David Richard Berkowitz (Richard David Falco) turned 64 June 1.
On this day in 1969.
Charles Milles Manson (Charles Milles Maddox) will be 83 November 12.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio on this day in 1921.
On this day in 1988, President Reagan signed a measure that provided $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during World War II.
On this day in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the U.S. Congress. The "Nation’s Attic" was made possible by $500,000 given by scientist Joseph Smithson (below).
James Smithson (1765 – June 27, 1829)
Smithson was an English chemist and mineralogist who became the patron of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. despite having never visited the United States.
One of the four pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — It will take more than three clicks of the heels to restore the ruby slippers that whisked Dorothy back to Kansas at the end of “The Wizard of Oz.”
The slippers, which for more than 30 years have been one of the most beloved items at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, were crafted almost 80 years ago by the MGM Studios prop department. Like most movie props, they weren’t built to last. Now, the frayed shoes aren’t even ruby- colored anymore — they’re more like a dull auburn.
The Smithsonian has asked the public to help save the slippers, launching a Kick starter campaign to raise $300,000. In addition to restoring the shoes’ color, the money will go toward a technologically advanced display case that will preserve them for future generations.
The Smithsonian’s museums are federally funded, but the institution frequently solicits private and corporate contributions for major projects that its budget doesn’t cover.