Today In History: June 21

Events

1547- Great fire in Moscow

1607- First Protestant Episcopal parish in America estabilished in Jamestown

1633- Galileo Galilei is forced by the Inquisition to "abjure, curse, & detest" his Copernican heliocentric views

1791- Fleeing French King Louis XVI & family captured at Varennes-en-Argonne (picture above)

1879- F. W. Woolworth opens his first store, which failed almost immediately

1893- First Ferris Wheel premieres at Chicago's Columbian Exposition

1933- 1st Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico barge trip completed, New Orleans

1942- Winston Churchill arrives in Washington DC to meet President Roosevelt

1945- US forces defeat the Japanese at Okinawa during WWII

1956- Anti-protons detected in atmosphere

1956- German DR frees almost 19,000 prisoners

1975- "Jaws", directed by Steven Spielberg opens

1982- John Hinckley found not guilty of 1981 attempted assassination of President Reagan by reason of insanity

1985- American, Brazilian & West German forensic pathologists confirm skeletal remains exhumed in Brazil were Nazi Dr Josef Mengele

1990- 7.7 Earthquake with 100s of after shocks hits Iran; about 50,000 die

1990- NYC's Zodiac killer shoots 4th victim, Larry Parham

2001- Total solar eclipse in Madagascar-Atl Ocean (4m56s)

2006- Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix & Hydra

Birthdays

1732- Johann Christoph Frederic Bach, composer

1732- Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, 1st First Lady

1851- Daniel Carter Beard, organized first Boy Scout troop

1921- Fran Scott, pianist on Lawrence Welk Show

1922- Judy Holliday, actress (Born Yesterday, Adam's Rib)

1933- Bernie Kopell, actor (The Love Boat, Get Smart)

1948- Ian McEwan, writer (Atonement, Solar)

1953- Benazir Bhutto, first female leader of a Muslim nation (Pakistan)

1973- Juliette Lewis, actress (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Whip It!)

1982- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Deaths

1527- Niccolo Machiavelli, Florentine statesman/author,

1876- Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Mexican general (took Alamo)

1893- Leland Stanford, American business tycoon and founder of Stanford University

2007- Bob Evans, American restaurateur

Have a lovely day! Hope you learned something.

Hugs & Best Wishes,

Lizzy

(Info from History Orb, photo from here)