Poor Gabriel's Almanac

Interesting things that happened June 15th:

Birthdays on this date:

In 1843 Edvard Grieg, composer
In 1922 Morris K. Udall, U.S. Representative (D-AZ, 1961-91)
In 1932 Mario Cuomo, governor of New York (1983-94) , silver-tongued orator
In 1937 Waylon Jennings, singer, outlaw, actor
In 1941 Harry Nilsson, singer, songwriter
In 1945 Nicola Pagett, actor (Upstairs, Downstairs)
In 1946 Judy Pace (in Los Angeles, CA), actor (Cotton Comes to Harlem, Frogs)
In 1954 James Belushi (in Chicago, Illinois), actor (SNL, Thief, Red Heat)
In 1957 Polly Draper, actor (thirtysomething, The Tic Code, Dinner Rush)
In 1958 Wade Boggs, baseball player (Red Sox)
In 1963 Helen Hunt, actor (Mad About You, Twister, As Good as It Gets)
In 1964 Courteney Cox, actor (Friends, 3000 Miles to Graceland)
In 1969 Dina Meyer, actor (Johnny Mnemonic, Saw, Star Trek: Nemesis)
In 1973 Neil Patrick Harris, actor (Doogie Howser, M.D.; Starship Troopers)

Events worth noting:

+ Feast Day of St. Vitus, patron of beggars, actors, comedians, et al
In 1215 King John signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede, England.
In 1520 The Pope threatens to toss Luther out of the Catholic Church.
In 1664 New Jersey established.
In 1752 Ben Franklin's kite is struck by lightning -- what a shock.
In 1775 Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the American Army.
In 1804 12th Amendment ratified (manner of choosing President and VP).
In 1836 Arkansas becomes the 25th state.
In 1844 Goodyear patents the vulcanization of rubber.
In 1846 Britain and the U.S. decide border along Pacific Northwest.
In 1851 Jacob Fussell, a Baltimore dairyman, sets up the first ice-cream factory.
In 1857 San Francisco Water Works organized.
In 1862 Gen. JEB Stuart completes his "ride around McClellan".
In 1864 Battle for Petersburg begins as Gen. Grant assults Conf. line.
+ A site near Arlington, Virginia (Robert E. Lee's home and the grounds around it) turned into a Yankee military cemetery!
In 1878 First attempt at motion pictures (using 12 cameras, each taking one picture (done to see if all 4 of a horse's hooves leave the ground during a gallop. Leland Stanford bet they didn't. He lost).
In 1904 "General Slocum" boat catches fire; over a thousand die.
In 1916 The Boeing's first aircraft (the B&W) flies for the first time.
In 1919 First flight across the Atlantic (Alcock and Brown).
In 1940 France surrendered to Hitler.
In 1944 American forces begin invasion of Saipan in the Pacific.
In 1951 First commercial electronic computer dedicated Philadelphia, PA.
In 1957 Yanks trade Billy Martin and Ralph Terry for Ryne Duran.
In 1967 Governor Reagan signs liberalized California abortion bill.
In 1975 Soyuz 19 is launched.
In 1976 Yankees trade May, Martinez, Pagan, MacGregor and Demsey to Baltimore for Holtzman, Alexander, Grant Jackson, Elrod Henrick and Jim Freeman.
In 1977 Spain's first free elections since 1936.
In 1978 Soyuz 29 is launched.
In 1982 Riots in Argentina after Falklands/Malvinas defeat.
In 1986 Pravda announces high-level Chernobyl staff fired for stupidity.

And remember ...

National Adopt-a-Cat Month
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
Effective Communications Month
Learn French Month
National Accordion Awareness Month
National Candy Month
National Dairy Month
National Iced Tea Month
National Rivers Month
National Rose Month
National Soul Food Month

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Although efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, several errors have been found in the past. Don't place any bets on the basis of what you find here. If you spot an error, write to Poor Gabriel at poorgabriel@mystery.com .