This day in history...

On June 5, 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy, former US Attorney General and younger brother of the late president, is shot several times by Palestinian national Sirhan Sirhan as he exits the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy, who was the clear front runner for the Democrat Party presidential nomination later that year, dies the next day. Sirhan, who is said to have blamed Kennedy for the oppression of Palestinians in the Middle East, would admit guilt and be sentenced to death, but California would outlaw the death penalty before his execution; he remains in prison to this day.


On June 5, 1944, Allied bombers drop more than 5,000 tons of bombs, while British commandos and American Airborne troops parachute into various locations around the Normandy region of France. Commandos are also flown in via gliders to gain control of bridges and other strategic points. Commando raids are not unusual, but the scale of this night's activity leads some German officers to suspect the long-anticipated invasion may be afoot, though they also conclude the raids are diversionary, the invasion being anticipated to the north near the port city of Callais. They're partially right; at several English ports, an invasion fleet of more than 3,000 ships is putting to sea, but they're sailing for Normandy....

On June 5, 1870, around 900 people are killed and 3,000 homes destroyed by a fire in the Turkish city of Constantinople. The fire started when a girl carrying a hot coal in a pan tripped and dropped the coal, starting a fire that was quickly fanned out of control by high winds.

On June 5, 1967, Israel responds to an ominous build-up of Arab forces along its borders by launching simultaneous attacks against Egypt and Syria. Jordan subsequently entered the fray, but the Arab coalition was no match for Israel’s proficient armed forces. By June 11, what is now known as the Six Day War is over, and Israel has doubled in size, occupying the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, the Golan Heights of Syria, and the West Bank and Arab sector of East Jerusalem. They will offer to return all lands in exchange for official diplomatic recognition from the varoius governments of the region, but to this day, only Egypt has capitulated.

 

I was trying not to be too long winded and detailed. The treaty that saw the Egyptians get their land back didn't happen until 1982.

 

At daybreak on June 6, 1944, the critical phase of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France, begins. The first of 155,000 American, British and Canadian troops begin wading ashore on the beaches of the Normandy region. At the sector code-named Omaha Beach, 2 divisions of the American V Corps (about 12,000 men) meet the stiffest German resistance of the day, suffering better than 40% casualties, but eventually gain control of the cliffs overlooking the beach. The casualties are far lighter for the Americans taking Utah Beach, and the British and Canadian invaders at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches. By day's end, total Allied casualties are 4,414 dead and almost 6,000 wounded. The Germans suffer only about 1,000 casualties, but the Allies have a solidly defended toehold on the European continent at the end of the day and are beginning to link up with strongholds taken by paratroopers during the previous night. By month's end, roughly half a million Allied troops will have entered the continent through Normandy.


On June 6, 2013, the Washington Post and The Guardian (English) publish the first in a series of reports that demonstrate the American government is spying broadly on its own people. Three days later, the papers' unnamed source unmasks himself; Edward Snowden, a National Security Agency contractor. Documents he claimed to have stolen and leaked to the newspapers show the government tapped the servers of several major internet companies, including Facebook and Google, and used the information to spy on people's audio and video chats, and other forms of electronic communications. Later articles revealed the government spied on the leaders of other countries as well. Snowden would be charge with theft of government property and other crimes, and fled to Russia to avoid extradition. Since the initial leak, various sources have release more than 7,000 documents obtained from Snowden, but American intelligence agencies believe he has possession of about 1.7 million files.


On June 6, 1918, the Battle of Belleau Wood, the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I, begins. Over the next 3 weeks, U.S. Marines will repel the German offensive, which had pushed to within 45 miles of Paris, at the cost of about 10,000 casualties.

On June 6, 1933, motorists in Camden, New Jersey park their automobiles on the grounds of the Park-In Theater to enjoy a movie from the comfort of their cars. Later copiers of the concept will call them drive-in theaters. At the height of its popularity in the late 50's-early 60's, America had about 5,000 drive-ins, before the rising cost of real estate and the advent of home video machines began changing the movie market. Today, fewer than 500 drive-ins remain.


June 6, 1971 is the end of an era for American television, the final episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. For 8 years, Sullivan dominated the Sunday night TV ratings by giving viewers a look at a wide range of both unknown and superstar talent, in a variet of entertainment genre. Americans got their first look at The Beatles and Elvis Presley on Sullivan; they also heard music from the Broadway smash South Pacific. There was no shortage of censor-generate controversy; they made cameras show Presley from the waist up, and forced The Rolling Stones to change some suggestive lyrics. Bob Dylan stormed off the set rather than follow a similar command. In 2003, TV Guide ranked The Ed Sullivan Show 15th on its list of the Greatest TV shows of All Time.
(Sullivan chats with The Beatles on set)

 

thanks for these posts, McT, always interesting