1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.

1901 – The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.

1932 – Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits.

1960 – The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.

1972 – Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process.

1991 – Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.

1992 – A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).

1994 – Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

…and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with…

1818 – Charles Gounod, French composer and academic (d. 1893)

1871 – James Weldon Johnson, American author, journalist, and activist (d. 1938)

1882 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1971)

1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch illustrator (d. 1972)

1904 – Ralph Bellamy, American actor (d. 1991)

1910 – Red Foley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1968)

1916 – Terry Gilkyson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)

1931 – John Baldessari, American painter and illustrator (d. 2020)

1943 – Barry Manilow, American singer-songwriter and producer

1945 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (d. 2018)

1947 – George S. Clinton, American composer and songwriter

1949 – Snakefinger, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1987)

1951 – Starhawk, American author and activist

1951 – Joe Piscopo, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter

1958 – Jello Biafra, American singer-songwriter and producer

1980 – Venus Williams, American tennis player

1987 – Kendrick Lamar, American rapper

Almanac - Thursday 6/17/21

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