On This Day: U.S. F-16 shot down over Bosnia; O'Grady rescued

On June 2, 1995, a U.S. F-16 fighter-jet was shot down by a Serb-launched missile while on patrol over Bosnia. The pilot, Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady, ejected safely and landed behind Serb lines. He was rescued six days later.

By UPI Staff
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Capt. Scott O'Grady gives a press conference on June 10, 1995, eight days after his F-16 Fighting Falcon was shot down over Bosnia. After six days of evasion, he was rescued by U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. File Photo by SRA Tana R. Hamilton/U.S. National Archives
1 of 6 | Capt. Scott O'Grady gives a press conference on June 10, 1995, eight days after his F-16 Fighting Falcon was shot down over Bosnia. After six days of evasion, he was rescued by U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. File Photo by SRA Tana R. Hamilton/U.S. National Archives

On this date in history:

In 1865, the Civil War officially came to an end when Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators.

In 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, the 21-year-old daughter of his former law partner, in a White House ceremony. The bride became the youngest first lady in U.S. history.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law, extending citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States and its territories.

In 1946, in a national referendum, voters in Italy decided the country should become a republic rather than return to a monarchy. The results were officially announced three days later after votes were counted.

File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI

In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in London's Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. A year earlier, upon receiving word of her father's death, the former Princess Elizabeth broke down and wept.

In 1985, police near San Francisco arrested Leonard Lake, who, along with an accomplice, Charles Ng, were accused of between 11 to 25 murders. Lake killed himself in jail before he could go to trial. Ng was convicted in 11 homicides in 1999 and sentenced to death.

In 1992, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1995, a U.S. F-16 fighter-jet was shot down by a Serb-launched missile while on patrol over Bosnia. The pilot, Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady, ejected safely and landed behind Serb lines. He was rescued six days later.

In 1997, a federal jury in Denver convicted Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. He was sentenced to death and executed June 11, 2001.

In 2004, Ken Jennings won his first game on Jeopardy! It started a string that ended after a record 74 wins and more than $2.5 million in winnings.

File Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI

In 2010, a 52-year-old British taxi driver was accused of a shooting rampage in which 13 people were slain and 11 others injured before he killed himself.

In 2014, Seattle's City Council approved a $15 hourly minimum wage -- the highest in the United States.

In 2024, Mexicans elect former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as their first female and first Jewish president.

File Photo by Mario Guzman/EPA-EFE

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