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UPI Almanac for Sunday, June 24, 2018

On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces blockaded the western zones of Berlin, setting the stage for the Berlin airlift to support the 2 million people of the divided German city.

By United Press International
U.S. Air Force Douglas C-47 transport planes prepare to take off from Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin airlift in August 1948. On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces blockaded the western zones of Berlin, setting the stage for the Berlin airlift to support the 2 million people of the divided German city. File Photo by USAF
U.S. Air Force Douglas C-47 transport planes prepare to take off from Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin airlift in August 1948. On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces blockaded the western zones of Berlin, setting the stage for the Berlin airlift to support the 2 million people of the divided German city. File Photo by USAF

Today is Sunday, June 24, the 175th day of 2018 with 190 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include clergyman Henry Ward Beecher in 1813; writer/satirist Ambrose Bierce in 1842; basketball player/shoe designer Chuck Taylor in 1901; British astronomer Fred Hoyle in 1915; author/editor Norman Cousins in 1915; basketball Hall of Fame member Sam Jones in 1933 (age 85); actor Michele Lee in 1942 (age 76); guitarist Jeff Beck in 1944 (age 74); actor Peter Weller in 1947 (age 72); drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1947 (age 71); actor Nancy Allen in 1950 (age 68); actor Tommy Lister in 1958 (age 60); actor Mindy Kaling, born Vera Mindy Chokalingam, in 1979 (age 39); actor Minka Kelly in 1980 (age 38); actor Vanessa Ray in 1981 (age 37); singer Solange Knowles in 1986 (age 32); Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi, four-time FIFA World Player of the Year, in 1987 (age 31); actor Candice Patton in 1988 (age 30); actor Max Ehrich in 1991 (age 27).

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On this date in history:

In 1901, Pablo Picasso's artwork had its first exhibition in Paris.

In 1908, former president Grover Cleveland died in Princeton, N.J., at the age of 71.

In 1948, Soviet forces blockaded the western zones of Berlin, setting the stage for the Berlin airlift to support the 2 million people of the divided German city.

In 1975, an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 en route from New Orleans crashed at New York's Kennedy International airport, killing 113 people. There were 11 survivors.

In 1986, Raquel Welch won a $10.8 million verdict against MGM, which she said ruined her career by firing her from the 1980 movie Cannery Row.

In 1987, comedian/actor Jackie Gleason died at the age of 71.

In 1993, a Yale professor was injured by a mail bomb, the second sent by Ted Kaczynski, the so-called Unabomber, in two days. It was the 14th bomb Kaczynski sent since the 1970s.

In 2003, author Leon Uris, who wrote Exodus, the story of the struggle to establish and defend the state of Israel, and other famous novels, died at age 78.

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In 2009, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina. He resigned as chairman of the GOP governors association but stayed on as governor and was later elected to Congress.

In 2010, John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in a first-round match played over three days at Wimbledon. The match -- longest in pro-tennis history -- took 11 hours, 5 minutes and 183 games to decide a winner.

In 2011, New York state legislators approved same-sex marriage. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who pushed for the proposal, promptly signed it into law.

In 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi was elected president of Egypt. The military removed him from the office in 2013 and he was later sentenced to death for his role in a mass prison break in 2011.

In 2013, Belgian Steve Darcis, ranked 135th in the world, upset Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, the first time the Spanish star ever lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam event.

In 2016, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his plan to resign after Britain voted to leave the European Union.

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A thought for the day: "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." -- Fred Rogers

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