This Day in History
1620: The Inquisition of New Spain publishes an order prohibiting the use of peyote, a small spineless psychedelic cactus, for any purpose.
1913: A Bulgarian general, acting without orders from his government, launches an attack on Serbian defensive positions, precipitating the Second Balkan War.
1941: NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio breaks the American League baseball record of hitting safely in 41 straight games.
1956: The interstate highway system is inaugurated by the signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act.
1966: U.S. planes begin bombing the Hanoi area of North Vietnam.
1972: In the case of Furman v. Georgia, the Supreme Court rules the death penalty is unconstitutional because it is a "cruel and unusual punishment."
1995: The space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Mir station dock, creating the largest artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
2001: The UN General Assembly unanimously reelects Kofi Annan for a second term as Secretary-General.
Today's Birthdays
George W. Goethals, army officer and chief engineer of the Panama Canal (Brooklyn, NY; died 1928). Julia Lathrop, children's rights activist (Rockford, IL; died 1932)
1916: Ruth Warrick, actress (St. Joseph, MO; died 2005)
1930: Robert Evans, author/producer (New York, NY)
1936: Harmon Killebrew, baseball player (Payette, ID)
1941: Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), militant civil rights leader (Port of Spain, British West Indies; died 1998)
1944: Gary Busey, actor (Goose Creek, TX)
1947: Richard Lewis, comedian/actor (New York, NY)
1948: Fred Grandy, actor and politician (Sioux City, IA)
1949: Ann Veneman, agriculture sec. (Sacremento, CA)
1956: Pedro Guerrero, baseball player (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic)
1957: Maria Conchita Alonso, actress (Cienfuegos, Cuba)
1962: Sharon Lawrence, actress (Charlotte, NC)
