Today is Saturday, June 19, the 170th day of 2021. There are 195 days left in the year.
Today in history
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free — an event celebrated to this day as “Juneteenth.”
Also on this date:
In 1775, George Washington was commissioned by the Continental Congress as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first state to establish a motion picture censorship board.
In 1917, during World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames; the family took the name “Windsor.”
In 1944, during World War II, the two-day Battle of the Philippine Sea began, resulting in a decisive victory for the Americans over the Japanese.
In 1945, millions of New Yorkers turned out to cheer Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was honored with a parade.
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.
Fun fact
The first jigsaw puzzle was a map of the world.
They eat what?!
A popular pizza topping in Japan is squid.
Trending words
“Calumny:” noun; (KAL-um-nee). Definition: A misrepresentation intended to harm another’s reputation, or the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to harm another’s reputation.
—Merriam-Webster
Today’s birthdays
Actor Gena Rowlands is 91. Hall of Fame race car driver Shirley Muldowney is 81. Singer Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang) is 79. Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is 76. Author Sir Salman Rushdie is 74. Actor Phylicia Rashad is 73. Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 71. Musician Larry Dunn is 68. Actor Kathleen Turner is 67. Country singer Doug Stone is 65. Singer Mark DeBarge is 62. Singer-dancer-choreographer Paula Abdul is 59. Actor Andy Lauer is 58. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is 57. Actor Samuel West is 55. Actor Mia Sara is 54. TV personality Lara Spencer is 52. Rock musician Brian “Head” Welch is 51. Actor Jean Dujardin is 49. Actor Robin Tunney is 49. Actor Poppy Montgomery is 46. Alt-country singer-musician Scott Avett (The Avett Brothers) is 45. Actor Ryan Hurst is 45. Actor Zoe Saldana is 43. Former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki is 43. Actor Neil Brown Jr. is 41. Actor Lauren Lee Smith is 41. Rapper Macklemore (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) is 39. Actor Paul Dano is 37. New York Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom is 33. Actor Giacomo Gianniotti is 32. Actor Chuku Modu (“The Good Doctor”) is 31. Actor Atticus Shaffer is 23.
The Edge is compiled by Dallas Marshall. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.
