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June 17th Today in History
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Famous People & Celebrities Born on June 17th:
- Abigail Hopkins
(1967) - Daughter of Anthony Hopkins.
- Peter Lupus
(1932) - Played Willie Armitage on TV's Mission: Impossible. In 1997 the actor and bodybuilder celebrated his 65th birthday by lifting 60,000 pounds in less than 30 minutes. Mr. Lupus states he was born in 1932 not in 1937 or 1943 as reported by some sources.
- Newt Gingrich
(1943) - Former Speaker of the House. A Tennessee-based company that sells fertilizer made out of rhinoceros droppings once marketed a "dung sculpture" of Gingrich's mug. A 1997 survey by Scope mouthwash revealed Gingrich and Hillary Clinton were America's "Least Kissable Public Officials." Texas-based researcher Texe Marrs claims Gingrich is a member of a secret society known as the "Bohemian Grove." The members -- who are all rich and powerful -- supposedly meet every year outside San Francisco to booze it up, curse, scream and worship a statue of a giant owl. In 1995 Domino's pizza reported that sausage pizza orders increased an average of 11 percent whenever Gingrich gave a speech.
- Art Bell
(1945) - The popular overnight talk radio host retired from his show in 2000 but returned in 2001. Bell examines UFOs, the paranormal and conspiracy theories. In 1997 Bell's show helped spread a bizarre rumor about an extraterrestrial spacecraft hiding behind the tail of the Hale-Bopp comet. Many paranormal debunkers claimed Bell's non-stop updates on the alien spacecraft might have convinced 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult in Ranch Santa Fe, California, to commit suicide in order to board the spaceship.
- Barry Manilow
(1946) - Barry learned to play the accordion at the age of seven. One of his first jobs was working as a pianist at a gay bathhouse in Manhattan. Manilow once said, "The secret to a successful long-term relationship is DON'T get married." Manilow's producer, Ron Dante, was lead singer for the Archies cartoon group which sang the 1969 hit "Sugar Sugar." To disguise his identity while traveling, Manilow often registers at hotels as "John Burrows," a fake name that was formerly used by Elvis Presley. Judy Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft, claims her first true love was Manilow. Born in 1946 not 1943 as reported by some sources.
- Joe Piscopo
(1951) - Funnyman Joe was suspended from high school eight times for smoking in the boys room. Saturday Night Live (1980-84)
- Mark Linn-Baker
(1954) - Actor. Perfect Strangers
- Greg Kinnear
(1963) - The actor is the former host of E! network's Talk Soup. Kinnear flicks: Auto Focus (2002), We Were Soldiers (2002), Someone Like You (2001), As Good As It Gets (1997). Born in 1963 not 1965 as reported by some sources.
- Erin Murphy
(1964) - One of two fraternal twins who played Tabitha on TV's Bewitched.
- Diane Murphy
(1964) - One of two fraternal twins who played Tabitha on TV's Bewitched.
- Dan Jansen
(1965) - 1994 Olympic gold medal speed skater (1000 meters).
- Jason Patric
(1966) - The actor's real name is Jason Miller. Speed II: Cruise Control (1997). Patric states he was born on June 17, 1966, not June 27 as reported by some sources.
- Kevin Thornton
(1969) - Color Me Badd.
- Venus Williams
(1980) - Tennis player and sister of Serena Williams.
Famous and Noteworthy Events on June 17th:
(1885) - The Statue of Liberty was delivered to New York City aboard a French freighter.
(1994) - After being charged with the murder of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman, O.J. Simpson led cops on a bizarre 60-mile chase through the streets and freeways of Los Angeles. Millions watched on live TV as the white Ford Bronco snaked through town. Simpson eventually returned to his Brentwood mansion and was taken into custody. He was later found not guilty of the murder charges, although a civil suit found him liable for the murders.
(1939) - The last public execution by guillotine took place in France. A huge crowd gathered to see German murderer Eugene Wiedman's head lopped off -- but the execution happened so fast the crowd didn't see much and Eugene's head was whisked away within seconds. Future executions were done behind prison walls until 1977 when use of the guillotine was discontinued.
(1947) - The first regularly scheduled commercial round-the-world passenger airline flight took off from New York's La Guardia airport. A ticket for the more than 22,000-mile flight cost $1,700. The PanAm clipper took almost two weeks to fly around the world, making leisurely stops in all sorts of exotic cities.
(1963) - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down rules which required students of public schools to recite the Lord's Prayer.
(1972) - Five men attempting to bug the Democratic Party Headquarters on the 6th floor of the Watergate Building were arrested by cops. The men were all employees of a group known as the Committee to Reelect the President -- CREEP for short. The arrests were the start of the infamous Watergate Scandal which resulted in President Nixon's resignation two years later.
(1974) - After 10 years of marriage, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were divorced for the first time. They remarried for a short time in 1976 and then divorced once again.
MORE HISTORIC BIRTHS & EVENTS IN JUNE :
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