Today in History

Today is Saturday, June 5, the 156th day of 2021. There are 209 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 5, 1967, war erupted in the Middle East as Israel, anticipating a possible attack by its Arab neighbors, launched a series of pre-emptive airfield strikes that destroyed nearly the entire Egyptian air force; Syria, Jordan and Iraq immediately entered the conflict.

On this date:

In 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, which prohibited Americans from taking part in any military action against a country that was at peace with the United States.

In 1912, U.S. Marines landed in Cuba at the order of President William Howard Taft to ensure order and protect U.S. interests.

In 1917, about 10 million American men between the ages of 21 and 31 began registering for the draft in World War I.

In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Henderson v. United States, struck down racially segregated railroad dining cars.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones performed the first concert of their first U.S. tour at Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California.

In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded after claiming victory in California's Democratic presidential primary at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles; assassin Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was arrested at the scene.

In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control reported that five homosexuals in Los Angeles had come down with a rare kind of pneumonia; they were the first recognized cases of what later became known as AIDS.

In 1999, jazz and pop singer Mel Torme died in Los Angeles at age 73.

In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City home. (Smart was found alive by police in a Salt Lake suburb in March 2003. One kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, is serving a prison sentence; the other, Wanda Barzee, was released in September, 2018.)

In 2004, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

In 2006, more than 50 National Guardsmen from Utah became the first unit to work along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President George W. Bush's crackdown on illegal immigration.

In 2013, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, many of them sleeping women and children, pleaded guilty to murder at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to avoid the death penalty; he was sentenced to life in prison.

Ten years ago: Israeli troops battled hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters who tried to burst across Syria's frontier with the Golan Heights, killing a reported 20 people. Rafael Nadal won his record-equaling sixth French Open title, beating Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1.

Five years ago: Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination. David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan journalist, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed in an insurgent ambush while on assignment. Novak Djokovic became the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive major championships and finally earned an elusive French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, beating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

One year ago: Minneapolis banned chokeholds by police, the first of many changes in police practices to be announced in the aftermath of George Floyd's death; officers would also now be required to intervene any time they saw unauthorized force by another officer. An op-ed in The Washington Post, signed by 89 former defense officials, accused President Donald Trump of using the U.S. military to undermine the rights of Americans protesting police brutality. City workers and volunteers painted "Black Lives Matter" in enormous yellow letters for two blocks on the street leading to the White House in a sign of local leaders' embrace of the protest movement. The World Health Organization broadened its recommendations for the use of masks during the pandemic. With results tabulated from several primaries earlier in the week, Joe Biden formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league had been wrong for not listening to players fighting for racial equality.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Bill Hayes is 96. Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 87. Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark is 82. Author Dame Margaret Drabble is 82. Country singer Don Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 76. Rock musician Freddie Stone (AKA Freddie Stewart) (Sly and the Family Stone) is 74. Rock singer Laurie Anderson is 74. Country singer Gail Davies is 73. Author Ken Follett is 72. Financial guru Suze Orman is 70. Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 69. Jazz musician Peter Erskine is 67. Jazz musician Kenny G is 65. Rock singer Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) is 65. Actor Beth Hall is 63. Actor Jeff Garlin is 59. Actor Karen Sillas is 58. Actor Ron Livingston is 54. Singer Brian McKnight is 52. Rock musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 51. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 50. Actor Chad Allen is 47. Rock musician P-Nut (311) is 47. Actor Navi Rawat is 44. Actor Liza Weil is 44. Rock musician Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) is 42. Rock musician Seb Lefebvre (Simple Plan) is 40. Actor Chelsey Crisp is 38. Actor Amanda Crew is 35. Electronic musician Harrison Mills (Odesza) is 32. Musician/songwriter/producer DJ Mustard is 31. Actor Sophie Lowe is 31. Actor Hank Greenspan is 11.