was born in Hungary. He died March 23, 1964 at age 59.



In 1909, Elvis Presley's manager "Colonel" Tom Parker was born. He died January 21, 1997 at age87.



In 1912, The Oreo cookie was born by Nabisco.



In 1914, Olympic medalist/Golfer/Actress Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was born. Probably the greatest female athlete of the 20th century, she died September 27, 1956 at age 42.



In 1917, The first troops of the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France during World War I.



In 1919, The first issue of the New York "Daily News" was published, under the name "The Illustrated Daily News."



In 1924, The "Ziegfeld Follies" opens on Broadway.



In 1925, The Gold Rush, Charlie Chaplin's epic comedy set in Alaska, opens. A critical and popular success, it is immediately acclaimed as a landmark in film history.



In 1942, The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter was flown for the first time.



In 1944, The Republican national convention opened in Chicago with a keynote speech by California Governor Earl Warren.



In 1945, The charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.



In 1959, President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.



In 1959, CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow interviewed Lee Remick. It was his 500th and final guest on "Person to Person."



In 1964, The Beatles release "A Hard Day's Night" album



In 1968, Chief U.S. Justice Earl Warren announced his intention to resign.



In 1972, The Air Force unveils the new F-15 jet fighter.



In 1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tenn.



In 1981, We take you now to Mountain Home, Idaho and a supermarket frequented by Virginia Campbell. On this day, Mrs. Campbell took her clipped coupons and rebates and bought some groceries. A lot of them. Checkers totaled some $24,460 worth, in fact! How much did Campbell end up paying with all of those coupons and rebates? Only 67 cents! Reports indicated that she would have received a REFUND of $12.97, but she decided to get film and flashbulbs after the bill was totaled.



In 1983, The Soviet Union announced that 15 Pentecostalists would be allowed to leave the country, including five who had taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for nearly five years.



In 1987, Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. announced his retirement, leaving a vacancy that was filled by Anthony M. Kennedy.



In 1989, Canada updates coins with a new potrait of the Queen.



In 1989, In a pair of decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty may be imposed for murderers who committed their crimes as young as 16, and for mentally retarded killers.



In 1990, President Bush, who had campaigned for office on a pledge of "no new taxes," conceded that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit-reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.



In 1992, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, the target of public wrath for the Rodney King beating, stepped down from office. Willie L. Williams was appointed the new C.O.P.



In 1993, President Clinton announced the U.S. had launched Tomahawk cruise missiles against Iraqi targets, Iraqi intelligence headquartes, because of "compelling evidence" Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President Bush. 6 people were killed.



In 1996, The Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Academy to admit women or forgo state support.



In 1997, The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that made it illegal to distribute indecent material on the Internet.



In 1998, The Supreme Court issued a landmark sexual harassment ruling, putting employers on notice that they can be held responsible for supervisors' misconduct even if they knew nothing about it.



In 2000, The Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corp. jointly announced that they had created a working draft of the human genome.



In 2002, WorldCom Inc., the nation's No. 2 long-distance company, slid toward bankruptcy after disclosing what could be the biggest case of crooked accounting in U.S. history.



Ten years ago (1994):



Hundreds of thousands of homosexuals gathered in New York City to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riot, considered the birth of the gay rights movement.



An Israeli commission found that a Jewish settler had acted alone when he shot and killed 29 Muslims in a Hebron mosque, rejecting Palestinian claims of a conspiracy.



104 degrees F (40 degrees C) at Denver Colorado.

107 degrees F (41.6 degrees C) at Albuquerque New Mexico.

112 degrees F (44.4 degrees C) at El Paso Texas.

122 degrees F (50 degrees C) at Laughlin Nevada.

126 degrees F (52.2 degrees C) in Death Valley Calif.



Five years ago (1999):



An advance contingent of Russian troops flew into Kosovo to help reopen a strategic airport and join an uneasy alliance with NATO peacekeepers.



One year ago (2003):



The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down state bans on gay sex.



A jury in Fort Worth, Texas, convicted former nurse's aide Chante Mallard of murder for hitting a homeless man with her car, driving home with his mangled body jammed in the windshield and leaving him to die in her garage.



Strom Thurmond, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, died in Edgefield, S.C., at age 100. He was born December 5, 1902.



Sir Denis Thatcher, husband of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died in London at age 88.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actress Eleanor Parker is 82.



Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 70.



Actor Josef Sommer is 70.



Singer Billy Davis Jr. (The Fifth Dimension) is 64.



Singer Georgie Fame is 61.



Actor Clive Francis is 58.



Actor Robert Davi is 50.



Singer-musician Mick Jones is 49.



Actor Gedde Watanabe is 49.



Rock singer Chris Isaak is 48.



Rock singer Patty Smyth is 47.



Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 43.



Actor Mark McKinney is 42.



Rock singer Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) is 41.



Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 35.



Actor Sean Hayes is 34.



Actor Matt Letscher is 34.



Actor Chris O'Donnell is 34.



Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 30.



Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 24.



Actress Kaitlin Cullum is 18.



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Thought for Today:

"When a diplomat says yes, he means perhaps; when he says perhaps, he means no; when he says no, he is no diplomat." -

- Anonymous.

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Today is Friday, June 25th.

The 177th day of 2004.

There are 189 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, age 36, and 208 men of the seventh Calvary (including his brother Capt. Tom Custer (31), a civilian brother Boston Custer (27), his brother-in-law Lt. James Calhoun (30) and a 18-year-old nephew "Autie" Reed) are killed at the Little Big Horn river, during the Sioux Indian War (known as the Battle of Greasing Grass by the Indians). Comanche, a horse, was the lone survivor; all the others were were wiped out by the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians led by Chief Crazy Horse and Chief Sitting Bull in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, in Montana.



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On this date:



In 1630, The "Fork" was introduced to American dining by Gov. Winthrop of MA.



In 1788, The state of Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution.



In 1844, John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first U.S. President to marry while in office.



In 1867, Barbed Wire was patented by Lucien Smith.



In 1868, President Andrew Johnson passed a law providing the first eight-hour work day for government workers.



In 1917, The first American fighting troops landed in France.



In 1942, Some 1,000 British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany, during World War II.



In 1950, War broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South.



In 1951, The first commercial color telecast took place as CBS transmitted a one-hour special from New York to four other cities. The program was the "Arthur Godfrey Show". CBS was using its new FCC approved CBS Color System. There were no Color TV receivers available to the public at that time. The CBS system was not compatable with black & white receivers and was replaced by the NTSC system in use today.



In 1956, 51 die in the collision of the "Andrea Doria" and the "Stockholm" off Cape Cod MA.



In 1961, Iraq announces that Kuwait is a part of Iraq (Kuwait disagrees).



In 1962, The Supreme Court ruled that the use of an unofficial, non-denominational prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional.



In 1966, "Dark Shadows" began running on ABC-TV.



In 1967, The Beatles performed their new song, "All You Need Is Love," during a live international telecast.



In 1973, Former White House Counsel John W. Dean began testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee. He admitted that U.S. President Nixon took part in the Watergate cover-up.



In 1991, The western Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence.



In 1993, Kim Campbell was sworn in as Canada's 19th prime minister, the first woman to hold the post.



In 1995, Warren Burger, the 15th chief justice of the United States (1969-1986), died in Washington at age 87. He was born September 17, 1907.



In 1996, Outside the Khobar Towers near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia a truck bomb exploded. The bomb killed 19 Americans and injured over 500 Saudis and Americans.



In 1997, Veteran French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who popularized underwater exploration with prize-winning films, died aged 87. He was born in St. Andre-de-Cubzac, France on June 11, 1910.



In 1998, The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the line-item veto thereby striking down presidential power to cancel specific items in tax and spending legislation.



In 1998, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that those infected with HIV are protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act.



In 1998, Microsoft's "Windows 98" was released to the public.



Ten years ago (1994):



Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, faced with certain defeat in a no-confidence vote, announced his intention to resign after just two months in office.



Five years ago (1999):



During a news conference, President Clinton said the people of Serbia had to "get out of denial" about the atrocities blamed on Slobodan Milosevic and decide if he was fit to remain president of Yugoslavia.



The San Antonio Spurs won their first NBA title as they defeated the New York Knicks, 78-77, in game five of their championship series.



One year ago (2003):



The music industry threatened to sue hundreds of individual computer users who were illegally sharing music files online.



Former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, a symbol of Old South segregation, died in Atlanta at age 87.



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Today's Birthdays:



Movie director Sidney Lumet is 80.



Actress June Lockhart is 79.



Rhythm and blues singer Eddie Floyd is 69.



Actress Barbara Montgomery is 65.



Basketball Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed is 62.



Singer Carly Simon is 59.



Rock musician Allen Lanier (Blue Oyster Cult) is 58.



Rock musician Ian McDonald (Foreigner; King Crimson) is 58.



Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 57.



Actor-director Michael Lembeck is 56.



T.V. personality Phyllis George is 55.



Rock singer Tim Finn is 52.



Rock musician David Paich (Toto) is 50.



Rock singer George Michael is 41.



Rapper-producer Richie Rich is 37.



Rapper Candyman is 36.



Musician Sean Kelly is 33.



Rock musician Mario Calire is 30.



Actress Linda Cardellini is 29.



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Thought for Today:

"It is not depravity that afflicts the human race so much as a general lack of intelligence." -

- Agnes Repplier, American writer and social critic (1858-1950).

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Today is Thursday, June 24th.

The 176th day of 2004.

There are 190 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 24, 1948, Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the western allies to organize the massive Berlin Airlift. It lasted 321 days.



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On this date:



In 1314, The forces of Scotland's King Robert I defeated the English in the Battle of Bannockburn.



In 1497, An English expedition led by John Cabot makes the first recorded sighting of North America by a European, landing at what may have been Cape Breton Island, Newfoundland.



In 1509, Henry VIII was crowned King of England.



In 1647, Margaret Brent, a niece of Lord Baltimore, was ejected from the Maryland Assembly after demanding a place and vote in that governing body.



In 1664, Proprietorship of New Jersey is granted by James, Duke of York, to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret (New Jersey is named after Carteret, the former governor of the Isle of Jersey).



In 1793, The first republican constitution in France was adopted.



In 1817, First coffee planted in Hawaii on the Kona coast of the "Big Island".



In 1908, The 22nd (1885-1889 ) and 24th (1893-1897) president of the United States, (Stephen) Grover Cleveland, died in Princeton, N.J., at age 71. He was born in Caldwell, NJ on March 18, 1837.



In 1910, An act requiring installation of radio equipment on all American passenger ships operating from U.S. ports is passed by Congress.



In 1940, France signed an armistice with Italy during World War II.



In 1945, British bombers destroyed the "Bridge Over the River Kwai." The bridge had been built by thousands of British and Allied prisoners of war.



In 1947, The first reported sighting of Flying Saucers occurred near Mount Rainier, Washington by airline pilot Kenneth Arnold of Boise, Idaho. He reported that he saw nine UFOs over the area. He estimated the speed at 1,700 mph and described their flight pattern as similar to a saucer skipping across water, inspiring a newspaper man to name then Flying Saucers.



In 1948, The Selective Service Act is signed into law.



In 1949, NBC-TV premiered the first TV western,"Hopalong Cassidy".



In 1953, John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier announced their engagement.



In 1955, Soviet MIG's down a U.S. Navy patrol plane over the Bering Strait.



In 1961, Iraq demands dominion over Kuwait.



In 1964, The Federal Trade Commission announced that it would require warning labels on cigarette packages beginning in 1965.



In 1968, "Resurrection City," a shantytown constructed as part of the Poor People's March on Washington, D.C., was closed down by authorities.



In 1970, The movie "Myra Breckinridge" premiered.



In 1972, Wake Island becomes unincorporated territory of US (US Air Force).



In 1972, "I Am Woman," by Helen Reddy, was released.



In 1975, 113 people were killed when an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashed while attempting to land during a thunderstorm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.



In 1975, A Moon tremor was recorded when it was impacted by Taurid meteors.



In 1982, The Supreme Court rules a president can not be sued for damages for actions he took while in office.



In 1983, The space shuttle Challenger — carrying America's first woman in space, Sally K. Ride — coasted to a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.



In 1987, Comedian-actor Herbet John "Jackie" Gleason died at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at age 71. He was born in Brooklyn NY on February 26, 1916.



In 1989, Following the crackdown on China's pro-democracy movement, Zhao Ziyang (jah-oh zee-yahng) was deposed as Communist Party General Secretary, and was replaced by Jiang Zemin (jahng zuh-meen).



In 1991, The Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment did not shield news organizations from being sued when they publish the names of sources who had been promised confidentiality.



In 1992, The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, strengthened its 30-year ban on officially sponsored worship in public schools, prohibiting prayer as a part of graduation ceremonies.



In 1992, The Supreme Court ruled that health warnings on cigarette packs don't necessarily exempt tobacco companies from false advertising lawsuits if they continue to tell consumers that smoking is safe.



In 1996, A jury ordered the city of Philadelphia to pay $1.5 million in damages for the bombing of MOVE headquarters in 1985 that killed 11 people.



In 1997, The U.S. Air Force released a report on the "Roswell Incident," suggesting the alien bodies witnesses reported seeing in 1947 were actually life-sized dummies.



In 1998, Twelve thousand farmers lose $80 million in crops in the worst Florida wildfires in half century.



In 2002, President G. W. Bush urged the Palestinians to replace Yasser Arafat with leaders "not compromised by terror" and adopt democratic reforms that could produce an independent state within three years.



In 2002, The Supreme Court ruled that juries, not judges, must decide whether a convicted killer lives or dies.



Ten years ago (1994):



President Clinton struck out at his conservative critics and the media, bitterly complaining in a speech in St. Louis that unfair and negative reports about him were feeding a cynical mindset in America.



Five years ago (1999):



Union organizers claimed victory after workers at six Fieldcrest Cannon mills in North Carolina voted to be represented by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.



Testimony wound to an end after 76 days in the landmark Microsoft antitrust trial.



One year ago (2003):



Six British soldiers were killed by Iraqis in a police station in southern Iraq and eight were wounded in a nearby ambush.



President Vladimir Putin arrived in London on the first state visit to Britain by a Russian leader since the 19th century.



An Air France Concorde bound for a German museum landed in Germany.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Al Molinaro is 85.



Comedian Jack Carter is 81.



Movie director Claude Chabrol is 74.



Actress Michele Lee (Dusiak) is 62.



Musician Mick Fleetwood is 62.



Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown ("The Mod Squad") is 61.



Rock musician Jeff Beck is 60.



Singer Arthur Brown is 60.



New York Governor George Pataki is 59.



Rock singer Colin Blunstone (The Zombies) is 59.



Actor Peter Weller ("Robo-Cop") is 57.



Rock musician John Illsley (Dire Straits) is 55.



Actress Nancy Allen ("Robo-Cop") is 54.



Reggae singer Derrick Simpson (Black Uhuru) is 54.



Reggae singer Astro (UB40) is 47.



Singer-musician Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark) is 45.



Rock singer Curt Smith is 43.



Actress Danielle Spencer is 39.



Actress Sherry Stringfield is 37.



Singer Glenn Medeiros is 34.



Singer Solange Knowles is 18.



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Thought for Today:

"Self-denial is indulgence of a propensity to forego." -

- Ambrose Bierce, American author-journalist (1842-1914?).

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Today is Wednesday, June 23rd.

The 175th day of 2004.

There are 191 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 23rd, 1969, Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief U.S. justice by the man he was succeeding, Earl Warren.



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On this date:



In 930, The Iceland Parliament, the world's oldest, was established.



In 1683, William Penn signed a Friendship Treaty with the Lenni Lenape Indians near what is now Philadelphia; the only treaty "not sworn to/nor broken"



In 1776, The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was submitted to Congress.



In 1860, The Government Printing Office is established by an act of Congress (now the largest printing establishment in the world).



In 1860, The United States Secret Service was created by an act of Congress. The agency was, at first, only responsible for protecting against the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.



In 1865, Confederate General Stand Watie, who was also a Cherokee chief, surrendered the last sizable Confederate army at Fort Towson, in the Oklahoma Territory.



In 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his "Type-Writer."



In 1888, Abolitionist Frederick Douglass received one vote from the Kentucky delegation at the Republican convention in Chicago, making him, in effect, the first black candidate to have his name placed in nomination for president. The convention ended up nominating Benjamin Harrison.



In 1892, The Democratic national convention in Chicago nominated former President Cleveland on the first ballot.



In 1927, Tony Award winning Dancer/Choreographer/Actor/Producer/Director Robert Louis "Bob" Fosse was born in Chicago IL. A TRUE Broadway and movie leader, noted for his intentionally exaggerated staging and unique arrangements of dancers, Fosse's choreography emphasized stylistic techniques such as locked ankles, hip thrusts, shoulder rolls, and leaning postures. He died September 23, 1987 at age 60.



In 1929, Singer/Songwriter June Carter-Cash was born in Maces Spring VA. She died May 15, 2003 at age 73.



In 1931, Aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane.



In 1938, The Civil Aeronautics Authority was established.



In 1938, Marineland opened near St. Augustine, Florida.



In 1947, The Senate joined the House in overriding President Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act.



In 1951, The brand-new transatlantic ocean liner "S.S. United States", dubbed "The Big U," was christened by Mrs. Tom Connally, wife of the Senator from Texas; it was the first time a christening ceremony was televised.



In 1954, 122 degrees F (50 degrees C), Overton, Nevada (state record).



In 1955, Walt Disney's "Lady & the Tramp" is released



In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.



In 1961, The Antarctic Treaty (signed December 1, 1959) comes into effect. It pledges the 12 signatory nations to nonpolitical, scientific investigation of the continent and bars any military activity.



In 1964, Henry Cabot Lodge resigned as the U.S. envoy to Vietnam and was succeeded by Maxwell Taylor.



In 1967, President Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin held the first of two meetings in Glassboro, N.J.



In 1968, The war in Vietnam becomes the longest war in U.S. history.



In 1972, The infamous conversation between President Nixon and White House chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, concerning the Watergate break-in, occurred. 18 1/2-minutes of the White House tape was later erased. They agreed on a plan to use the C.I.A. to obstruct the F.B.I.'s Watergate break-in investigation. Revelation of the tape recording of this conversation sparked Nixon's resignation in 1974.



In 1972, President Nixon signed the Higher Education Act of 1972. Title IX of this congressional act barred sex bias in athletics and other activities at colleges receiving federal assistance.



In 1974, The first extraterrestrial message was sent from Earth into space.



In 1976, The CCN Tower in Toronto, tallest free-standing structure (555 m/1820 ft) opens



In 1979, The Charlie Daniels Band releases "Devil Went Down to Georgia"



In 1982, -117 degrees F; All time low at the South Pole.



In 1985, All 329 people aboard an Air-India Boeing 747 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, apparently because of a bomb.



In 1993, John Wayne Bobbitt met his Waterloo when his wife, Lorena, amputated his male appendage and threw it away. It was later recovered by someone else who put it in ice and took it to the hospital where John was also transported to. It was the first time a patient arrivied in the hospital with each piece coming from opposite directions. (John Bobbitt was later acquitted of marital sexual assault; Lorena Bobbitt was later acquitted of malicious wounding by reason of insanity.)



In 1995, Dr. Jonas Edward Salk, developer of the first vaccine to halt the crippling rampage of polio, died in La Jolla, Calif., at age 80. He founded the Jonas Salk Institute for Biological studies in La Jolla, CA. He was born in New York City on October 28, 1914.



Ten years ago (1994):



French marines and Foreign Legionnaires headed into Rwanda to try to stem the country's ethnic slaughter.



The United States and Russia signed agreements in Washington on cooperating in space and economic development.



Five years ago (1999):



A divided Supreme Court dramatically enhanced states' rights in a trio of decisions that eroded Congress' power.



U.S. Marines in Kosovo killed one person and wounded two others after coming under fire; no Marines were injured.



One year ago (2003):



A divided Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed the nation's colleges and universities to select students based in part on race.



The Supreme Court said the government could require public libraries to equip computers with anti-pornography filters.



Democrat Howard Dean formally announced his presidential campaign.



Maynard Jackson Jr., the first black mayor of Atlanta, died in Washington, D.C., at age 65.



Apple Computer Inc. unveiled the new Power Mac desktop computer.



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



Today's Birthdays:



Singer Diana Trask is 64.



Musical conductor James Levine is 61.



Rhythm and blues singer Rosetta Hightower (The Orlons) is 60.



Actor Ted Shackelford is 58.



Actor Bryan Brown is 57.



Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is 56.



Actor Jim Metzler is 49.



Actress Frances McDormand is 47.



Rock musician Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) is 42.



Actor Paul La Greca is 42.



Singer Chico DeBarge is 34.



Actress Selma Blair is 32.



Rhythm and blues singer Virgo Williams (Ghostowns DJs) is 29.



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Thought for Today:

"One today is worth two tomorrows." -

- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).

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

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

Today is Tuesday, June 22nd.

The 174th day of 2004.

There are 192 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt signed the Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the "GI Bill of Rights", which provides tuition, low-interest mortgages, and other benefits to veterans.



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On this date:



In 1611, English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay by mutineers.



In 1870, Congress created the Department of Justice.



In 1873, Prince Edward Island joins Canada.



In 1874, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still began the first known practice of osteopathy.



In 1911, Britain's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey.



In 1933, The Illinois waterways opens, linking the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico.



In 1938, Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch at Yankee Stadium.



In 1940, During World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.



In 1941, Breaking the nonaggression pact signed by the two countries in 1939, Germany invades the Soviet Union, in Operation Barbarosa, sending over 3 million troops (150 divisions) across the border in a front that was over 1,800 miles long.



In 1942, A Japanese submarine shelled Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia River.



In 1945, The World War II battle for Okinawa officially ended; 12,520 Americans and 110,000 Japanese were killed in the 81-day campaign.



In 1961, The final episode of "You Bet Your Life"/"The Groucho Show" was aired.



In 1963, The Safaris' "Wipe Out" was released.



In 1968, Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" was released.



In 1969, Singer-actress Judy Garland died in London, at age 47, from an accidental overdose of prescription sleeping aids. She was born Frances Gumm in Grand Rapids MN on June 10, 1922.



In 1970, President Nixon signed a measure lowering the voting age to 18.



In 1977, John N. Mitchell became the first former U.S. Attorney General to go to prison as he began serving a sentence for his role in the Watergate cover-up. He served 19 months.



In 1978, James W. Christy and Robert S. Harrington discovered the only known moon of Pluto. The moon is named Charon.



In 1981, Mark David Chapman pled guilty to killing John Lennon.



In 1987, Actor-dancer Fred Astaire died in Los Angeles at age 88. He was born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha NE on May 10, 1899.



In 1990, Florida passes a law prohibits wearing a throng bathing suit



In 1992, The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that hate-crime laws that ban cross-burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights.



In 1993, Former first lady Pat Nixon died in Park Ridge, N.J., at age 81. She was born Thelma Catherine Ryan in Ely NV on March 16, 1912.



In 1998, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that evidence illegally obtained by authorities could be used at revocation hearings for a convicted criminal's parole.



In 2001, The final episode of "Xena: Warrior Princess" aired.



Ten years ago (1994):



President Clinton announced North Korea had confirmed its willingness to freeze its nuclear program.



The Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks 90-84 to win the NBA championship.



Five years ago (1999):



President Clinton visited ethnic Albanian refugees at a refugee camp in Macedonia.



The Supreme Court ruled the Americans with Disabilities Act does not extend to people with poor eyesight or other correctable conditions.



One year ago (2003):



Iraq re-entered the world oil market with its first shipment of crude since the war, but sabotage and looting along its largest pipeline delayed the flow of freshly pumped oil.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Ralph Waite is 76.



Country singer Roy Drusky is 74.



Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is 71.



Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 68.



CBS News correspondent Ed Bradley is 63.



Actor Michael Lerner is 63.



Fox News correspondent Brit Hume is 61.



Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer is 60.



Singer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 60.



Actor Andrew Rubin is 58.



Actor David L. Lander is 57.



Singer Howard "Eddie" Kaylan is 57.



Singer-musician Todd Rundgren is 56.



Actress Meryl Streep is 55.



Actress Lindsay Wagner is 55.



Singer Alan Osmond is 55.



Actor Murphy Cross is 54.



Actor Graham Greene is 52.



Actor Chris Lemmon is 50.



Actor Tim Russ is 48.



Rock musician Garry Beers (INXS) is 47.



Actor-producer-writer Bruce Campbell is 46.



Rock musician Alan Anton (Cowboy Junkies) is 45.



Actress Tracy Pollan is 44.



Rock singer-musician Jimmy Somerville is 43.



Rock singer-musician Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) is 40.



Actress Amy Brenneman is 40.



Actress Paula Irvine is 36.



Rock singer Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) is 34.



T.V. personality Carson Daly is 31.



Rock musician Chris Traynor (Helmet) is 31.



Actor Donald Faison is 30.



Actress Lindsay Ridgeway is 19.



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Thought for Today:

"The highest purpose is to have no purpose at all." -

- John Cage, American composer (1912-1992).

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

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

Today is Monday, June 21st.

The 173rd day of 2004.

There are 193 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 21, 1964, civil rights workers Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James E. Chaney disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss.; their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later. (Seven Ku Klux Klansmen were later convicted of federal civil rights violations in the deaths and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to ten years; none served more than six years.)



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On this date:



In 1684, The Massachusetts Bay Colony charter is revoked by King Charles II of England.



In 1784, Spain closes the lower Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans to use by Americans.



In 1788, The United States Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.



In 1805, Great Stoneface Mountain is found in New Hampshire.



In 1834, Cyrus Hall McCormick received a patent for his reaping machine.



In 1877, Ten members of the "Molly Maguires", a secret society of Irish immigrant coal miners, are executed for their roles in a violent coal strike in Pennsylvania.



In 1879, F. W. Woolworth opened his first 5 and 10 cent store in Lancaster, PA. He sold items for no more than a dime and went broke. He opened another store in a better location and went on to become one of the America's richest men.



In 1907, United Press was founded by E.W. Scripps as a privately owned wire service, transmitting 12,000 words of Morse code over leased telegraph lines to 369 afternoon newspapers.



In 1913, Over Los Angeles CA, Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick became the first woman to parachute jump from an airplane.



In 1932, Heavyweight Max Schmeling lost a title fight by decision to Jack Sharkey, prompting Schmeling's manager, Joe Jacobs, to exclaim: "We was robbed!"



In 1945, During World War II, American soldiers on Okinawa found the body of the Japanese commander, Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, who had committed suicide.



In 1963, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was chosen to succeed the late Pope John XXIII; the new pope took the name Paul VI.



In 1964, Future baseball Hall-of-Famer and U.S. senator Jim Bunning pitches a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies, the first perfect game in the National League in 84 years.



In 1964, The Haitian National Assembly adopts a new constitution that proclaims François "Papa Doc" Duvalier president for life. He remains dictator of the country until his death in 1971.



In 1973, The Supreme Court ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards.



In 1977, Menachem Begin became Israel's sixth prime minister.



In 1978, "Evita", a musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice based on the life of Argentine political figure Eva Perón, opens in London.



In 1981, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" opened.



In 1982, A jury in Washington, D.C. found John Hinckley Jr. innocent by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Reagan and three other men.



In 1985, Scientists announced that skeletal remains exhumed in Brazil were those of Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele.



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



In 1997, The New York Liberty defeats the Los Angeles Sparks 67-57 in the inaugural game of the Women's National Basketball Association.



Ten years ago (1994):



President Clinton, addressing members of the Business Roundtable, made an impassioned call for action on health-care reform.



American teenager Michael Fay was released from a Singapore prison, where he'd been flogged for vandalism.



Five years ago (1999):



President Clinton visited Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, where he publicly urged Serbs to reject Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic. NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army, meanwhile, signed an accord providing for the demilitarization of the KLA.



One year ago (2003):



The fifth Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published by J.K. Rowling. Amazon.com shipped out more than one million copies on this day making the day the largest distribution day of a single item in e-commerce history. The book set sales records around the world with an estimated 5 million copies were sold on the first day.



Ten weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, President Bush offered a broadly positive status report on the U.S. mission in Iraq in his weekly radio address.



Lennox Lewis retained his heavyweight title after a cut stopped Vitali Klitschko after six brawling rounds in Los Angeles.



Author Leon Uris died in New York at age 78; playwright George Axelrod died in Los Angeles at age 81.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actress Jane Russell is 83.



Actress Maureen Stapleton is 79.



Actor Bernie Kopell is 71.



Actor Monte Markham is 69.



Actor Ron Ely is 66.



Actress Mariette Hartley is 64.



Comedian Joe Flaherty is 63.



Rock singer-musician Ray Davies (The Kinks) is 60.



Singer Brenda Holloway is 58.



Actress Meredith Baxter is 57.



Actor Michael Gross is 57.



Rock musician Joe Molland (Badfinger) is 57.



Rock musician Don Airey (Deep Purple) is 56.



Country singer Leon Everette is 56.



Rock musician Joey Kramer (Aerosmith) is 54.



Rock musician Nils Lofgren is 53.



Actress Robyn Douglass is 51.



Actor Leigh McCloskey is 49.



Cartoonist Berke Breathed is 47.



Country singer Kathy Mattea is 45.



Actor Marc Copage is 42.



Actress Sammi Davis-Voss is 40.



Actor Doug Savant is 40.



Country musician Porter Howell is 40.



Actor Michael Dolan is 39.



Country singer Allison Moorer is 32.



Actress Juliette Lewis is 31.



Musician Justin Cary is 29.



Rock musician Mike Einziger (Incubus) is 28.



Britain's Prince William of Wales is 22.



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Thought for Today:

"He, who will not reason, is a bigot;

he, who cannot, is a fool;

and he, who dares not, is a slave." -

- William Drummond, Scottish writer (1585-1649).

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

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

Today is Sunday, June 20th.

The 172nd day of 2004.

There are 194 days left in the year.

This is Father's Day.

Summer begins at 8:57 pm EDT.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 20, 1893, a jury in New Bedford MA, found Lizzie Borden innocent of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.



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On this date:



In 1662, Three women were condemned as witches in Hartford CT.



In 1756, In India, a group of 146 captured British soldiers were imprisoned in a suffocating cell that gained notoriety as the "Black Hole of Calcutta"; most died.



In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States. William Barton designed the seal, which depicted an eagle clutching an olive branch in one talon and 13 arrows in the other, and in its beak, a ribbon bearing the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning "one out of many." Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey would be a more appropriate symbol.



In 1791, King Louis XVI of France was captured while attempting to flee the country in the so-called Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution.



In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent on his cotton gin. He received the patent on March 14. The cotton gin initiated the American mass-production concept.



In 1819, The "U.S.S. Savannah" becomes the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.



In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.



In 1840, a pantent for the telegraph was granted to Samuel F.B. Morse.



In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state admitted to the Union carved out of the state of Virginia, which seceeded from the Union over slavery.



In 1867, President Andrew Johnson announces the purchase of Alaska.



In 1898, During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. cruiser "Charleston" captured the Spanish-ruled island of Guam.



In 1909, Movie star Errol Flynn was born in Tasmania. He died October 14, 1959 at age 50.



In 1923, Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary leader, was assassinated on his farm.



In 1924, Legendary guitarist/singer/producer/arranger Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins was born in Luttrell TN. He died June 30, 2001 at age 77.



In 1924, America's most decorated hero, Audie Murphy was born. He died May 28, 1971 at age 46.



In 1937, W2XBS (later WCBS-TV) televised the first TV operetta. The work was the "Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan.



In 1941, The U.S. Army Air Force was established, replacing the Army Air Corps.



In 1943, Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.



In 1944, The "Battle of the Philippine Sea" ended with Japan losing almost all its remaining trained pilots and at least 4,000 seamen.



In 1944, Congress charters the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).



In 1947, President Truman vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act, but had his veto overridden by Congress.



In 1947, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of Siegel's pet project, the Flamingo resort in Las Vegas NV.



In 1948, "Toast of the Town" debuted on CBS-TV. The show was hosted by Ed Sullivan. The name of the show was eventually changed to "The Ed Sullivan Show."



In 1963, The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a "hot line" between the two superpowers.



In 1964, Gen. William ("light at the end of the tunnel") Westmoreland succeeds Gen. Paul Hakins as head of U.S. forces in Vietnam.



In 1966, The U.S. Open golf tournament was broadcast in color for the first time.



In 1967, Boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. (Ali's conviction was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court).



In 1977, The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, from Prudue Bay to Valez, began operation.



In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.



In 1988, The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld a New York City law making it illegal for private clubs to generally exclude women and minorities.



In 1991, German lawmakers voted to move the seat of the national government back to Berlin.



In 2001, In Houston, Texas, housewife Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub, then called police; she was later sentenced to life in prison.



In 2002, The U.S. Supreme Court declared that executing mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel.



Ten years ago:



O.J. Simpson pleaded innocent in Los Angeles to the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.



Former airman Dean Allen Mellberg went on a shooting rampage at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Wash., killing four people and wounding 22 others before being killed by a military police sharpshooter.



Five years ago:



As the last of 40,000 Yugoslav troops rolled out of Kosovo, NATO declared a formal end to its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.



Golfer Payne Stewart won his second U.S. Open title, by one stroke over Phil Mickelson.



One year ago:



Secretary of State Colin Powell met separately with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, praising the Israelis for efforts toward an eventual peace settlement and urging speed on the Palestinians.



President Bush named Scott McClellan his new press secretary, succeeding Ari Fleischer.



Wildfires fueled by high winds burned 250 homes in southern Arizona.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actress Olympia Dukakis is 73.



Actor James Tolkan is 73.



Actor Martin Landau is 73.



Actor Danny Aiello is 71.



Actor John Mahoney is 64.



Movie director Stephen Frears is 63.



Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 62.



Actor John McCook is 59.



Singer Anne Murray is 59.



T.V. personality Bob Vila is 58.



Musician Andre Watts is 58.



Actress Candy Clark is 57.



Tina Sinatra is 56.



Rhythm and blues singer Lionel Richie is 55.



Actor John Goodman is 52.



Singer Cyndi Lauper is 51.



Rock musician Michael Anthony (Van Halen) is 50.



Musician John Taylor is 44.



Rock musician Mark DeGliantoni is 42.



Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 37.



Actress Nicole Kidman is 37.



Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 36.



Actor Peter Paige ("Queer As Folk") is 30.



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Thought for Today:

"Even the merest gesture is holy if it is filled with faith." -

- Franz Kafka, Austrian author and poet (1883-1924).

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

Today is Saturday, June 19th.

The 171st day of 2004.

There are 195 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 19, 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.



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



On this date:



In 240, BCE., Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the earth, using two sticks.



In 1566, The man who would be King James -- first of Scotland (James VI) and then of England (James I)-- was born. This is the King James who ordered a new translation of the Bible into English that was plain enough to be understood by the common man. Most Protestant churches still use it today...and some students of language see the clever complexity of Shakespeare and the simple elegance of the King James Edition as the twin pillars of the mother tongue.



In 1586, English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, N.C., after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America.



In 1778, U.S. General George Washington's troops finally left Valley Forge after a winter of training.



In 1846, The New York Knickerbocker Club ("Knickerbockers") played the New York Club ("New York Nine") in the first ever organized (by Alexander Cartwright) baseball game. Played at the Elysian Field, Hoboken, NJ, the "Knicks" won 24-1.



In 1862, Slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.



In 1867, First Belmont Stakes, Ruthless wins.



In 1897, Actor/Comedian Moe Howard (Moses Horwitz), of "The Three Stooges" was born in Brooklyn NY. He was the brother of "Curly" and "Shemp". He died May 4, 1975 at age 77.



In 1902, Bandleader Guy Lombardo was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He played the sweetest music this side of heaven with his "Royal Canadians". Famous for his annual New Year's Eve TV show and the song "Auld Lang Syne". He sold over 100 million records. He died November 5, 1977 at age 75.



In 1903, Baseball's "Iron Horse," Hall-of-Famer Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig, was born in New York City. 2,721 hits, 1,990 RBIs, .341 avg., 493 HRs, played record 2130 consecutive games. MVP in 1936. Died in New York City on June 2, 1941 at age 37, of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease".



In 1910, Father's Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Wash. Initiated by Mrs. John B. Dodd, under sponsorship of the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA



In 1911, In Pennsylvania, the first motion-picture censorship board was established.



In 1912, A new labor law is passed by Congress, extending the 8-hour working day to all workers under federal contract.



In 1914, The comic strip "Captain and the Kids" debut in newspapers.



In 1917, During World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames. The family took the name "Windsor."



In 1923, "Moon Mullins", Comic Strip, debuts.



In 1931, The first commercial photoelectric cell is installed in West Haven Ct.



In 1934, The first movie of the sun was taken.



In 1934, The Federal Communications Commission was created; it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.



In 1940, "Brenda Starr," first cartoon strip by a woman, appears in Chicago.



In 1940, The "Mickey Mouse" comic strip is published containing a small swastika in the last panel of the strip.



In 1941, "Cheerios Cereal" invented, O-shaped cereal 1/2-inch diameter, .0025 ounce, 400=1 serving; first called "Cheerie Oats".



In 1942, Norma Jeane Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe) and her 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty were married. They were divorced in June of 1946.



In 1946, Gillette Razor Company became the first company to be a television network sponsor. They sponsored the Joe Louis vs. Bill Conn heavyweight boxing match.



In 1947, Gangster bigwig Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was shot to death at girlfriend Virginia Hill's mansion in Beverly Hills. The mob was reportedly angry over his exorbitant Las Vegas gambling spending sprees.



In 1947, The first plane (F-80) to exceed 600 mph (1004 kph) was flown by Albert Boyd in Muroc, California.



In 1947, The Tucker automobile premieres in Chicago.



In 1951, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the Universal Military Training and Service Act, which extended Selective Service until July 1, 1955 and lowered the draft age to 18.



In 1952, "I've Got A Secret" debuted on CBS-TV with Garry Moore as host



In 1953, Julius Rosenberg (age 35, born May 12, 1918 ) and wife Ethel Rosenberg (age 37, born September 28, 1915), convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining NY. The first U.S. civilians to be put to death for espionage.



In 1961, The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland's constitution requiring state officeholders to profess a belief in the existence of God.



In 1961, Kuwait regained complete independence from Britain.



In 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova returned to Earth after spending nearly three days as the first woman in space.



In 1973, "The Rocky Horror Show", the stage musical that later developed into the cult-classic film, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", opens in London.



In 1977, Pope Paul VI proclaimed a 19th-century Philadelphia bishop, John Neumann, the first male U.S. saint.



In 1978, "Garfield", created by Jim Davis, debuts in forty American newspapers.



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 MI, by two auto workers who later received probation for manslaughter.



In 1984, The Chicago "Bulls" pick Michael Jordan of the University of North Carolina third in the NBA draft, following Hakeem Olajuwon of the University of Houston and Sam Bowie of the University of Kentucky.



In 1987, The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring any public school teaching the theory of evolution to also teach creationism science as well.



In 1988, Over 3,000 East Germans gathered at the Berlin Wall to hear Michael Jackson. Jackson was performing a concert on the other side of the wall in West Berlin



In 1989, The movie "Batman" premiered.



In 1998, A study published in the British medical journal The Lancet said smoking more than doubles the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.



In 2000, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a group prayer led by students at public-school football games violated the 1st Amendment's principle that called for the separation of church and state.



In 2001, A jury in San Jose, California, convicted motorist Andrew Burnett of tossing a little dog to its death on a busy highway in a bout of road rage directed at the dog's owner; he was sentenced to three years in prison for the death of Leo, a fluffy white bichon frise who was struck by several vehicles after Burnett grabbed the dog from its owner's car during the verbal altercation and tossed Leo into oncoming traffic.



Ten years ago (1994):



Former President Jimmy Carter, just returned from North Korea, said he believed the crisis with Pyongyang was over following talks with North Korean President Kim Il Sung on how to resolve the nuclear issue.



Five years ago (1999):



Britain's Prince Edward married commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones in Windsor, England.



The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in game six, which had gone into triple overtime and ended past midnight.



Turin, Italy, was chosen as the site of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.



Stephen King was struck from behind by a mini-van while walking along a road in Maine.



One year ago (2003):



The FBI put cosmetics heir Andrew Luster aboard a plane in Mexico and flew him back to California, five months after he'd been convicted in absentia of drugging and raping three women.



Federal authorities said an Ohio truck driver who met Osama bin Laden and admitted plots against trains and Brooklyn Bridge had pleaded guilty to felony charges.



The U.S. Air Force dropped manslaughter and aggravated assault charges against two fighter pilots who'd mistakenly bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002. (One pilot is to be tried on a charge of dereliction of duty.)



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Louis Jourdan Gendre is 85.



Actress Gena Rowlands is 68.



Singer Al Wilson is 65.



Singer Spanky MacFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang) is 62.



Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (soo chee) is 59.



Writer Salmon Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) is 57.



Actress Phylicia Rashad Ayers-Allen is 56.



Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 54.



Musician Larry Dunn is 51.



Actress Kathleen Turner is 50.



Country singer Doug Stone is 48.



Singer Mark DeBarge is 45.



Singer-dancer Paula Julie Abdul is 42.



Rock singer-musician Brian Vander Ark (Verve Pipe) is 40.



Actor Andy Lauer is 39.



Actress Robin Tunney is 32.



Actor Bumper Robinson is 30.



Actress Poppy Montgomery is 29.



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Thought for Today:

"One has two duties - to be worried and not to be worried." -

- E.M. Forster, British author (1879-1970).

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

Today is Friday, June 18th.

The 170th day of 2004.

There are 196 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 18th, 1983, 32 year old astronaut Dr. Sally Kristen Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger.



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



On this date:



In 1178 Proposed time of origin of lunar crater Giordano Bruno. Five Canterbury monks reported an explosion on the moon. This is the only such observation in known history.



In 1621, The first duel in America took place in the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.



In 1682, William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia and dubbed it the "City of Brotherly Love."



In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War.



In 1812, The United States declared war against Britain.



In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte met his Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French in Belgium.



In 1822, London unveils its first public statue of a nude subject, in Hyde Park. The figure of Achilles soon acquires a bronze fig leaf in deference to offended parkgoers.



In 1829, The Metropolitan Police of London were first organized.



In 1861, The first American fly-casting tournament was held in Utica, NY.



In 1892, Macademia nuts were first planted in Hawaii.



In 1898, Atlantic City, NJ opened its ocean pier. Miles of family entertainment.



In 1928, Aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as she completed a flight from Newfoundland to Wales in about 21 hours.



In 1939, The CBS radio network aired "Ellery Queen" for the first time.



In 1940, During World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, "This was their finest hour."



In 1941, The Colorado Aqueduct begins supplying Colorado River water to Los Angeles and other southern California cities.



In 1942, The U.S. Navy commissioned its first black officer, Harvard University medical student Ensign Bernard Whitfield Robinson.



In 1945, William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was charged in London with high treason for his English-language wartime broadcasts on German radio. (He was hanged the following January.)



In 1948, The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted its International Declaration of Human Rights.



In 1948, Columbia Records publicly unveiled its new long-playing (33-1/3 RPM) phonograph record in New York.



In 1959, A Federal Court annulled the Arkansas law allowing school closings to prevent integration.



In 1959, The first telecast received from England was broadcast in the U.S. over NBC-TV



In 1961, "Gunsmoke" was broadcast for the last time on CBS radio.



In 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience made its debut performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in California.



In 1968, The US Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to deny housing on the basis of race.



In 1979, President Carter and Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the SALT Two strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna.



In 1980, "Blues Brothers" with Dan Akwoyd & John Belushi premiers



In 1984, Alan Berg, a Denver radio talk show host, was shot to death outside his home. (Two white supremacists were later convicted of civil rights violations in the slaying.)



In 1990, A man entered a GMAC loan office in Jacksonville, Florida, and opened fire...killing eight people and wounding five more before turning the gun on himself. Police said the man was upset because his car had been repossessed.



In 1992, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled criminal defendants could not use race as a basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials.



In 1996, Federal prosecutors in California charged Theodore Kaczynski in four of the Unabomber attacks.



In 1996, Richard Allen Davis was convicted in San Jose, Calif., of the 1993 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma.



In 1998, "The Boston Globe" asked Patricia Smith to resign after she admitted to inventing people and quotes in four of her recent columns.



In 2001, A judge in Golden, Colorado, sentenced two therapists to 16 years in prison each in the death of a 10-year-old girl who had suffocated while wrapped in blankets during a simulated "rebirthing" session; Connell Watkins and Julie Ponder were convicted of reckless child abuse in the death of Candace Newmaker in the incident.



Ten years ago (1994):



The presidents of North Korea and South Korea agreed to hold a historic summit (however, plans for the summit were disrupted by the death of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung on July 8 ).



Five years ago (1999):



The House rejected gun control legislation, 280-147, with many Democrats rebelling against National Rifle Association-backed provisions in the bill.



The Group of Seven nations opened a three-day summit in Cologne, Germany.



Arsonists struck three synagogues in the Sacramento, Calif., area. (Two white supremacist brothers were later convicted of federal charges and received sentences of 21 to 30 years in prison.)



Walt Disney's "Tarzan" opened.



One year ago (2003):



Convicted rapist Andrew Luster, heir to the Max Factor fortune, was arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after five months on the run.



Baseball Hall-of-Famer Larry Doby, who broke the American League's color barrier in 1947, died in Montclair, N.J.; he was believed to be 79.



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Today's Birthdays:



Oilman/firefighter Paul Neal "Red" Adair is 89.



Actor Ian Carmichael is 84.



Columnist Tom Wicker is 78.



Rock singer-composer-musician Sir James Paul McCartney is 62.



Movie critic Roger Joseph Ebert is 62.



Actress Constance McCashin is 57.



Actress Linda Thorson is 57.



Actress Isabella Rossellini is 52.



Actress Carol Kane is 52.



Actor Brian Benben is 48.



Singer Tom Bailey (The Thompson Twins) is 47.



Rock singer Alison Moyet is 43.



Country singer-musician Tim Hunt is 37.



Rock singer-musician Sice (The Boo Radleys) is 35.



Rhythm and blues singer Nathan Morris (Boyz II Men) is 33.



Actress Mara Hobel is 33.



Country singer Blake Shelton is 28.



Actress Renee Olstead ("Still Standing") is 15.



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Thought for Today:

"Neither beg of him who has been a beggar, nor serve him who has been a servant." -

- Anonymous.

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Today is Thursday, June 17th.

The 169th day of 2004.

There are 197 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 17, 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill took place near Boston. The battle, which actually occurred on Breed's Hill, was a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses while dislodging the rebels.



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On this date:



In 1579, Sir Francis Drake sails into San Francisco Bay and claims the region for Queen Elizabeth of England.



In 1700, Massachusetts enacts a law requiring Roman Catholic priests to leave the colony within three months.



In 1824, The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was established.



In 1831, The boiler exploded on America's first passenger locomotive, "The Best Friend of Charleston", killing the fireman. He was the first person in America to be killed in a railroad accident.



In 1856, In Philadelphia, the Republican Party opened its first convention.



In 1861, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln witnessed Dr. Thaddeus Lowe demonstrate the use of a hot-air balloon.



In 1863, Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford CT was chartered (first accident insurer in the USA).



In 1866, The New York City Athletic Club was formed.



In 1867, Joseph Lister in Glascow, Scotland becomes the first surgeon to perform surgery under antiseptic conditions.



In 1876, General George Crook’s command was attacked and bested on the Rosebud River by 1,500 Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne forces under the leadership of Crazy Horse. Eight days before joining Sitting Bull to defeat General George Custer at Little Big Horn.



In 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere.



In 1890, H. Maxim and R. Schupphaus receive a patent for smokeless gunpowder, and this product is adopted by the U.S. government to produce dynamite.



In 1894, The first US poliomyelitis epidemic breaks out in Rutland VT



In 1895, US Ship Canal (W 225th St) in the Bronx completed; cutting Marble Hill off from Manhattan



In 1898, US Senate agrees to annex Hawaii.



In 1904, Actor Ralph Bellamy, whose career spanned 7 decades, was born in Chicago IL. He died November 29, 1991 at age 87 in Santa Monica CA.



In 1912, American pilot Julia Clark became the first woman to be killed in a plane accident when her biplane crashed in Springfield, Illinois.



In 1928, Amelia Earhart embarked on a trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Wales -- the first by a woman.



In 1937, The Marx Brothers' film "A Day At The Races" opens in NYC.



In 1939, The last person to be publicly guillotined in France, murderer Eugen Weidmann, was executed before a large crowd at Versailles.



In 1940, France asked Germany for terms of surrender in World War II.



In 1941, WNBT-TV (WRCA-TV, now WNBC-TV channel 4) in New York City, NY, was granted the first construction permit to operate a commercial TV station in the U.S. (WNBT signed on the air on July 1, 1941 at 1:29 p.m.).



In 1942, The first issue of the Army weekly newspaper, "Yank" is published. This issue also coined the term "G.I. Joe" on this day, in a comic strip drawn by Dave Breger.



In 1944, Iceland declared its independence from Denmark, and established The Republic of Iceland at Thingvallir.



In 1948, A United Air Lines DC-6 crashed near Mount Carmel, Pa., killing all 43 people on board.



In 1950, Dr. Richard H. Lawler performed the first kidney transplant in a 45-minute operation in Chicago IL.



In 1953, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas stayed the execution of convicted atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, originally scheduled for the next day, the couple's 14th wedding anniversary. (They were put to death on June 19.).



In 1954, The televised Senate Army McCarthy hearings end.



In 1960, Ted Williams hit his 500th home run



In 1963, The Supreme Court struck down rules requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or reading of Biblical verses in public schools.



In 1965, 27 Guam-based B-52s bomb a Vietcong concentration 30 miles north of Saigon in the first mass bombing raid of the Vietnam War (first combat use of the bombers since placed in operation in 1952). Two planes were lost.



In 1967, China becomes world's 4th thermonuclear (H-bomb) power.



In 1971, The United States and Japan signed a treaty under which the U.S. would return control of the island of Okinawa.



In 1972, President Nixon's eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside Democratic national headquarters in Washington D.C.'s Watergate complex.



In 1976, Four teams from the folded American Basketball Assocation (New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets) join the National Basketball Association.



In 1980, Led Zeppelin began their last tour.



In 1981, "The Family Protection Act" is introduced in Congress by Senator Roger Jensen (R-IA.) Under the bill, anyone who is gay, or even suggests homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle will not be allowed to receive federal funds of any kind -- including Social Security, welfare, veterans' benefits or student loans. Schools will also be forced to use textbooks which "reinforce the traditional role of men and women." The legislation is never passed (despite several attempts) and its champion will lose his 1984 reelection bid, after "Mr. Family Values" is found to be a member of a "private spa" which is really a brothel.



In 1991, The 100th episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" aired.



In 1992, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a breakthrough arms-reduction agreement.



In 2001, Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed a bill to ban the execution of mentally retarded death row inmates, saying the state already had numerous safeguards in place to protect them.



In 2002, The Supreme Court struck down an Ohio village's law that required door-to-door solicitors to register with authorities and carry a permit.



Ten years ago (1994):



After leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was later acquitted in a criminal trial, but held liable in a civil trial.)



Five years ago (1999):



The Republican-controlled House narrowly voted to loosen restrictions on sales at gun shows, marking a victory for the National Rifle Association.



Joseph Stanley Faulder, a former auto mechanic who killed a woman during a 1975 burglary, became the first Canadian to be executed in the United States in almost half a century when he received a lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas.



One year ago (2003):



A federal appeals court ruled the government properly withheld names and other details about hundreds of foreigners who were detained in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks.



The Justice Department issued a directive banning routine racial and ethnic profiling at all 70 federal agencies with law enforcement powers.



English soccer star David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid by Manchester United for a $41 million transfer fee.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Peter Lupus is 72.



Former Speaker Of the House of Representatives Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is 61.



National radio host Art Bell is 59.



Singer Barry Manilow is 58.



Comedian Joe Piscopo is 53.



Actor Mark Linn-Baker is 50.



Actor Jon Gries is 47.



Actor Greg Kinnear is 40.



Olympic gold-medal speed skater Dan Jansen is 39.



Actor Jason Patric is 38.



Rhythm and blues singer Kevin Thornton is 35.



Tennis player Venus Williams is 24.



Actor-rapper Herculeez (Herculeez and Big Tyme) is 19.



Actor Damani Roberts is 8.



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Thought for Today:

"During my 87 years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think." -

- Bernard M. Baruch, American businessman and statesman (1870-1965).

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Today is Wednesday, June 16th.

The 168th day of 2004.

There are 198 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On June 16, 1858, in a speech in Springfield IL, Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln said the slavery issue had to be resolved, declaring, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."



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On this date:



In 1816, After an evening of ghost stories, Mary Shelley has a nightmare that gives her the inspiration for "Frankenstein" (or the Modern Prometeus).



In 1829, The leader of Chiricahua band of Apache tribe, Geronimo Goyathlay was born. He died February 17, 1909 at age 79.



In 1845, Texas agreed to annexation by the United States



In 1882, 17" hailstones weighing 1.75 lbs fall in Dubuque Iowa.



In 1884, The first roller coaster is put in operation at Coney Island NY.



In 1890, Actor/Comedian Stan Laurel (Arthur Stanley Jefferson)("Laurel and Hardy") was born in England. He died February 23, 1965 at age 74 in Santa Monica CA.



In 1893, Cracker Jack was invented by R.W. Rueckheim.



In 1896, Temperature hits 127 degrees F at Fort Mojave CA



In 1897, The government signed a treaty of annexation with Hawaii.



In 1903, Ford Motor Company was incorporated.



In 1910, The first "Father's Day" was celebrated in Spokane, Washington.



In 1917, The first Congress of Soviets was convened in Russia. The Russian word "soviet" literally means "council." One of the reasons Russian nationalist feeling never completely gave way to Soviet patriotism was that it was hard to get worked up for a country called the "council union." Russia, by the way, means "Redland," although it's more complicated than that because in Russian the word "red" also means "beautiful."



In 1932, President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Curtis were renominated at the Republican national convention in Chicago.



In 1932, The ban on Nazi storm troopers was lifted by the von Papen government in Germany.



In 1933, The National Industrial Recovery Act became law. (It was later struck down by the Supreme Court.)



In 1940, Marshal Henri-Philippe Petain became the prime minister of the Vichy government of occupied France.



In 1941, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orded the closure of all German consulates in the United States. The deadline was set as July 10.



In 1943, Comedian Charles Chaplin married his fourth wife, 18-year-old Oona O'Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, in Carpenteria, Calif.



In 1947, The first network TV newscast -Dumont's "News from Washington"



In 1949, The gas turbine-electric locomotive was first demonstrated in, Erie, Pa.



In 1952, "My Little Margie" debuted on CBS-TV.



In 1955, Pope Pius XXII excommunicated Argentine President Juan Domingo Peron -- a ban that was lifted eight years later.



In 1961, Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West while his troupe was in Paris.



In 1961, Dave Garroway is fired as "Today Show" host



In 1963, The world's first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union aboard Vostok Six.



In 1967, 50,000 attend the Monterey International Pop Festival. The event was three days long and was held at the Monterey County (CA) Fairgrounds.



In 1972, Four men that worked for the Committee to Re-Elect the President were caught breaking into the Watergate office of the Democratic National Committee. The were arrested while planting listening devices in the office.



In 1977, Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev was named president, becoming the first person to hold both posts simultaneously.



In 1978, President Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos exchanged the instruments of ratification for the Panama Canal treaties.



In 1978, The film adaptation of "Grease" premiered in New York City.



In 1980, The movie "The Blues Brothers" opened in Chicago, IL.



In 1992, Former U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was indicted on felony charges in the Iran-Contra affair. He was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush.



In 2002, Israel began construction on a fence that was designed to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. The fence was being build along the 217-mile border between Israel and the West Bank.



Ten years ago (1994):



Former President Jimmy Carter, on a private visit to North Korea, reported the Communist nation's leaders were eager to resume talks with the United States on resolving disputes about Pyongyang's nuclear program and improving relations.



Five years ago (1999):



Vice President Al Gore announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.



Kathleen Ann Soliah, a fugitive member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, was captured in St. Paul, Minn., where she had made a new life under the name Sara Jane Olson.



Thabo Mbeki took the oath as president of South Africa, succeeding Nelson Mandela.



One year ago (2003):



Twelve people sent to prison as the result of a Tulia, Texas, drug bust were released on bail by a judge who said they'd been railroaded by an undercover agent. (A total of 35 people were later pardoned by Texas Governor Rick Perry.)



A divided Supreme Court said the government can force medication on mentally ill criminal defendants only in the rarest of circumstances.



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Today's Birthdays:



Author Erich Segal is 67.



Author Joyce Carol Oates is 66.



Country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock is 65.



Songwriter Lamont Dozier is 63.



Rhythm and blues singer Eddie Levert is 62.



Actress Joan Van Ark is 61.



Radio talk show host Art Bell is 59.



Rhythm and blues singer James Smith (The Stylistics) is 54.



Boxer Roberto Duran is 53.



Actress Sonia Braga is 53.



Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 52.



Actress Laurie Metcalf is 49.



Model-actress Jenny Shimizu is 37.



Actor Eddie Cibrian is 31.



Actress China Shavers is 27.



Actress Olivia Hack is 21.



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Thought for Today:

"We fear something before we hate it. A child who fears noises becomes a man who hates noise." -

- Cyril Connolly, British critic (1903-1974).

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