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On This Day: Robert F. Kennedy fatally shot

On June 5, 1968, as he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in Los Angeles, Sen. Robert Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. Kennedy, 42, died the next day.

By UPI Staff
Sen. Edward Kennedy (far L), Ethel Kennedy (L), widow of Robert Kennedy, Rep. Joe Kennedy and other family members pay their respects at the grave of Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1988. UPI File Photo
1 of 4 | Sen. Edward Kennedy (far L), Ethel Kennedy (L), widow of Robert Kennedy, Rep. Joe Kennedy and other family members pay their respects at the grave of Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1988. UPI File Photo | License Photo

On this date in history:

In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a bill abolishing the gold standard.

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In 1950, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that segregation of African Americans in railroad dining cars violated the Interstate Commerce Act.

In 1967, the Six-Day War began between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

In 1968, as he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in Los Angeles, Sen. Robert Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. Kennedy, 42, died the next day.

In 1976, the Teton River Dam in Idaho collapsed as it was being filled for the first time, killing 14 people, flooding 300 square miles and causing an estimated $1 billion damage.

In 1991, in a step away from apartheid, South African legislators repealed the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936, which reserved 87 percent of land for whites.

In 1998, members of the United Auto Workers go on strike at a General Motors plant in Flint, Mich., over frozen wages. The strike ended seven weeks later with GM promising not to close facilities and buying new equipment for workers, and some workers increasing output by 15 percent.

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File Photo by Bill Pugliano/UPI

In 2000, Ukrainian officials announced that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the worst radiation accident in history, would be closed.

In 2003, officials said U.S. troops would withdraw from the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, bringing an end to 50 years of guard duty.

In 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, died at his Los Angeles home at the age of 93 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

File Photo by Peter Jones/UPI

In 2008, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States told a military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, he wanted to plead guilty to the charges to become a martyr. Khalid Sheik Mohammed said he expected to face the death penalty.

In 2012, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election.

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In 2013, Susan Rice was named U.S. national security adviser, replacing outgoing Tom Donilon.

In 2014, a hooded man with a shotgun killed one person and injured two others at Seattle Pacific University before he was pepper sprayed and subdued by a student, with others assisting. Police praised the actions of "a lot of heroes" in stopping the gunman who, one officer said, "was hellbent on killing a lot of people today."

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