June 20

Birthdays:

1967 ~ Nicole Kidman, Australian actress.

1955 ~ E. Lynn Harris (d. 2009), the African-American author who wrote about gay Black men.

1954 ~ Ilan Ramon (d. 2003), Israeli combat pilot and astronaut, who was killed, along with 6 other crew members, when the Columbia crashed upon re-entry.

1952 ~ John Goodman, American actor.

1949 ~ Lionel Richie, American musician.

1933 ~ Danny Aiello, American actor.

1931 ~ Olympia Dukakis, American actress.

1928 ~ Martin Landau, American actor.

1926 ~ Rehavam Ze’evi (d. 2001), Israeli general and politician.

1925 ~ Doris Hart (d. 2015), American tennis champion who beat the odds.  She was a World Number 1 tennis player who was active in the 1940s and ‘50s.  She was one of just three players to have a “boxes set” of Grand Slam titles by winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles from all four Grand Slam events.  She was 89 years old.

1924 ~ Audie Murphy (d. 1971), American Medal of Honor recipient and actor.

1909 ~ Errol Flynn (d. 1959), Australian actor.

1905 ~ Lillian Hellman (d. 1984), American playwright.

1861 ~ Frederick Gowland Hopkins (d. 1947), English biochemist and recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1837 ~ David Josiah Brewer (d. 1910), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

1819 ~ Jacques Offenbach (d. 1880), German-born French composer.

1808 ~ Samson Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888), German rabbi.

Events that Changed the World:

2009 ~ During the Iranian elections protests, Neda Agha-Soltan (1983 ~ 2009) shot to death and her death was caught on video and immediately released on the internet.

1977 ~ The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline opened.

1975 ~ The movie, Jaws, was released.

1945 ~ The United States government approved the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi scientist to America.

1893 ~ Lizzie Bordon was acquitted of the murders of her father and step-mother.

1877 ~ Alexander Graham Bell installed the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1863 ~ West Virginia was admitted as the 35th State in the Union.

1840 ~ Samuel Morse received a patent for the telegraph.

1837 ~ Queen Victoria of England ascended to the British throne.  She reigned over England and the British Commonwealth until her death on January 22, 1901.

1782 ~ U.S. Congress adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States.

1214 ~ The University of Oxford received its charter.

Good-Byes:

2012 ~ LeRoy Neiman (b. 1921), American painter.

2012 ~ Judy Agnew (b. 1921), 29^th Second Lady of the United States and wife of US Vice President, Spiro T. Agnew.

2005 ~ Larry Collins (b. 1929), American writer, best known for O, Jerusalem, about the history of Israel.

2005 ~ Jack Kilby (b. 1923), American physicist and recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

1972 ~ Howard Johnson (b. 1897), American businessman and founder of the Howard Johnson restaurant chain.

1963 ~ Raphaël Salem (b. 1898), Greek mathematician.

1958 ~ Kurt Alder (b. 1902), German chemist and recipient of the 1950 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

1947 ~ Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (b. 1906), American gangster.

1843 ~ Hugh Swinton Legaré (b. 1797), 16^th US Attorney General.  He served under President John Tyler.  He also briefly served as Acting Secretary of State under President Tyler.

1837 ~ King William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1765).

1800 ~ Abraham Gotthelf Kästner (b. 1719), German mathematician.

1605 ~ Feodor II of Russia (b. 1589).  He was assassinated 3 months after being installed as tsar.

537 ~ Pope Silverius.