Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

June 17

1994
O.J. Simpson: The Football Hall of Fame running is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife and her 25-year-old male friend. Blood stains had been found in his home and in his car.

1993
First woman to command an operational U.S. Air Force missile command: Lt. Col. Patricia Fornes is sworn in as commander of the 740th Missile Squadron at Minot Air Force Base.

1972
Watergate: Five men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate complex.

1963
Requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or Bible verses in public schools is ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1950
First human kidney transplant: American physician Dr. Richard Harold Lawler implants a kidney from a deceased woman into a patient whose diseased left kidney had been removed.

1928
First transatlantic flight by a woman: Amelia Earhart takes off in the Friendship, completing the trip following day.

1871
Tallest married couple: Anna Hanen Swan (7 ft. 5½ in.) marries Martin Van Buren Bates (7 ft. 2½ in.).

1843
Bunker Hill Monument is completed and dedicated, with an address given by Daniel Webster.

1775
American Revolution - Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill): Col. William Prescott proclaims "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."

1953
Mark Linn-Baker, American actor. TV: Perfect Strangers (Larry).

1951
Joe Piscopo, American comedian. TV: Saturday Night Live and beer commercials.

1948
Robert Browne, cartoonist, artist for Hi and Lois (1981-).

1946
Barry Manilow, American Emmy-Tony-Grammy-winning singer. Music: Mandy (1975, #1), I Write the Songs (1976, #1), and he sang the McDonald's jingle You Deserve a Break Today.

1914     d. 1993
John Hersey, Chinese-born American Pulitzer-winning author, journalist, A Bell for Adano (1944, Pulitzer).

1904
Ralph Bellamy, American actor. The Winds of War (Roosevelt).

1882     d. 1971
Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky, Russian composer, The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, and Petrushka.

1742     d. 1790
William Hooper, American statesman, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1703     d. 1791
John Wesley, English clergyman, founder of Methodism. He believed in salvation through faith. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1239     d. 1307
Edward I, King of England (1272-1307).

1996     b. 1922
Thomas S. Kuhn, American science historian. His book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), was one of the most influential books in 20th-century social sciences, humanities, and philosophy.

1984     b. ????
Swale, racehorse, Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner.

1981     b. 1889
Zerna Addis Sharp, American author. She created the Dick and Jane primary readers. "Run Spot run. See Spot run."

1887     b. 1802
Mark Hopkins, American educator. Pres. Garfield once commented, "A pine bench, with Mark Hopkins at one end of it and me at the other, is a good enough college for me!"

1881     b. 1830
James Starley, British inventor, father of the bicycle industry. He also invented the open differential.

1851     b. 1799
John Brown Russwurm, American publisher. He co-published the first Negro newspaper in American (1827, Freedom's Journal).

676     b. ????
Adeodatus II, Italian religious leader, 77th Pope (672-676).

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