June 24, 2016

Today is Friday June 24, 2016 The 176th day of 2016-- 190 left It is a leap year Sunrise this morning 5:49 a.m. set: 8:35 p.m. 14:46 hours of daylight Moonrise: 11:40 p.m. set: 10:05 a.m. SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS TODAY; Today is National Praline Day,Take your dog to work Day, Macau Day in China, John's Day in Latvia and Celebrate th Senses Day This day in History: 1314 - Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce won over Edward II of England at the Battle of Bannockburn in Scotland. 1340 - The English fleet defeated the French fleet at Sluys, off the Flemish coast. 1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland. 1509 - Henry VIII was crowned King of England. 1664 - New Jersey, named after the Isle of Jersey, was founded. 1675 - King Philip's War began when Indians massacre colonists at Swansee, Plymouth colony. 1717 - The Freemasons were founded in London. 1793 - The first republican constitution in France was adopted. 1812 - Napoleon crossed the Nieman River and invaded Russia. 1844 - Charles Goodyear was granted U.S. patent #3,633 for vulcanized rubber. 1859 - At the Battle of Solferino, also known as the Battle of the Three Sovereigns, the French army led by Napoleon III defeated the Austrian army under Franz Joseph I in northern Italy. 1861 - Federal gunboats attacked Confederate batteries at Mathias Point, Virginia. 1862 - U.S. intervention saved the British and French at the Dagu forts in China. 1869 - Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant officially became the Vodoo Queen in San Francisco, CA. 1896 - Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University. 1910 - The Japanese army invaded Korea. 1913 - Greece and Serbia annulled their alliance with Bulgaria following border disputes over Macedonia and Thrace. 1922 - The American Professional Football Association took the name of The National Football League. 1931 - The Soviet Union and Afghanistan signed a treaty of neutrality. 1940 - France signed an armistice with Italy. 1940 - TV cameras were used for the first time in a political convention as the Republicans convened in Philadelphia, PA. 1941 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt pledged all possible support to the Soviet Union. 1947 - Kenneth Arnold reported seeing flying saucers over Mt. Rainier, Washington. 1948 - The Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade. 1953 - John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier announced their engagement. 1955 - Soviet MIG's down a U.S. Navy patrol plane over the Bering Strait. 1962 - The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-7, after 22 innings. 1964 - The Federal Trade Commission announced that starting in 1965, cigarette manufactures would be required to include warnings on their packaging about the harmful effects of smoking. 1968 - "Resurrection City," a shantytown constructed as part of the Poor People's March on Washington D.C., was closed down by authorities. 1970 - The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. 1970 - The movie "Myra Breckinridge" premiered. 1971 - The National Basketball Association modified its four-year eligibility rule to allow for collegiate hardship cases. 1982 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that no president could be sued for damages connected with actions taken while serving as President of the United States. 1985 - Natalia Solzhenitsyn the wife of exiled, Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, became a U.S. citizen. 1986 - The Empire State Building was designated a National Historic Landmark. 1997 - The U.S. Air Force released a report titled "The Roswell Report, Case Closed" that dismissed the claims that an alien spacecraft had crashed in Roswell, NM, in 1947. 1998 - AT&T Corp. struck a deal to buy cable TV giant Tele-Communications Inc. for $31.7 billion. 1998 - Walt Disney World Resort admitted its 600-millionth guest. Disney movies, music and books 2002 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juries, not judges, must make the decision to give a convicted killer the death penalty. 2002 - A painting from Monet's Waterlilies series sold for $20.2 million. 2003 - In Paris, France, manuscripts by novelist Georges Simenon brought in $325,579. The original manuscript of "La Mort de Belle" raised $81,705. 2010 - Apple released the iPhone 4. If Today is your Birthday you share your special day with: E.I. Du Pont (Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours) 1771 - Chemist, industrialist Ambrose Bierce 1842 - Journalist, editorialist Jack Dempsey 1895 - Boxer Irving Kaufman 1910 - U.S. Supreme Court judge Norman Cousins 1915 - Journalist, author John Ciardi 1916 - Poet, translator Al Molinaro 1919 - Actor ("Happy Days") Manny Albam 1922 - Musician, saxophone player Billy Casper 1931 - Golfer Peter Hamill 1935 - Journalist Michele Lee 1942 - Actress ("Knots Landing"), singer, dancer Mick Fleetwood 1947 - Musician (Fleetwood Mac Merchandise) Georg Stanford Brown 1943 - Actor Arthur Brown (Arthur Wilton Brown) 1944 - Actor Jeff Beck 1944 - Musician (Yardbirds) John "Charlie" Whitney 1944 - Musician (Family) Colin Blunstone 1945 - Singer, songwriter Ellison S. Onizuka 1946 - American astronaut John Illsley 1949 - Musician (Dire Straits) Nancy Allen 1950 - Actress Derrick Simpson 1950 - Reggae singer (Black Uhuru) Astro 1957 - Rapper, musician (UB40) Andrew McCluskey 1959 - Musician (OMD) Curt Smith 1961 - Musician (Tears For Fears) Danielle Spencer 1965 - Actress ("What's Happening!!") Sherry Stringfield 1967 - Actress ("ER") Jeff Cease 1967 - Musician (The Black Crowes) Glenn Medeiros 1970 - Singer, songwriter Candice Patton 1988 - Actress (TV: "The Flash") Tags: almanac