| On this date in: |
| 1890 |
Artist Vincent van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers, France, at age 37. |
| 1914 |
Transcontinental telephone service began with the first phone conversation between New York and San Francisco. |
| 1948 |
Britain’s King George VI opened the Olympic Games in London. |
| 1957 |
Jack Paar debuted as host of NBC’s “Tonight” show. |
| 1958 |
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
| 1967 |
Fire swept the USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin, killing 134 servicemen. |
| 1981 |
Britain’s Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
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| AP Photo |
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| 1993 |
The Israeli Supreme Court acquitted retired Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk of being Nazi death camp guard “Ivan the Terrible” and threw out his death sentence. |
| 1999 |
A day trader opened fire in two Atlanta brokerage offices, killing nine people and wounding 13 before shooting himself to death; he had earlier killed his wife and two children. |
| 2008 |
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted on seven felony counts of concealing more than a quarter of a million dollars in house renovations and gifts he had received from a powerful oil contractor. (A judge later dismissed the case, saying prosecutors had withheld evidence.) |
| 2008 |
Army scientist Bruce Ivins committed suicide as prosecutors prepared to indict him in the 2001 anthrax attacks. |
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| Today’s Birthdays: |
| Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns turns 63 years old today. |
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| AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau |
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| Name |
Profession |
Age |
| Nancy Kassebaum Baker |
Former U.S. senator, R-Kansas |
84 |
| Elizabeth Dole |
Former U.S. senator, R-N.C. |
80 |
| Marilyn Quayle |
Wife of former Vice President Dan Quayle |
67 |
| Tim Gunn |
TV personality (“Project Runway”) |
63 |
| Geddy Lee |
Rock singer, musician (Rush) |
63 |
| Patti Scialfa |
Rock singer, musician (The E Street Band) |
63 |
| Martina McBride |
Country singer |
50 |
| Wil Wheaton |
Actor |
44 |
| Danger Mouse |
DJ (Gnarls Barkley) |
39 |
| Rachel Miner |
Actress |
36 |
| Actor Stephen Dorff turns 43 years old today. |
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| AP Photo/Evan Agostini |
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