Today is Tuesday, June 11th, the 163rd day of 2024. There are 203 days left this year.
Today’s History Highlights:
On June 11, 1955, two cars collided and crashed into spectators during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, causing the worst disaster in motor racing history and leaving more than 80 people dead.
In 1509, King Henry VIII of England married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
In 1770, Captain James Cook of the British ship Endeavour struck and “discovered” the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.
In 1776, the Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence, calling for independence from Great Britain.
In 1919, Sir Burton won the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse in horse racing history to win the Triple Crown.
In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer threw his second consecutive no-hitter, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the Boston Bees. (Four days later, Vander Meer did not allow a hit against the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the Dodgers lost 6-0.)
In 1962, three prisoners escaped from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on a makeshift raft and have never been found or seen again.
Karen Ann Quinlan, the patient who sparked a historic euthanasia ruling, died in a coma in 1985 at age 31 in Morris Plains, New Jersey.
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British Prime Minister in 160 years to serve three consecutive terms, as her Conservative Party maintained a majority in Parliament.
In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that people who commit hate crimes motivated by bias may face additional penalties.
In 2001, 33-year-old Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
In 2009, swine flu was reported in over 70 countries, and the World Health Organization declared the first global influenza pandemic in 41 years.
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that states could target people who haven’t voted in a while to purge their voter rolls.
In 2020, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, banned the use of “no-knock” warrants, enacting a new ordinance in honor of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police who broke into her home.
Today’s birthdays: Former U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel (DN.Y.) is 94. International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Jackie Stewart is 85. Singer Joey Dee is 84. Actor Roscoe Orman is 80. Actor Adrienne Barbeau is 79. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 75. Animal rights activist Ingrid Newkirk is 75. Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 74. Rock singer Donnie Van Zandt is 72. Actor Peter Bergman is 71. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Joe Montana is 68. Actor Hugh Laurie is 65. TV personality and former U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is 64. Singer JOY’ah Bruno (Expose) is 61. Rock musician Dan Lavery (Tonic) is 58. Country singer and songwriter Bruce Robison is 58. Actor Clare Carey is 57. Actor Peter Dinklage is 55. Actor Renee Jacobson is 50. Actor Joshua Jackson is 46. Americana musician Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers) is 46. U.S. Olympian and WNBA basketball star Diana Taurasi is 42. Actor Shia LaBeouf (Shia LaBeouf) is 38.
