Today In History: 06-06-06!

Today In History - June 6, 2006
(AP) Today is Tuesday, June sixth, the 157th day of 2006. There are 208 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June sixth, 1944, the “D-Day” invasion of Europe took place during World War Two as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. On this date: In 1606, 400 years ago, French dramatist Pierre Corneille was born in Rouen. In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in London. In 1918, the World War One Battle of Belleau Wood, which resulted in a US victory over the Germans, began in France. In 1925, Walter Percy Chrysler founded the Chrysler Corporation. In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established. In 1942, Japanese forces retreated in the World War Two Battle of Midway. In 1966, 40 years ago, black activist James Meredith was shot and wounded as he walked along a Mississippi highway to encourage black voter registration. In 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, a day after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. In 1978, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13, a primary ballot initiative calling for major cuts in property taxes. In 1985, authorities in Brazil exhumed a body later identified as the remains of Dr. Josef Mengele, the notorious “Angel of Death” of the Nazi Holocaust. Ten years ago: The Senate narrowly rejected a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution as outgoing Majority Leader Bob Dole and the Democrats clashed over deficit reduction. A family of four became the first persons to leave the Freemen ranch in Montana since April. Five years ago: Democrats formally assumed control of the US Senate; the unprecedented shift in power came about after the decision of Vermont Republican James Jeffords to become an independent. A jury in Los Angeles awarded more than three billion dollars to lifelong smoker Richard Boeken, deciding that tobacco giant Philip Morris was responsible for his incurable lung cancer. (The jury award was reduced by a Superior Court judge to 100 (m) million dollars, then cut to 50 (m) million by an appeals court; the U-S Supreme Court refused in March 2006 to consider tossing out the award altogether; Boeken died in 2002.) One year ago: The Supreme Court ruled, 6-to-3, that people who smoke marijuana because their doctors recommend it to ease pain can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws. A judge upheld Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire’s victory—by 129 votes—in Washington state’s 2004 election. Actor Russell Crowe was arrested for throwing a phone that hit a hotel employee in New York City; he later pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. Death claimed actress Anne Bancroft at age 73 and actor Dana Elcar at age 77. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Billie Whitelaw is 74. Civil rights activist Roy Innis is 72. Singer Levi Stubbs (The Four Tops) is 70. Singer-songwriter Gary “US” Bonds is 67. Country singer Joe Stampley is 63. Actor Robert Englund is 57. Folk singer Holly Near is 57. Singer Dwight Twilley is 55. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 52. Comedian Sandra Bernhard is 51. Tennis player Bjorn Borg is 50. Actress Amanda Pays is 47. Comedian Colin Quinn is 47. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 47. Rock musician Steve Vai is 46. Actor Jason Isaacs is 43. Rock musician Sean Yseult (White Zombie) is 40. Actor Max Casella is 39. Actor Paul Giamatti is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Damion Hall (Guy) is 38. Rock musician Bardi Martin is 37. Rock musician James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) is 36. Country singer Lisa Brokop is 33. Rapper-rocker Uncle Kracker is 32. Actress Staci Keanan is 31. Thought for Today: “To win without risk is to triumph without glory.”—Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (1606-1684).

Taken from:
http://cbs2.com/watercooler/local_story_158033653.html

Also see:

“Superstitious Mothers-To-Be Take Steps to Make Sure Babies Aren't Born on June 6, 2006”

Hell shines in its apocalyptic moment in the sun
HELL, Michigan (Reuters) - The road to Hell was crowded with the curious on Tuesday -- as well as devils-in-disguise, hearse enthusiasts, Christian protesters and merchants trying to cash in on the apocalypse.
Hell, Michigan, a tiny town about 60 miles (97 km) west of Detroit, threw itself open for a once-in-a-millennium party to mark the passage of June 6, 2006 -- or 6-6-6, a number long associated with the Antichrist.
Home to only about 70 souls on an average day, Hell's population swelled to the hundreds by Tuesday afternoon, with dozens waiting in line to buy T-shirts emblazoned with "666."...
...Auto salvage worker Ken McKeny, 43, pulled his customized, casket on wheels into town with the "4MLDHYD" licence plates, part of a Michigan-based hearse enthusiasts group that call themselves "Hearsin' Around."
"I went to work this morning but my boss told me to get out and go to Hell," he said.

6-Foot, 6-Inch Grandfather Turns 66 On 6/6/06
(CBS) MANCHESTER, N.H. Paul Porter was born on June 6. He was always good with numbers. He just didn't realize how good."A couple of weeks ago, I happened to think about the irony of 6-6-06. And I'll be 66 and I'm 6 feet, 6 inches."....
..."I don't believe the world is going to end because I have 12 years left on my mortgage," he said. "I don't think the bank would allow it."An Army veteran, Porter has his birthday on his Veterans license plate. It is a reminder of one of the most important days in American history: the allied invasion of Normandy in World War II."I often think of the significance of D-Day more than anything else."But this year, he's just having fun with the numbers.By the way, did we tell you he has six grandchildren?
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