Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began on this day in 1987 with testimony from Oliver North.
Oliver Laurence North will be 75 in October.
On this day in 1981, United States President Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Ronald W. Reagan talks with Supreme Court nominee Sandra Day O’Conner at the White House on July 15, 1981.
Former Beatle drummer Ringo Starr (Sir Richard Starkey) is 78 today.
On this day in 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.
Israel removed barricades, re-unifying Jerusalem on this day in 1967.
On this day in 1995, the shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.
A long-time smoker, Clooney was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2001. Around this time, she gave one of her last concerts in Hawaii, backed by the Honolulu Symphony Pops; her last song was "God Bless America". Her final show was at Red Bank New Jersey’s Count Basie Theater in December 2001. Despite surgery, she died six months later on June 29, 2002, at her Beverly Hills home. Her nephew, actor George Clooney, was a pallbearer at her funeral, which was attended by numerous stars.
Pallbearers carry the casket of Rosemary Clooney out of St. Patrick’s Church after funeral services in Maysville, Ky. Actor George Clooney, at center.
Recorded live on November 16, 2001, Released on November 19, 2001.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn(May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003)
In 1997, Katharine Hepburn had become very weak, was speaking and eating very little, and it was feared she would die.She showed signs of dementia in her final years. In May 2003, an aggressive tumor was found in Hepburn’s neck. The decision was made not to medically intervene, and she died from a cardiac arrest on June 29, 2003, a month after her 96th birthday at the Hepburn family home in Fenwick, Connecticut.
The New York Times began publishing the "Pentagon Papers" on this day in 1971. The articles were a secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam.
On this day in 1967, Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall (left) was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson (right) to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The landmark "Miranda v. Arizona" decision was issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on this day in 1966 . The decision ruled that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional rights before being questioned by police.
China’s Boxer Rebellion against foreigners and Chinese Christians erupted into violence on this day in 1900.
The unmanned U.S. space probe Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system on this day in 1983. It was launched in March 1972. The first up-close images of the planet Jupiter were provided by Pioneer 10.
Benjamin David "Benny" Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986)
Benny Goodman was a jazz clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing”. He led some of the most “popular musical groups in the mid-1930s. These bands launched the careers of many major jazz artists. Despite
increasing health problems, he continued to play until his death from a heart attack in New York City in 1986, at the age of 77,
On this day in 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington erupts, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people on this day in 1980. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota. Seismic activity at Mount St. Helens, which is 96 miles south of Seattle, began on March 16.
USGS geologist Don Swanson (in red) and his colleague, Jim Moore, view a car filled with ash deposits from the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
On this day in 1896, the U.S. Supreme court upheld the "separate but equal" policy in the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. The ruling was overturned 58 years later with Brown vs. Board of Education.
Pope Saint John Paul II(Karol Józef Wojtyła) (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005)
Pope John Paul was the second longest-serving pope in history who was the leader of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005. He was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century who worked to bring Jews, Christians, and Muslims together. He was canonized as a Saint in April of 2014.
Frank Russell Capra (Francesco Rosario Capra) (May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991)
Capra became one of America’s most influential directors during the 1930s, winning three Oscars from his six nominations as Best Director, along with three other Oscar wins from nine nominations in other categories. Among his leading films were It Happened One Night (1934), You Can’t Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939); Capra was nominated as Best Director and as producer for Academy Award for Best Picture on all three films, winning both awards on the first two.
1946
On this day in 2003, "Les Miserables" closed after 6,680 shows and 16 years on Broadway.
On this day in 1972, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot by Arthur Bremer (below) in Laurel, MD while campaigning for the United States presidency. Wallace was paralyzed by the shot.
On this day in 1948, Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon only hours after declaring its independence.
Defenders of Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel after the battle.
On this day in 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Standard Oil Refinery No. 1 in Cleveland, Ohio, 1897.
Lyman Frank Baum, author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," was born on this day in 1856. He wrote a total of 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts.
June Carter Cash (Valerie June Carter) June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003)
June Carter Cash was a singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, comedian, and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash.
June died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 73, from complications following heart-valve replacement surgery, surrounded by her family including her husband of 35 years.
