Today - June 21, 2026 - Marked the 2026 Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere

It is now officially summer.

The 2026 summer solstice occurred not long ago as I write this in the Northern Hemisphere.

Officially, it took place at 4:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time (1:24 A.M. Pacific). 

That means that this will be the longest day and shortest night of the year.

Weekend Humor: Our Recent "Damn You All to Hell!" Moment

There was considerable talk about how Trump using the White House grounds to host an Ultimate Fighting event sure seemed to have parallels with the gladiators fighting in ancient times, during what we now clearly see as the decline and fall of Rome. Both seem to be clear signs of a slide towards decadence and a fall from grace.

To that end, I appreciated this obviously altered picture. It features the iconic moment in Planet of the Apes, when Tyler recognizes that this is his world, and how it had come to be (we had destroyed ourselves). Except in this picture, it was the charade of an arena built on the previously prestigious White House lawn after Trump and company went through with the fighting event.

Take a look:

Ginny Banks Soth tedposSron 3 936a3217m0hu02u52gl3fi h 132g0l2tmf637imm79f73fl51u  · 🗽🙊🐵🙉🙈 😅

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227888430355424&set=gm.4013516202112382&idorvanity=308059855991387

Facebook

Donald Trump Has Isolated the United States From the Rest of the World (With Very Few Exceptions)

There was a picture floating around social media the other day from the G-7 Summit in France which showed world leaders talking amongst themselves, seemingly happy, with one exception. Right at the center of the picture was a confused, old, huge and isolated looking American President Trump right smack in the middle of the picture. 

Earlier in the meeting, Trump had walked in (very late) during a meeting and declared "I'm the boss." Trump supporters claimed that the leaders assembled laughed with him, but it sure seemed like they were laughing at him. After all, the meeting had been going on without him, and probably would have concluded even if he had not shown up at all.

Later, that picture of Trump completely isolated while leaders of other nations talked amongst themselves. Nobody seemed to want to both with the self-proclaimed boss. So much for commanding respect, huh?

What a fucking loser.

Unfortunately, having elected this completely incompetent moron into the Oval Office, it is the entire United States which seems to be losing as a result of him.

Below are the pictures, as well as the links. In the first, there are actually two, both rather iconic and symbolic. One was from his first term, with Trump very much looking like a child, arms crossed, while the adults in the room clearly are exasperated with him. The second is the more recent one, with Trump all by his lonesome, giving a thumbs up gesture, but looking like anything but the "boss."

He is now a symbol of increased American isolation, as the United States under Trump is viewed increasingly as a rogue and annoying nation that the rest of the world has to deal with, rather than a true leader or partner. 

How far we have fallen indeed. What friends do we really have left? Israel, mostly because Trump does Netanyahu's bidding, and they rely on American support for their very existence? Who else do we count as close allies? Maybe Qatar, since they gave Trump that $400 million "gift of love" just which will soon become the new official presidential jet?

What a sham this whole presidency is.

Take a look:

The Other 98% Facebook page, June 18, 2026:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1594412056064121&set=a.219620833543257

Facebook

Really American 17 June at 01:30  · Trump Just Wanders The G7 Like He Forgot Where He Parked

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1498750695626729&set=a.226942229474255

Facebook

He's done!: Trump's disoriented photo ops at G7 reveal glaring reality he can no longer hide — but then the White House did this to bury the truth Story by Angelina Velasquez • June 19, 2026• 3 min read

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/he-s-done-trump-s-disoriented-photo-ops-at-g7-reveal-glaring-reality-he-can-no-longer-hide-but-then-the-white-house-did-this-to-bury-the-truth/ar-AA25WXzF?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a34eaa1bdcb42fe9e02aff9045c2efe&ei=12

He's done!: Trump's disoriented photo ops at G7 reveal glaring reality he can no longer hide — but then the White House did this to bury the truth

June 21st: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

Some pretty iconic events occurred on this date through history.

On this day in 524, Godomar, King of the Burgundians, defeated the the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. On this day in 1633, Galileo Galilei was forced by the Inquisition to "abjure, curse, & detest" his Copernican heliocentric views. There was a huge fire in Moscow, Russia. Utrecht was occupied by King Louis XIV and his French forces. King Charles II revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter. Spain declared war on Great Britain on this day in 1779. The US Constitution went into effect. The French were defeated in Spain on this day in 1813. Guam became a territory of the United States on this day in 1898. The United Press was formed. Leon Blum's government in France fell. In 1942 on this day during World War II, German General Rommel, known as the "Desert Fox," won a major victory in Africa as he took Tobruk in modern day Libya. Two years later, Berlin sustained very heavy bombing. In 1942 on this day during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, DC, for a meeting with American President Roosevelt. The United States won the battle at Okinawa on this day in 1945. All huge events during the Second World War that took place on this date in history. Bob Dylan released his revolutionary hit Mr. Tambourine Man on this day in 1965. The International Court of Justice asked South Africa to pull out of Namibia (known as South West Africa during the South African occupation of the former German colony). On this day in 1970,  Brazil, led by their star Pelé, defeated Italy, 4-1, to win soccer's World Cup (in Mexico City). It was the third World Cup championship in a span of four World Cup tournaments for Brazil, which is still a record.

Some important events on this date in Canadian history, as well. In Montreal, a black slave that was deemed guilty of burning much of Montreal was tortured and publicly executed in a gruesome manner. Halifax, Nova Scotia was founded. Vancouver met Spanish ships off the coast of what would become the city that would bear (and immortalize on many levels) his name, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Here's a more detailed look at some of the historical occurrences to have fallen on this date:


• On this day in 524, Godomar, King of the Burgundians, defeated the the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.

• 996 - Pope Gregory V crowns Otto III Roman Catholic German emperor of Elzas


1128 - Battle of Akspoele: Earl Willem of Normandy defeats Diederik

1404 - Owain Glyndwr established a Welsh Parliament at Machynlleth and was crowned Prince of Wales.  

1498 - Jews are expelled from Nurenberg Bavaria by Emperor Maximillian

 1527 Italian statesman, diplomat, and author of “The Prince,” Niccolo Machiavelli died.

1529 - Battle at Landriano: Leyva beats France

1547 - Great fire in Moscow

1572 - Garrison under Adrian of Swieten conquers Gouda

1582 - The Incident at Honnō-ji takes place in Kyoto, Japan.

1607 - First Protestant Episcopal parish in America established, Jamestown 

Replica of the statue of Galileo Galilei outside of Carnegie Museums of Natural History

• On this day in 1633, Galileo Galilei was forced by the Inquisition to "abjure, curse, & detest" his Copernican heliocentric views.

On this day in 1633, Galileo Galilei was forced by the Inquisition to "abjure, curse, & detest" his Copernican heliocentric views.

1661 - Treaty of Kardis: Russia & Sweden sign peace treaty

1667 - Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter occupies Sheerness, England

1672 - Dutch pension advisor Johan de Witt seriously wounded

Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of France

• 1672 - French troops under King Louis XIV occupy Utrecht

1684 - King Charles II revokes Massachusetts Bay Colony charter

• 1734 - In Montreal in New France (today primarily Quebec), a black slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique, having been convicted of the arson that destroyed much of the city, is tortured and hanged by the French authorities in a public ceremony that involved her disgrace and the amputation of a hand.

1749 - Pieter Steyn installed as pension advisor of Neth

• 1749 - Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.

1768 - First US bachelor of medicine degree (Dr John Archer)

• Spain declared war on Great Britain on this day in 1779.

Jun 21, 1779: Spain declares war against Great Britain

On this day in 1779, Spain declares war on Great Britain, creating a de facto alliance with the Americans.  

Spain's King Charles III would not consent to a treaty of alliance with the United States. For one imperial power to encourage another imperial power's colonies in revolt was a treacherous game, and he was unwilling to play. However, French Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, managed to negotiate a treaty with Spain to join their war against the British. As the ally of the United States' ally, Spain managed to endorse the revolt at a critical diplomatic distance.  

The American Revolution had already spawned a world war between the two international powers of Britain and France. Spain's entry into the imbroglio ensured that the British would have to spread their resources even thinner. King Charles wanted to reclaim Gibraltar for Spain and secure Spanish borders in North America and the Spanish immediately laid siege to Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. The British managed to drive the Spanish from Gibraltar on February 7, 1783, having constructed an 82-foot-long tunnel into the north face of the rock of Gibraltar, known as the "Notch," in order to supply it with cannon. However, King Charles succeeded in his North American goals. The Spanish took West Florida by force and attained East Florida by cession when the War for Independence ended; they were also able to secure the Gulf of Mexico.

An image of the iconic "We the People" wording of the Constitution.

• New Hampshire officially became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on this day in 1788, thus becoming the ninth state of the Union. 

June 21, 1788: U.S. Constitution ratified

New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land.

By 1786, defects in the post-Revolutionary War Articles of Confederation were apparent, such as the lack of central authority over foreign and domestic commerce. Congress endorsed a plan to draft a new constitution, and on May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention convened at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. On September 17, 1787, after three months of debate moderated by convention president George Washington, the new U.S. constitution, which created a strong federal government with an intricate system of checks and balances, was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states.

Beginning on December 7, five states--Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut--ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July.

On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution--the Bill of Rights--and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791. In November 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Rhode Island, which opposed federal control of currency and was critical of compromise on the issue of slavery, resisted ratifying the Constitution until the U.S. government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state. On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island voted by two votes to ratify the document, and the last of the original 13 colonies joined the United States. Today the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution in operation in the world.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-constitution-ratified

1788 - Vizille France population demands local parliament

• 1791 - Fleeing French King Louis XVI & family captured at Varennes-en-Argonne

1792 - Vancouver meets Spanish ships Sutil & Mexicana off Vancouver, BC

1805 - Great Stoneface Mt found in NH 1813 - Peninsular War: Battle of Vitoria.

• The French were defeated in Spain on this day in 1813.

Jun 21, 1813: French defeated in Spain

At Vitoria, Spain, a massive allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish force under British General Arthur Wellesley routs the French, effectively ending the Peninsular War.  

On February 16, 1808, under the pretext of sending reinforcements to the French army occupying Portugal, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain. Thus began the Peninsular War, an important phase of the Napoleonic Wars that was fought between France and much of Europe between 1792 and 1815. During the first few weeks after their 1808 invasion of Spain, French forces captured Pamplona and Barcelona and on March 19 forced King Charles IV of Spain to abdicate. Four days later, the French entered Madrid under Joachim Murat. In early May, Madrid revolted, and on June 15 Napoleon's brother, Joseph, was proclaimed the new king of Spain, leading to a general anti-French revolt across the Iberian Peninsula.  

In August, a British expeditionary force under Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, landed on the Portuguese coast to expel the French from the Iberian Peninsula. By mid-1809, the French were driven from Portugal, but Spain proved more elusive. Thus began a long series of seesaw campaigns between the French and British in Spain, where the British were aided by small bands of Spanish irregulars known as guerrillas.  

Finally, on June 21, 1813, 80,000 allied troops under Wellesley routed the 66,000-man army of Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdan at Vitoria, 175 miles northeast of Madrid. By October, the Iberian Peninsula was liberated, and Wellesley launched an invasion of France. The allies had penetrated France as far as Toulouse when news of Napoleon's abdication reached them in April 1814, ending the Peninsular War.

1821 - African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church organizes (NYC)

1824 - Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea.

1826 - Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas.

1834 - Cyrus McCormick patented the first practical mechanical reaper for farming. His invention allowed farmers to more than double their crop size.

1849 - Battle at Waghausel: Prussian troops beat Baden rebels

1854 - First Victoria Cross won during bombardment of Bomarsund in the Aland Islands.

1858 - Louisiana chess prodigy Paul Morphy arrives in Europe

1859 - Andrew Lanergan received the first rocket patent.

1863 - Battle at Upperville Virginia, 389 casualities

1864 - New Zealand Land Wars: The Tauranga Campaign ends.

1868 - Wagner's opera "Meistersinger von Nuernberg," premieres in Munich

1877 - The Molly Maguires, ten Irish immigrants, are hanged at the Schuylkill County and Carbon County, Pennsylvania prisons.

1879 - F W Woolworth opens 1st store (failed almost immediately)

1887 - Britain celebrates golden jubilee of Queen Victoria

1893 - First Ferris wheel premieres (Chicago's Columbian Exposition)

1894 - Workers in Pittsburgh strike Pullman sleeping car company

1895 - British Roseberry government falls

1898 - Guam becomes a territory of US

1900 - Dodgers score 7 in top of 11th to go ahead of Phillies, 20-13, In bottom of 11th Phillies stalls so umpire forfeits game to Dodgers

1903 - Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Mazarine Stone" takes place (BG)

1904 - Boston Herald tells of Red Sox trade "Dougherty as a Yankee," 1st known reference to NY club as Yankees (became Yankees in 1913)

1907 - 13th US Golf Open: Alec Ross shoots a 302 at Phila Cricket Club PA

1907 - E W Scripps founded United Press

1913 - "Tiny" Georgia Broadwick became the first woman to jump from an airplane.

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.

• 1915 - Anti-British revolt in South Africa ends with arrest of Gen De Law

1915 - The U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Guinn v. United States 238 US 347

1915, striking down an Oklahoma law denying the right to vote to some citizens.

1916 - Boston Rube Forster no-hits NY Yankees, 2-0

Flag of Mexico

• 1916 - Mexican troops beat US expeditionary force under Gen Pershing

1917 - Hawaiian Red Cross forms

1919 - Bauer forms German government

1919 - German Admiral von Reuter scuttles his own captured fleet

1921 - HSC '21 soccer team forms in Haaksbergen

1923 - Marcus Garvey sentenced to 5 years for using mail to defraud

1924 - NCRV, Dutch Christian Radio Society, forms

1930 - Ruth hits 3 HRs as Yanks blow 6-0 lead in 7th & lose 15-7

1932 - Heavyweight Jack Sharkey TKOs Max Schmeling (NYC)

1932 - Jack Sharkey beats Max Schmeling in 15 for heavyweight boxing title

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

1937 - In Paris, Leon Blum's Popular Front Cabinet resigned.

1938 - In Washington, U.S. President Roosevelt signed the $3.75 billion Emergency Relief Appropriation Act.  

1938 - Baseball's Pinky Higgins gets 12th straight hit

1938 - Bradman scores 101* in 77 minutes, Australia v Lancashire

1939 - NY Yankees announce Lou Gehrig's retirement after doctors reveal he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

1940 - German occupiers disband Dutch States-General/Council of State

1940 - The first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage begins at Vancouver, British Columbia.

1940 - Richard M. Nixon and Thelma Catherine ‘Pat’ Ryan were married.

• 1941 - German troops entered Russia on a front from the Arctic to Black Sea.

1941 - Second French troops occupy Damascus Syria

1941 - After winning 20 straight at Fenway, Lefty Grove loses to Browns

1942 - 129°F (54°C), Tirat Zevi, Israel (Asian record)

Statue of soldier, author and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.

• In 1942 on this day during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, DC, for a meeting with American President Roosevelt.

• In 1942 on this day during World War II, German General Rommel, known as the "Desert Fox," won a major victory in Africa as he took Tobruk in modern day Libya.

Jun 21, 1942: Allies surrender at Tobruk, Libya

On this day in 1942, General Erwin Rommel turns his assault on the British-Allied garrison at Tobruk, Libya, into victory, as his panzer division occupies the North African port.  

Britain had established control of Tobruk after routing the Italians in 1940. But the Germans attempted to win it back by reinforcing Italian troops with the Afrika Korps of Erwin Rommel, who continually charged the British Eighth Army in battles around Tobruk, finally forcing the Brits to retreat into Egypt. All that was left to take back the port was the garrison now manned by the South African Division, which also included the Eleventh Indian Brigade. With the use of artillery, dive-bombers, and his panzer forces, Rommel pushed past the Allies. Unable to resist any longer, South African General Henrik Klopper ordered his officers to surrender early on the morning of the 21st. Rommel took more than 30,000 prisoners, 2,000 vehicles, 2,000 tons of fuel, and 5,000 tons of rations. Adolf Hitler awarded Rommel the field marshal's baton as reward for his victory. "I am going on to Suez," was Rommel's promise.

1942 - Seinheuer throws female world record spear (47.24m)

1943 - Federal troops put down racial riot in Detroit 30 dead

• 1944 - Very heavy bombing on Berlin

1945 - US defeat Japanese forces on Okinawa during WW II

1945 - Pan Am announced an 88-hour round-the-world flight at a cost of $700.

1946 - 10 die in fire at Baker Hotel, Dallas Texas

1946 - Bill Veeck buys Indians for $2.2 million

1946 - Fed judge rules Seattle club doesn't have to play returning serviceman

1948 - First stored computer program run, on Manchester Mark I

1948 - 33 1/3 RPM LP record introduced and 78's planned to be phased out (Dr Peter Goldmark-Columbia Records)

1948 - Lord Mountbatten resigns as gov-gen of India

1948 - Rhodes conference on Israeli-Arab war opens

1948 - WNAC (now KNEV) TV channel 7 in Boston, MA (CBS) begins broadcasting

1950 - Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th hit

1951 - "17" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 180 performances

1951 - Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Evangelii praecones

1952 - Philippine School of Commerce, through a republic act, is converted to Philippine College of Commerce; later to be the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

1954 - The American Cancer Society reported significantly higher death rates among cigarette smokers than among non-smokers.

1954 - NBC radio presented the final broadcast of "The Railroad Hour."

1954 - Australian John Landy ran the mile in 3:58. He was the second person to achieve the feat.

1956 - Anti-protons detected in the atmosphere

1956 - German DR frees almost 19,000 prisoners

1956 - Oriole Connie Johnson beats WS Jack Harshman (1-0) in dual 1 hitters

1957 - Ellen Louks Fairclough is sworn in as Canada's first woman Cabinet Minister.

1958 - French franc devalues

1958 - In Arkansas, a federal judge let Little Rock delay school integration.

1958 - Linus Pauling and Detlev Bronke, both Americans, were elected to the Soviet Academy of Science.  

1960 -  In Zurich, Armin Hary ran 100-meters in a record 10.0 seconds.  

1962 - USAF Maj Robert M White takes X-15 to 75,190 m

• 1963 - France announced that they were withdrawing from the North Atlantic NATO fleet.

1963 - Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini) succeeds John XXIII

1963 - In St. Louis, Bob Hayes set a record when he ran the 100-yard dash in 0:09.1.

1964 - Beckwith arrested for murder of Medger Evers, found guilty 30 yr later

1964 - Three civil rights workers—James E. Chaney, 21; Andrew Goodman, 21; and Michael Schwerner, 24—disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss. In 2005, 41 years after the disappearance, Edgar Killen was convicted of their murders.

1964 - Phillies Jim Bunning pitches perfect game (Mets) on Fathers day, in 2nd game of DH, Mets get 3 hits, 3 being fewest hits in NL DH

1964 - 3 civil rights workers-Michael H Schwerner Andrew Goodman & James E Chaney-disappeared after release from a Mississippi jail

• Bob Dylan released his revolutionary hit Mr. Tambourine Man on this day in 1965.

Jun 21, 1965: Mr. Tambourine Man is released, and the folk-rock revolution is on  

Released on this day in 1965, the Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, marked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. In just a few months, the Byrds had become a household name, with a #1 single and a smash-hit album that married the ringing guitars and backbeat of the British Invasion with the harmonies and lyrical depth of folk to create an entirely new sound.  

Perhaps someone else could have listened to the bright guitar lines of the Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" and to Bob Dylan's original "Mr. Tambourine Man" and had the idea of somehow combining the two, but neither of those recordings existed when the Byrds' Roger McGuinn devised his group's new sound. Newly signed to Columbia Records, the Byrds had access to an early demo version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" even before their label-mate Bob Dylan had had a chance to record it for his own upcoming album. On January 20, 1965, they entered the studio to record what would become the title track of their debut album and, incidentally, the only Bob Dylan song ever to reach #1 on the U.S. pop charts. Aiming consciously for a vocal style in between Dylan's and Lennon's, McGuinn sang lead, with Gene Clark and David Crosby providing the complex harmony that would, along with McGuinn's jangly electric 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, form the basis of the Byrds' trademark sound.  

That sound, which would influence countless groups from Big Star to the Bangles in decades to come, had an immediate and profound impact on the Byrds' contemporaries, and even on the artists who'd inspired it in the first place. "Wow, man, you can even dance to that!" was Bob Dylan's reaction to hearing what the Byrds' had done with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Just days before the hugely influential album of the same name was released to the public on June 21, 1965, Dylan himself would be in a New York recording studio with an electric guitar in his hands, putting the finishing touches on "Like A Rolling Stone" and setting the stage for his controversial "Dylan goes electric" performance at the Newport Folk Festival just one month later.

1966 - Queen Juliana opens Coen tunnel in Amsterdam

1967 - Yanks take 5-3 lead in 11th & lose 6-5, in 2nd game Red Sox lead 3-2 in 9th & Yanks beat them 6-3

1968 - Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren resigns

1969 - First reported hearing of pirate radio WGHP (With God's Help Peace)

1969 - Dmitri Shostakovitch's 14th Symphony, premieres in Moscow

1969 - John Pennel pole vaults world record (5.45 m)

1969 - Zager & Evans release "In the Year 2525"

• On this day in 1970,  Brazil, led by their star Pelé, defeated Italy, 4-1, to win soccer's World Cup (in Mexico City). It was the third World Cup championship in a span of four World Cup tournaments for Brazil, which is still a record.

Jun 21, 1970: Pele leads Brazil over Italy 

On June 21, 1970, Brazil, led by soccer legend Pele, wins its third World Cup championship with a 4-1 victory over Italy. The game, at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, was attended by 112,000 spectators, most of whom could but marvel at the spectacular play Pele and the Brazilians showcased in their triumph.  

The game was supposed to be a match between Italy’s counter-attacking style and Brazil’s "beautiful game," but rain the night before the match had left the field damp and slow, limiting Brazil’s usual freewheeling style in the first half. Italy played with characteristic precision, but was stifled by Brazil’s defense, which was usually overshadowed by the team’s world-class attack. Brazil’s captain, Carlos Alberto Torres, directed the dominant defense from his left fullback position and continuously turned the ball upfield to his fabulous midfielders and forwards.  

Eighteen minutes into the game, Brazilian midfielder Roberto Rivelino directed a crossing pass towards the front of the goal, and Pele, just 5’7", leapt over the Italian defenders to head the ball into the goal past the diving Italian keeper Enrico Albertossi. Not to be outdone, Italian midfielder Roberto Boninsegna stole the ball from Brazilian defender Wilson Piazza and scored in the 19th minute to tie the game at 1-1.  

The Brazilians began to dictate play in the second half, and in the 65th minute, Pele passed to a dashing Gerson Olivera Nunez for a goal and a 2-1 Brazil lead. Six minutes later, Gerson returned the favor, passing to Pele, who headed the ball to Brazilian striker Jair Ventura three feet from the goal. Ventura scored to put the Brazilians up 3-1 and from then on Brazil was in control, showing off its "beautiful game" to the delight of the crowd. With three minutes left in regulation, Pele dribbled toward the goal to draw the Italian defense, and then quickly dished the ball to teammate Carlos Alberto, who scored from 30 feet for a 4-1 lead.  

The 1970 World Cup was the third championship for Pele and the Brazilians; the first came in 1958, when Pele was just 17, and the second in 1962. Brazil was the first team to win three World Cup Championships and in recognition of the feat they were given the gold Jules Rimet Trophy, named for a former FIFA president, permanently. The Rimet replacement, the gold FIFA World Cup Trophy, was awarded for the first time in 1974 to World Cup champion West Germany.

1970 - Detroit's Cesar Gutierrez goes 7-for-7 to tie a record set in 1892

1970 - Tony Jacklin became the second British golfer in 50 years to win the U.S. Open golf tournament.

1971 - 50,000 attend Celebration of Life, rock concert, McCrea Louisiana

1971 - Indians Ken Harrelson retires from baseball to play pro golf

• 1971 - Intl Court of Justice asks South Africa to pull out of Namibia

1973 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards.

1974 - The U.S. Supreme Court decided that pregnant teachers could no longer be forced to take long leaves of absence.

1975 - "Jaws" by Steven Spielberg opens

1975 - Elton John, Eagles & Beach Boys play Wembley

1975 - Ritchie Blackmore quits Deep Purple, forms Rainbow

1975 - Soyuz 19 returns to Earth

1975 - West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs to win Cricket World Cup

1976 - Berlinguers PCI wins election in Italy

1977 - Former White House chief of staff HR Haldeman enters prison

1977 - Menachem Begin (Likud), becomes Israel's 6th PM

1978 - Andrew Lloyd Webber & Rice's musical "Evita," premiers in London

1979 - Sri Lanka beat Canada by 60 runs to win the 1st ICC Trophy

1981 - 12-bottle case of 1979 Napamedoc Cabernet wine auctioned for $24,000

1981 - Don Fagan & Walter Becker quit Steely Dan

1981 - Riots at Casablanca, kills 66-200

1981 - Socialists/communists win French parliamentary election

• 1981 - "Raiders of the Lost Ark" opened.

1982 - Paul McCartney releases "Take it Away"

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

1983 - Stephanie Kay Ashmore, of Alabama, 18, crowned America's Junior Miss

1983 - Tennis ace Arthur Ashe undergoes double bypass heart surgery

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

1986 - "Living on Video" by Trans-X peaks at #61

1986 - "Vienna Calling" by Falco peaks at #18

1986 - Heike Drechsler of East Germany long jumps 7.45 m (women's record)

1986 - Pres Reagan gives speech defending his judicial appointments

1987 - Discovery rolls over from OPF to Vandenberg AFB

1987 - Mike Tyson sexually harasses a parking lot attendant

1988 - 42nd NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Detroit Pistons, 4 games to 3

1988 - Many killed at demonstration against general Ne Win in Rangoon

1988 - Rascals begin 1st tour in 20 years

1989 - Carlton Fisk becomes AL catcher HR hitter, 307th at Yankee stadium

• 1989 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest and freedom of expression was protected by the First Amendment.

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

1990 - Little Richard gets a star on Hollywood's walk of fame

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

1990 - Parliament of W & E Germany recognize Oder-Neissegrens

1990 - US House of Reps vote 254-177 to stop US flag burning, doesn't pass

Statue of Nelson Mandela in the gardens in front of the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa

• 1990 - At Yankee Stadium rally, Nelson Mandela dons a NY Yankee baseball cap & proclaims "I am a Yankee!"

1991 - Jirg Haider resigns as premier of Karinthia

1992 - Last day of test cricket for Ian Botham & Allan Lamb

1993 - "Camelot" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 56 performances

1993 - English mathematician Andrew Wiles proves last theorem of Fermat

1993 - STS-57 (Endeavour) launches into orbit

1994 - Steffi Graf becomes first defending tennis champ to lose in 1st round of a major tournament (Wimbledon to Lorrie McNeal)

1997 - "Defending the Caveman," closes at Helen Hayes NYC after 671 perfs 1997 - 35th NHL draft Boston picks center Joe Thornton 1st

1997 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) begins as NY Liberty beats LA Sparks

1998 - 98th US Golf Open: at Olympic Club SF

2000 - Section 28 (outlawing the 'promotion' of homosexuality in the United Kingdom) is repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.

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

2001 - A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.

2001 - Former Haitian Army colonel Carl Dorelien taken into custody in Port St. Lucie. Dorelien had been in exile since 1994 when he was sentenced to life in prison for his role in a 1994 massacre.

2002 - Lennox Lewis retains boxing's WBC world Heavyweight crown with an eight round knockout over Mike Tyson

2003 - The fifth Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published by J.K. Rowling. Amazon.com shipped out more than one million copies on this day making the day the largest distribution day of a single item in e-commerce history. The book set sales records around the world with an estimated 5 million copies were sold on the first day.

2004 - SpaceShipOne, designed by Burt Rutan and piloted by Mike Melvill, reached 328,491 feet above Earth in a 90 minute flight. The height is about 400 feet above the distance scientists consider to be the boundary of space. SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.

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

2012 - Moody's downgrades 15 major banks in the UK, US, Canada and Europe

2012 - A boat of 200 asylum seekers headed to Australia capsizes and 110 survivors are rescued

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jun21.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Weekend Funny: Ayatollah Names Trump Employee of the Month

Now this was pretty funny. Then again, a lot of stuff by Andy Borowitz is funny.

In this article, Borowitz describes Trump as "intermittently conscious," which actually is funny because it is true. 

Plus, he pokes fun at what many are viewing as Trump's complete capitulation to Iran in order to stop the unpopular war which he himself started, unprovoked. 

It is just the latest in a series of actions and inactions and statements and blundering and blatant corruption pursuing narrow self-interest to the exclusion of all else (which he has infamously done all of his life) which has contributed to Trump's soaring unpopularity. If things continue on this way, Trump might be the first president in recent history to see his disapproval ratings double his approval ratings.

That distinction could not happen to someone more deserving of it than Trump. It's hard to imagine anyone deserving criticism more than Trump. He richly deserves it, because he has gone to such extraordinary lengths to earn it. 

Ayatollah Names Trump Employee of the Month The Andy Borowitz Show Andy Borowitz Jun 18, 2026 ∙

https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/ayatollah-names-trump-employee-of

Ayatollah Names Trump Employee of the Month

Canada Routs Qatar to Earn First Ever World Cup Victory

 

Canada earned their first ever World Cup victory just days ago.

And man, they made it decisive.

Before a fired up home crowd in Vancouver, the Canadians trampled Qatar, 6-0. It tied other results in previous World Cup tournaments for being the most lopsided result.

As a result, it now appears very likely that the Canadians will advance to the second round of a World Cup tournament for the very first time.

David hat trick helps Canada rout Qatar for 1st-ever World Cup win play ESPN News Services Jun 18, 2026, 08:07 PM ET

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49112625/canada-qatar-first-world-cup-win-2026-jonathan-david

David hat trick helps Canada rout Qatar for 1st-ever World Cup win - ESPN

June 20th: This Day in History

  

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

Frankly, I am not sure how the release of a movie - even one as legendary as Jaws - should be deemed as the event of significance to really focus in on for this date, as the History Channel website has done for this date. Attila the Hun was defeated by the Germans and the Romans on this day. French and Spanish crusaders united. During the French Revolution, this date saw two significant events within a couple of years of one another - the iconic Oath of the Tennis Court, and the capture of King Louis XVI, who was on his way to Austria to gather support to try and suppress the Revolution. It was at this moment that people realized that the king was not on their side, and the beheading of the head of state, literally and figuratively, probably became inevitable. In Germany, this date was significant for numerous reasons, with some events occurring on this date that would contribute to the rise of the Nazis, including the French marching into the Rhineland (which contributed to the general discontent in Germany that foreshadowed the rise of the Nazis), then some events on this date during the Nazi regime, many having to do with the round up and/or extermination of Jews, but one being an Olympic record set by Jesse Owens in Berlin. Rhodesia agreed to racial segregation (white supremacy) in 1969. Juan Peron returned to Argentina, and violence ensued. Nelson Mandela visited New York in 1990 to kick off his US tour, just months after being released and with the process of change in apartheid South Africa really starting to pick up momentum.

Even in American history specifically, there were some important events that would seem to draw more attention than Jaws being released. Congress approved the Great Seal and the eagle as the symbol for the country. The US Navy seized Guam. American forces won some big victories in the Pacific war during World War II.

Plenty of big events on this date. Here's a closer look:

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• 451 - Roman and German (Barbarian) warriors brought Attila the Hun's army to a halt and defeated him at the Catalaunian Plains in eastern France.

1212 - French & Spanish crusaders unite against the Almohaden at Toledo

1214 - The University of Oxford receives its charter.

• 1397 - The Union of Kalmar united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway under one monarch.

1402 - Battle of Angora (Ankara)-Tatars defeat Turkish Army

1530 - German Parliament joins to Augsburg together

1547 - Count Philip van Hessen captured

• 1567 - Jews are expelled from Brazil by order of regent Don Henrique

1582 - Bishop Domingo de Salazar of Manila suppresses the Philippines

• 1591 - Mauritius & Willem van Nassau occupy Devente

• 1631 - The sack of Baltimore: the Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.

1632 - Britain grants 2nd Lord Baltimore rights to Chesapeake Bay area

1633 - Charter for Maryland is given to Lord Cecil Baltimore

1656 - Polish King Jan II Casimir recaptures Warsaw


1675 - Abenaki, Massachusetts, Mohegan & Wampanoag indians form anti-English front under Metacom

• 1756 - Siraj ud-Daulah Nawab of Bengal takes Calcutta from the British


• 1756 - In India, 150 British soldiers were imprisoned in a cell that became known as the "Black Hole of Calcutta."

1779 - Battle of Stone Ferry

1782 - Congress approved the Great Seal of US and the eagle as it's symbol

1787 - Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the United States.

Le serment du Jeu de paume, by David (1789), Musée Carnavalet 

• 1789 - Oath of Tennis Court (for a new constitution) in France taken

Jun 20, 1789: Third Estate makes Tennis Court Oath  In Versailles, France, the deputies of the Third Estate, which represent commoners and the lower clergy, meet on the Jeu de Paume, an indoor tennis court, in defiance of King Louis XVI's order to disperse. In these modest surroundings, they took a historic oath not to disband until a new French constitution had been adopted.    Louis XVI, who ascended the French throne in 1774, proved unsuited to deal with the severe financial problems he had inherited from his grandfather, King Louis XV. In 1789, in a desperate attempt to address France's economic crisis, Louis XVI assembled the Estates-General, a national assembly that represented the three "estates" of the French people--the nobles, the clergy, and the commons. The Estates-General had not been assembled since 1614, and its deputies drew up long lists of grievances and called for sweeping political and social reforms.    The Third Estate, which had the most representatives, declared itself the National Assembly and took an oath to force a new constitution on the king. Initially seeming to yield, Louis legalized the National Assembly under the Third Estate but then surrounded Versailles with troops and dismissed Jacques Necker, a popular minister of state who had supported reforms. In response, Parisians mobilized and on July 14 stormed the Bastille--a state prison where they believed ammunition was stored--and the French Revolution began.

• 1791 - King Louis XVI of France was captured during the French Revolution while attempting to flee the country in the so-called Flight to Varennes.

1793 - Eli Whitney applied for a cotton gin patent. He received the patent on March 14. The cotton gin initiated the American mass-production concept.

1819 - The 320 ton Savannah becomes first steamship to cross any ocean (Atlantic)

1825 - Coronation of French king Charles X the Bourbon 1826 - Siam/England sign trade/peace treaty

• 1837 - England issues its 1st stamp, 1P Queen Victoria

1837 - Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of uncle King William IV Ruled for 63 years ending in 1901

• 1840 - Samuel Morse patents his telegraph

1855 - Commissioners appointed to lay out SF streets west of Larkin

1862 - Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.

1863 - First bank chartered in US (National Bank of Davenport Iowa)

1863 - Skirmish at Greencastle Pennsylvania

1863 - West Virginia became the 35th state to join the U.S.

1863 - The National Bank of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, became the first bank to receive a charter from the U.S. Congress.

1864 - Battle of Kinston NC & Battle of Abingdon VA

1864 - Battle of Petersburgs VA - in trenches

1864 - Skirmish at Lattermore's Mills/Powder Springs Georgia

1866 - Italy declares war on Austria

• 1867 - President Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska

1871 - Ku Klux Klan trials began in federal court in Oxford Miss

1874 - First US Lifesaving Medal awarded (Lucian Clemons)

1888 - Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Libertas

1893 - Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering her parents, was found innocent by a jury in New Bedford, Mass.

1895 - 1st female PhD (science) earned (Caroline Willard Baldwin)

1895 - Canal of Smock official opens

• 1895 - Nicaragua, El Salvador & Honduras form a short-lived confederation

1898 - The U.S. Navy seized the island of Guam enroute to the Phillipines to fight the Spanish.

• Jun 20, 1900: Boxer Rebellion begins in China  In response to widespread foreign encroachment upon China's national affairs, Chinese nationalists launch the so-called Boxer Rebellion in Peking. Calling themselves I Ho Ch'uan, or "the Righteous and Harmonious Fists," the nationalists occupied Peking, killed several Westerners, including German ambassador Baron von Ketteler, and besieged the foreign legations in the diplomatic quarter of the city.    By the end of the 19th century, the Western powers and Japan had forced China's ruling Qing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country's economic affairs. In the Opium Wars, popular rebellions, and the Sino-Japanese War, China had fought to resist the foreigners, but it lacked a modernized military and suffered millions of casualties. In 1898, Tzu'u Hzi, the dowager empress and an anti-imperialist, began supporting the I Ho Ch'uan, who were known as the "Boxers" by the British because of their martial arts fighting style. The Boxers soon grew powerful, and in late 1899 regular attacks on foreigners and Chinese Christians began.    On June 20, 1900, the Boxers, now more than 100,000 strong and led by the court of Tzu'u Hzi, besieged the foreigners in Peking's diplomatic quarter, burned Christian churches in the city, and destroyed the Peking-Tientsin railway line. As the Western powers and Japan organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege of the Peking legations stretched into weeks, and the diplomats, their families, and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought to keep the Boxers at bay. On August 14, the international force, featuring British, Russian, American, Japanese, French, and German troops, relieved Peking after fighting its way through much of northern China.    Due to mutual jealousies between the powers, it was agreed that China would not be partitioned further, and in September 1901, the Peking Protocol was signed, formally ending the Boxer Rebellion. By the terms of agreement, the foreign nations received extremely favorable commercial treaties with China, foreign troops were permanently stationed in Peking, and China was forced to pay $333 million dollars as penalty for its rebellion. China was effectively a subject nation.

1901 - Charlotte Manye is first native African to graduate from a US college

1907 - First Portland Rose festival

1909 - First balloon honeymoon (Roger Burham & Eleanor Waring)

1910 - "Krazy Kat" comic strip by George Herriman debuts in NY Journal

Flag of Mexico

• 1910 - Mexican President Porfirio Diaz proclaimed martial law and arrested hundreds.

1910 - Fanny Brice debuted in the New York production of the "Ziegfeld Follies".

1911 - NAACP incorporates (NY)

1912 - NY Giant Josh Devore steals 4 bases in an inning (2nd & 3rd twice)

1912 - NY Giants lead Bost Braves 14-2 into 9th, Giants win 21-12

1913 - 3 of 1st 4 Yankees hit-by-pitch en route to a record 6 hit batsman

1913 - Bert Daniels set AL mark, being hit-by-pitch 3 times in a doubleheader

1914 - 46th Belmont: Merritt Buxton aboard Luke McLuke wins in 2:20

• 1915 - German offensive in Argonnes

1919 - German government of Scheideman resigns

• 1919 - Treaty of Versailles: Germany ends incorporation of Austria

1919 - 150 die at the Teatro Yaguez fire, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

1920 - Yanks win protest of 1-0 White Sox win & game is replayed

1921 - 11.5" (29.2 cm) of rainfall, Circle, Montana (state record)

• 1923 - France announced it would seize the Rhineland to assist Germany in paying its war debts.

1926 - Mordecai W Johnson becomes 1st black president of Howard University

1931 - Karl Buresch becomes chancellor of Austrian

1932 - A's Roger Cramer gets 6 consecutive hits in a game (repeats in 1935)

1936 - Jesse Owens of US sets 100 meter record at 10.2

1939 - Test flight of 1st rocket plane using liquid propellants

1940 - Joe Louis TKOs Arturo Godoy in 8 for heavyweight boxing title

1941 - German U-203 fails on torpedo attack on US battleship Texas

1941 - The U.S. Army Air Force was established, replacing the Army Air Corps.

1942 - Adolf Eichmann proclaims deportation of Dutch Jews

1942 - German troops conquer Tobruk, North Africa

1943 - Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) founded

1943 - Detroit race riot kills 35

1943 - German round up Jews in Amsterdam

1943 - National Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organizes

1943 - Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit. Federal troops were sent in two days later to end the violence that left more than 30 dead.

• 1943 - New Quebec (Chubb) Crater discovered in northern Quebec (3½ km dia)

1943 - Sweden's Gunther Hagg beats favorite Greg Rice by 35 yards in 5,000m at national AAU track & field championship in NY

1944 - Congress charters Central Intelligence Agency

1944 - Heavy storm hits the Channel

• 1944 - Nazis begin mass extermination of Jews at Auschwitz

1944 - Soviet forces conquer Wiborg

1944 - US attacks Japanese fleet in Philippines Sea

1944 - US troops occupy Biak

1946 - NYC transit begins using PA system - Car # 744 on 8th Ave IND line

Bust of American President Harry Truman

1947 - Pres Harry Truman vetoes Taft-Hartley Act

1947 - Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was murdered in Beverly Hills, CA, at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of his project, the Flamingo resort in Las Vegas, NV.

1948 - "Toast of the Town" hosted by Ed Sullivan premieres on CBS-TV

1948 - 20 Jews killed when a bomb is thrown into Jewish quarter of Cairo

1948 - Cleveland draws then record 82,781 for doubleheader

1948 - Deutsche Mark introduced in West-Germany

1949 - Central Intelligence Agency Act, passes

1950 - Dutch Air Force base Tjililitan given to Indonesia

1950 - Joe Dimaggio's 2,000th hit, Yanks beat Indians 8-2

1950 - Willie Mays graduated from high school and immediately signed with the New York Giants.

1951 - Cleve Indian Bobby Avila hits 3 HRs, double & single vs Red Sox

1955 - The AFL and CIO agreed to combine names and a merge into a single group.

1955 - "Almost Crazy" opens at Longacre Theater NYC for 16 performances

1956 - Venezuelan Super Constellation crashes in NJ, 74 killed

1956 - At Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Mickey Mantle hits 2 Billy Hoeft pitches into right center field bleachers (no else hits 1 there)

1958 - NZ all out 47 v England at Lord's Laker 4-13, Lock 5-17

1960 - 12nd Emmy Awards: Playhouse 90, Robert Stack & Jane Wyatt

1960 - Federation of Mali (& Senegal) becomes independent of France

1960 - Floyd Patterson KOs Ingemar Johansson in 5 for heavyweight boxing title

1960 - Heavyweight Floyd Patterson KOs Ingemar Johnstown (NYC)

1963 - First Mayor's Trophy Game, Mets beat Yanks 6-2

    

• 1963 - Beatles form "Beatles Ltd" to handle their income

The flag of the USSR (Soviet Union)

1963 - The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link between the two countries.

1966 - The U.S. Open golf tournament was broadcast in color for the first time.

1966 - Sheila Scott completes 1st round-the-world solo flight by a woman

• 1967 - Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted into the armed services. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the conviction.

1967 - Phillies Larry Jackson beats NY Mets for 18th straight time

1968 - Jim Hines becomes 1st person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds

• 1969 - 150,000 attend Newport '69, Jimi Hendrix gets $120,000 to appear

1969 - Georges Pompidou sworn in as president of France

• 1969 - White Rhodesia agrees to race separation

1970 - "Ray Stevens Show," debuts on NBC-TV

1970 - British government of Edward Heath forms (with Margaret Thatcher)

1970 - Oriole's Brooks Robinson get his 2,000 career hit, a 3 run HR

1973 - Chicago's Cy Acosta is 1st AL pitcher to bat since DH rule (strikeout)

Flag of Argentina

• In 1973 on this day, former President Juan Peron returned to Argentina.

1973 - SF Giants Bobby Bonds sets NL record with 22 lead off HRs

1973 - Ezeiza massacre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured.

June 20, 1975: Jaws released  On this day in 1975, Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opens in theaters. The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New England resort town became an instant blockbuster and the highest-grossing film in movie history until it was bested by 1977's Star Wars. Jaws was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category and took home three Oscars, for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film, a breakthrough for director Spielberg, then 27 years old, spawned three sequels.  The film starred Roy Scheider as principled police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as a marine biologist named Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw as a grizzled fisherman called Quint. It was set in the fictional beach town of Amity, and based on a best-selling novel, released in 1973, by Peter Benchley. Subsequent water-themed Benchley bestsellers also made it to the big screen, including The Deep (1977).  With a budget of $12 million, Jaws was produced by the team of Richard Zanuck and David Brown, whose later credits include The Verdict (1982), Cocoon (1985) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Filming, which took place on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, was plagued by delays and technical difficulties, including malfunctioning mechanical sharks.  Jaws put now-famed director Steven Spielberg on the Hollywood map. Spielberg, largely self-taught in filmmaking, made his feature-length directorial debut with The Sugarland Express in 1974. The film was critically well-received but a box-office flop. Following the success of Jaws, Spielberg went on to become one of the most influential, iconic people in the film world, with such epics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), ET: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). E.T., Jaws and Jurassic Park rank among the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time. In 1994, Spielberg formed DreamWorks SKG, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. The company has produced such hits as American Beauty (1999), Gladiator (2001) and Shrek (2001).

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jaws-released

1976 - Carl Fugate, Starkweather accomplice, paroled

1976 - Czechoslovakia becomes European soccer champ

1976 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Hoosier Golf Classic

1976 - River Country opens

1977 - Menahem Begin forms Israeli government

1977 -  The Trans-Alaska Pipeline began operation. Oil enters Trans-Alaska pipeline, and exits 38 days later at Valdez

1978 - 1st 6 teams of Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL) granted-Iowa, NJ, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota & Dayton

1979 - ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.

1980 - "Blues Brothers" with Dan Akwoyd & John Belushi opens in 594 theaters

1980 - California Angels Freddie Patek, hits 3 HRs & double to beat Red Sox 20-2

• 1980 - Roberto Duran takes WBC welterweight title from Sugar Ray Leonard at Olympic Stadium in Montreal by unanimous decision

1981 - Guitarist Gerry Cott quits Boomtown Rats

1981 - Mudjahedin uprises against Iran regime

1981 - Pope John Paul II hospitalized for 55 days for infection

1982 - Israeli PM Menachem Begin arrives in Washington

1982 - Pete Rose is 5th to appear in 3,000 games (Cobb, Musial, Aaron, Yaz)

1983 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers must treat male and female workers equally in providing health benefits for their spouses.

1983 - NY Yankee Bobby Murcer retires

1984 - Oakland A's Dave Kingman hits his 3rd grand slam & 14th lifetime

1984 - Amber Kvanli, of Minnesota, crowned America's Junior Miss

1986 - Drs at Bethesda Naval remove 2 small benign polyps from Reagan's colon

1986 - Jim Fregosi replaces Tony LaRussa as White Sox manager

1987 - Chuti Tiu, 17, of Wisconsin, crowned America's Junior Miss

Flag of Haiti

• Haiti's General Assembly dissolved on this day in 1988. 

1988 - NYC WABC-AM becomes flagship radio station of NJ Devils

1988 - Price is Right model Janice Pennington is knocked out by a TV camera

1988 - WABC officially becomes the NJ Devils new home radio

1988 - Supreme Court upholds a law that made it illegal for private clubs to discriminate against women & minorities

1990 - 40,000-50,000 die in a (7.6) earthquake in Iran

Statue of Nelson Mandela in the gardens in front of the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa

• On this day in 1990, antiapartheid activist Nelson Mandela landed in New York City to begin a tour of the United States.

• 1990 - Asteroid Eureka is discovered.

• 1991 - The German parliament decides to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin.

 

The 47th NBA Championship ended on this day in 1993, as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2. This completed the first of two three-peats for the 1990's for the Chicago Bulls franchise. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP.

1994 - Bomb attack on Islamic temple in Mashad Iran (70 killed)



1994 - OJ Simpson arraigned on murder of Nicole Simpson & Ronald Goldman

• 1995 - Space probe Ulysses begins 2nd passage behind the Sun

• 1996 - Space Shuttle STS 78 (Columbia 20), launches into space

• 1997 - Negotiators announce agreement in principle with tobacco industry. The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills.

2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 38th home run of the season. The home run broke the major league baseball record for homers before the midseason All-Star break.

• 2002 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel. The vote was 6 in favor and 3 against.

2012 - Western Libyan tribal clashes kill 105 people and injure 500

2012 - A Syrian fighter pilot lands in Jordan and defects from the Syrian uprising




The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jun20.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory