This Day in History
1865: With the arrival of federal troops, slaves in Texas are informed of their freedom; the day is celebrated as the holiday "Juneteenth."
1867: The first running of the Belmont Stakes takes place in New York.
1934: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC ) is created.
1944: In World War II, the Battle of the Philippines begins between U.S. and Japanese forces.
1953: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for committing wartime espionage.
1978: The Garfield comic strip appears for the first time.
1987: The Supreme Court strikes down a Louisiana law that required public schools to devote equal time to teaching evolution and "creation science."
Today's Birthdays
1566: King James I, king of Great Britain (Edinburgh, Scotland; died 1625)
1623: Blaise Pascal, philosopher/physicist/mathematician (Clermont-Ferrand, France; died 1662)
1782: Félicité Robert de Lamennais, philosopher and political writer (Saint Malo, France; died 1854)
1783: Thomas Sully, portrait painter (Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England; died 1872)
1896: Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, for whom King Edward VIII abdicated (Blue Ridge Summit, PA; died 1986)
1897: Moe Howard, comedian and member of the Three Stooges (Brooklyn, NY; died 1975)
1902: Guy Lombardo, bandleader (London, Ontario, Canada; died 1977)
1903: Lou Gehrig, baseball player (New York, NY; died 1941)
1910: Abe Fortas, Supreme Court justice (Memphis, TN; died 1982)
1919: Louis Jourdan, actor (Marseilles, France)
1928: Nancy Marchand, actress (Buffalo, NY; died 2000)
1930: Gena Rowlands, actress (Cambria, WI)
1945: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese political leader and Nobel laureate (Rangoon, Burma)
1947: Salman Rushdie, writer whom the Iranian government targeted (Bombay, India)
1948: Phylicia Rashad, actress (Houston, TX)
1954: Kathleen Turner, actress (Springfield, MO)
1962: Paula Abdul, dancer/choreographer (San Fernando, CA)
1978: Dirk Nowitzki, basketball player (Wurzburg, Germany)
