Today is Tuesday, June 12, the 164th day of 2012. There are 202 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On June 12, 1942, Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, received a diary for her 13th birthday; in it, she wrote, “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to with anyone, and I hope you will provide much support and comfort.” (Less than a month later, Anne and her family went into hiding from the Nazis.)
On this date:
In 1665, England installed a municipal government in New York, formerly the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam.
In 1776, Virginia’s colonial legislature became the first to adopt a Bill of Rights.
In 1898, Philippine nationalists declared independence from Spain.
In 1920, the Republican national convention, meeting in Chicago, nominated Warren G. Harding for president on the tenth ballot; Calvin Coolidge was nominated for vice president.
In 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, N.Y.
In 1956, the Flag of the United States Army was officially adopted under an executive order signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was shot and killed outside his home in Jackson, Miss. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and sentenced to life in prison; he died in 2001.)
In 1967, the Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages.
In 1972, the notorious porn film “Deep Throat,” starring Linda Lovelace, opened in New York. (The title would become the nickname of a deep background source for The Washington Post during the Watergate scandal, later revealed to be then-FBI Associate Director Mark Felt.) Death claimed literary critic Edmund Wilson at age 77 and community organizer Saul Alinsky at age 63.
In 1982, a crowd estimated at up to 1 million people gathered in New York’s Central Park to demand a superpower freeze on nuclear weapons.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
In 1991, Russians went to the polls to elect Boris N. Yeltsin president of their republic.
Ten years ago: The Los Angeles Lakers finished off the New Jersey Nets in four games, winning their third straight NBA title with a 113-107 victory. Fashion designer Bill Blass died at his Connecticut home at age 79.
Five years ago: President George W. Bush went to Capitol Hill, where he prodded rebellious Senate Republicans to help resurrect legislation that could provide eventual citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Afghan police mistook U.S. troops for Taliban fighters and opened fire, prompting U.S. forces to return fire, killing seven Afghan police officers. Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter to lead the Detroit Tigers over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0. Don Herbert, television’s “Mr. Wizard,” died in Bell Canyon, Calif., at age 89.
One year ago: The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title by winning Game 6 of the finals against the Miami Heat, 105-95. “The Book of Mormon” took home nine Tony Awards, including the prize for best musical; “War Horse” won five Tonys, including the best play award.
Associated Press
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