Associated Press
On June 4, 1989, Chinese army troops stormed Tiananmen Square in Beijing to crush a pro-democracy movement; hundreds – possibly thousands – of people were killed.
On this date in:
1647 The English army seized King Charles I.
1896 Henry Ford made a successful pre-dawn test run of his horseless carriage, called a quadricycle, through the streets of Detroit.
1912 Massachusetts became the first state to adopt a minimum wage law.
1919 Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, and sent it to the states for ratification.
1940 The Allies completed the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France.
1942 The Battle of Midway began during World War II.
1944 The U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome during World War II.
1954 French and Vietnamese officials signed treaties in Paris according independence to Vietnam.
1984 The album “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen was released.
1985 The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools.
1986 Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to spying for Israel.
1998 A federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
2009 President Barack Obama addressed the Muslims of the world in a speech in Cairo, saying America has a common cause with Islam and never will be at war with the faith.
2011 Li Na won the French Open’s women’s championship, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actress Angelina Jolie turns 40 years old today.
Bruce Dern, Actor, 79
Michelle Phillips, Singer, actress (The Mamas and the Papas), 71
Parker Stevenson, Actor, 63
El DeBarge, R&B singer, 54
Julie White, Actress, 54
Scott Wolf, Actor, (“Party of Five”), 47
Horatio Sanz, Comedian, (“Saturday Night Live”), 46
Mike Lee, U.S. senator, R-Utah, 44
Noah Wyle Actor (“ER”) 44
Bar Refaeli, Model, 30
Actor-comedian Russell Brand turns 40 years old today.