History Today
In 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, prohibiting Americans from taking part in any military action against any nation at peace with the United States.
In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Henderson v. United States, struck down racially segregated railroad dining cars.
In 1967, war broke out in the Middle East. Anticipating attacks by Arab countries, Israel launched a series of attacks on airfields, destroying almost the entire Egyptian air force. Syria, Jordan and Iraq quickly joined the conflict.
In 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after declaring victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary. The assassin, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, was arrested at the scene.
In 1975, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to international shipping, eight years after it had been closed following the 1967 war with Israel.
In 1976, the Teton Dam in Idaho collapsed, killing 14 people.
In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five men in Los Angeles had fallen ill with a rare form of pneumonia. They were the first to be identified as having AIDS.
In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City. (She was found alive by police in a Salt Lake City suburb in March 2003. One of the abductors, Brian David Mitchell, was sentenced to life in prison; the other, Wanda Barzee, was released in September 2018.)
In 2004, the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan, died in Los Angeles at the age of 93 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2006, more than 50 National Guard troops from Utah became the first to operate along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President George W. Bush’s crackdown.
In 2012, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (91 years old) died in Los Angeles.
In 2016, Novak Djokovic became the first player in nearly half a century to win four consecutive major tournaments, finally defeating Andy Murray to win the French Open title and achieving a career Grand Slam.
In 2017, Bill Cosby went on trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University basketball employee, at his home outside Philadelphia in 2004. (Cosby was convicted at a second trial after a mistrial occurred when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict; the Pennsylvania Supreme Court later overturned that conviction.)
In 2018, the Miss America Pageant announced it was eliminating the swimsuit competition. “We’re not going to judge you on how you look. We’re interested in why you are who you are,” Gretchen Carlson, the organization’s new chairwoman of the board of directors, told ABC.
In 2020, Minneapolis banned police chokeholds, the first of many changes to law enforcement practices announced in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and now requires officers to intervene any time they witness unauthorized use of force by other officers.
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, delighting fans hoping to catch a glimpse of her on the final day of ceremonies marking her 70th year on the throne. (She died three months later, and her son Charles became king.)
birthday
Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 90 years old.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark is 85 years old.
The author Margaret Drabble is 85 years old.
Country singer Don Reed (The Statler Brothers) is 79 years old.
Rock musician Freddie Stone (aka Freddie Stewart) (Sly and the Family Stone) is 77 years old.
Rock singer Laurie Anderson is 77 years old.
Country singer Gail Davis is 76 years old.
Author Ken Follett is 75 years old.
Financial guru Suze Ollman is 73 years old.
Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 72 years old.
Jazz musician Peter Erskine is 70 years old.
Jazz musician Kenny G is 68 years old.
Rock singer Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) is 68 years old.
Actress Beth Hall is 66 years old.
Actor Jeff Garlin is 62 years old.
Actress Karen Silas is 61 years old.
Actor Ron Livingston is 57 years old.
Singer Brian McKnight is 55 years old.
Rock musician Klaus Noreen (Aqua) is 54 years old.
Actor Mark Wahlberg is 53 years old.
Actor Chad Allen is 50 years old.
Rock musician P-Nut (311) is 50 years old.
Actor Navi Rawat is 47 years old.
Actress Liza Weil is 47 years old.
Rock musician Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) is 45 years old.
Rock musician Seb Lefevre (Simple Plan) is 43 years old.
Actress Chelsea Crisp is 41 years old.
Actress Amanda Crew is 38 years old.
Musician/songwriter/producer DJ Mustard is 34 years old.
Actress Sophie Lowe is 34 years old.
Actor Hank Greenspan is 14 years old.
