Today in History

Today is Monday, June 3, the 155th day of 2024. There are 211 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 3, 2016, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, whose athletic feats and activism put him among the most revered athletes of all time, died at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 74.

On this date:

In 1621, the Dutch West India Co. received its charter for a trade monopoly in parts of the Americas and Africa.

In 1888, the poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

In 1935, the French liner Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.

In 1937, Edward, The Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony in Monts, France.

In 1962, Air France Flight 007, a U.S.-bound Boeing 707, crashed while attempting to take off from Orly Airport near Paris; all but two of the 132 people aboard were killed.

In 1965, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to “walk” in space during the flight of Gemini 4.

In 1977, the United States and Cuba agreed to set up diplomatic interests sections in each other’s countries; Cuba also announced the immediate release of 10 Americans jailed on drug charges.

In 1989, Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations. And Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died.

In 2011, physician-assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian died at a Michigan hospital at 83. And actor James Arness of TV’s “Gunsmoke” died at age 88.

In 2012, a Dana Air jetliner carrying 153 people crashed on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board

In 2018, Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire, one of the most active volcanos in Central America, erupted in fiery explosions of ash and molten rock, killing more than 100 people and leaving scores of others missing.

In 2020, prosecutors charged three more police officers in the death of George Floyd and filed a new, tougher charge of second-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the officer who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck. (Chauvin would be convicted on all charges.) Defense Secretary Mark Esper took issue with President Donald Trump’s threats to use the full force of the military to quell street protests.

Today’s Birthdays: The former president of Cuba, Raul Castro, is 94. Actor Irma P. Hall is 90. Rock singer Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) is 86. World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin is 79. Actor Penelope Wilton is 78. Singer Eddie Holman is 78. Actor Tristan Rogers is 78. Musician Too Slim (Riders in the Sky) is 76. Singer Suzi Quatro is 74. Singer Deneice Williams is 74. Singer Dan Hill is 70. Actor Suzie Plakson is 66. Actor Scott Valentine is 66. Rock musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 60. Actor James Purefoy is 60. Rock singer-musician Mike Gordon is 59. TV host Anderson Cooper is 57. Country singer Jamie O’Neal is 56. Writer-director Tate Taylor is 45. Singers Gabriel and Ariel Hernandez (No Mercy) are 54. Actor Vik Sahay is 53. R&B singer Lyfe Jennings is 51. Actor Arianne Zucker is 50. Actor Nikki M. James is 43. Tennis player Rafael Nadal is 38. Actor Josh Segarra is 38. Actor-singer Lalaine is 37. Actor Sean Berdy is 31. Actor Anne Winters is 30.