Advertisement

UPI Almanac for Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Sally Ride's historic flight ... on this date in history.

By United Press International
Former NASA astronaut Sally Ride in San Diego Aug. 11, 2006. Ride, who died in 2012, was the first American woman to fly into space. UPI/Joseph Marino/File photo.
1 of 6 | Former NASA astronaut Sally Ride in San Diego Aug. 11, 2006. Ride, who died in 2012, was the first American woman to fly into space. UPI/Joseph Marino/File photo. | License Photo

Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

Today is Wednesday, June 18, the 169th day of 2014 with 196 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Neptune, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Saturn.

Advertisement


Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Cyrus Curtis, founder and publisher of the Ladies' Home Journal, in 1850; journalist and publisher Edward W. Scripps in 1854; British mountain climber George Mallory in 1886; singer-actor Jeanette MacDonald in 1903; actor Keye Luke in 1904; Tin Pan Alley composer Sammy Cahn, vintner Robert Mondavi and financial journalist Sylvia Porter, all in 1913; actors E.G. Marshall in 1914 and Richard Boone in 1917; oil well firefighter Red Adair in 1915; baseball Hall of Fame member Lou Brock in 1939 (age 75); film critic Roger Ebert in 1942; former South African President Thabo Mbeki and singer/composer Paul McCartney, also in 1942 (age 72); actors Carol Kane and Isabella Rossellini, both in 1952 (age 62); and singer Jemma Griffiths, known by stage name Jem, in 1975 (age 39).


On this date in history:

In 1812, the United States declared war on Britain.

In 1815, England's Duke of Wellington and Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium.

Advertisement

In 1975, Saudi Arabian Prince Museid was publicly beheaded in Riyadh for the assassination of King Faisal.

In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed a strategic arms control treaty in Vienna, Austria.

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space after the shuttle Challenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

In 1990, James Edward Pough, 42, whose car had been repossessed, killed eight people and wounded five more before committing suicide at a General Motors Acceptance Corp. loan office in Jacksonville, Fla. He was believed to have killed two others a day earlier.

In 1997, Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan resigned under pressure after his governing coalition lost its majority in Parliament.

In 2004, U.S. hostage Paul Johnson Jr., 49, was killed by his Saudi captors despite pleas from senior Muslim clerics.

In 2007, United States and European Union officials announced they would resume aid to Palestinians.

In 2012, Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia issued a statement on the conflict in Syria. It said, "We are united in the belief that the Syrian people should have the opportunity to independently and democratically choose their own future."

Advertisement

In 2013, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a funeral in Mardan, Pakistan. At least 34 people died and dozens of others were injured.


A thought for the day: "The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel." -- John Glenn

Latest Headlines