Today in History

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent.

On this date:

In 1525, German theologian Martin Luther married former nun Katharina von Bora.

In 1842, Queen Victoria became the first British monarch to ride on a train, traveling from Slough Railway Station to Paddington in 25 minutes.

In 1865, Nobel Prize-winning poet-playwright William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned in Lake Starnberg.

In 1927, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Queens, New York. “Becky Sharp,” the first movie photographed in “three-strip” Technicolor, opened in New York.

In 1942, the first of two four-man Nazi sabotage teams arrived in the United States during World War II. (The eight were arrested after one of them went to U.S. authorities; six of the saboteurs were executed.)

In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a nearly two-month journey from England.

In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.

In 1981, a scare occurred during a parade in London when a teenager fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1986, Benny Goodman, the clarinet-playing “King of Swing,” died in New York at age 77.

In 1996, the 81-day-old Freemen standoff ended as 16 remaining members of the anti-government group surrendered to the FBI and left their Montana ranch.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki  during a surprise visit to Baghdad that the fate of his war-scarred country was in Iraqi hands; for their part, Iraq’s new leaders sought a promise from Bush not to withdraw U.S. troops too quickly. Charles Haughey , the former Taoiseach  of Ireland, died outside Dublin at age 80.

Five years ago: Facing off in New Hampshire, Republican White House hopefuls condemned President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy from the opening moments of their first major debate of the 2011-2012 campaign season, and pledged emphatically to repeal his historic year-old health care overhaul.

One year ago: Hillary Rodham Clinton formally kicked off her presidential campaign with an outdoor rally in New York where she asked supporters to join her in building an America “where we don’t leave anyone out, or anyone behind.” To scientists’ relief and delight, the Philae spacecraft that landed on a comet the previous fall “woke up” and communicated with Earth after seven long months of silence.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 84. Artist Christo is 81. Magician Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) is 77. Singer Bobby Freeman is 76. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 73. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is 72. Singer Dennis Locorriere is 67. Actor Richard Thomas is 65. Actor Jonathan Hogan is 65. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is 65. Comedian Tim Allen is 63. Actress Ally Sheedy is 54. TV anchor Hannah Storm is 54. Rock musician Paul deLisle (deh-LYL’) (Smash Mouth) is 53. Actress Lisa Vidal is 51. Singer David Gray is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Deniece Pearson (Five Star) is 48. Rock musician Soren Rasted (Aqua) is 47. Actor Jamie Walters is 47. Singer-musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 46. Country singer Susan Haynes is 44. Actor Steve-O is 42. Country singer Jason Michael Carroll is 38. Actor Ethan Embry is 38. Actor Chris Evans is 35. Actress Sarah Schaub is 33. Singer Raz B is 31. Actress Kat Dennings is 30. Actress Ashley Olsen is 30. Actress Mary-Kate Olsen is 30. DJ/producer Gesaffelstein is 29.

Thought for Today: “Fear has its use but cowardice has none.” – Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).