Today is Thursday, June 17, the 168th day of 2021. There are 197 days left in the year.
Today in history
On June 17, 1994, after leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was later acquitted in a criminal trial but held liable in a civil trial.)
Also on this date:
In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses.
In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.
In 1933, the “Kansas City Massacre” took place outside Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., as a group of gunmen attacked law enforcement officers escorting federal prisoner Frank Nash; four of the officers were killed, along with Nash.
In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, struck down, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer or reading of Biblical verses in public schools.
In 1967, China successfully tested its first thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon’s eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C.‘s Watergate complex.
Fun fact
The Inland Taipan, or “fierce snake,” has the most toxic venom in the world. It can yield as much as 110 mg in one bite.
Record setters
The farthest flight by a paper aircraft is 226 feet, 10 inches, and was achieved Feb. 26, 2012, by Joe Ayoob and aircraft designer John M. Collins at McClellan Air Force Base, in North Highlands, Calif.
Guinness World Records
Trending words
“Jocund:” adjective; (JAH-kund). Definition: Marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness.
— Merriam-Webster
Today’s birthdays
Actor Peter Lupus is 89. Movie director Ken Loach is 85. Actor William Lucking is 80. Singer Barry Manilow is 78. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is 78. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 70. Actor Mark Linn-Baker is 67. Actor Jon Gries is 64. Rock singer Jello Biafra is 63. Movie producer-director-writer Bobby Farrelly is 63. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 61. Actor Greg Kinnear is 58. Actor Kami Cotler is 56. Actor Jason Patric is 55. Actor-comedian Will Forte is 51. Latin pop singer Paulina Rubio is 50. Tennis player Venus Williams is 41. Actor Arthur Darvill is 39. Actor Jodie Whittaker is 39. Actor Manish Dayal is 38. Country singer Mickey Guyton is 38. Actor Marie Avgeropoulos is 35. Rapper Kendrick Lamar is 34. NHL forward Nikita Kucherov is 28. Actor Damani Roberts is 25. Actor KJ Apa is 24.
The Edge is compiled by Dallas Marshall. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.
