Today is Wednesday, June 11, the 161st day of 2025 with 203 to follow.
The moon is full. Morning stars are Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Mars.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include writer Ben Jonson in 1572; musician Richard Strauss in 1864; Rep. Jeannette Rankin in 1880; explorer Jacques Cousteau in 1910; Football Hall of Fame member Vince Lombardi in 1913; writer William Styron in 1925; actor Gene Wilder in 1933; International Motorsports Hall of Fame member Jackie Stewart in 1939 (age 86); actor Roscoe Orman in 1944 (age 81); actor Adrienne Barbeau in 1945 (age 80); musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) in 1949 (age 76); musician Graham Russell (Air Supply) in 1950 (age 75); musician Donnie Van Zant (38 Special/Van Zant) in 1952 (age 73); actor Peter Bergman in 1953 (age 72); Football Hall of Fame member Joe Montana in 1956 (age 69); actor Hugh Laurie in 1959 (age 66); TV personality/Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in 1960 (age 65); actor Peter Dinklage in 1969 (age 56); musician Dan Lavery (Tonic/Fray) in 1969 (age 56); actor Joshua Jackson in 1978 (age 47); actor Shia LaBeouf in 1986 (age 39); actor Jimmy O. Yang in 1987 (age 38); actor Claire Holt in 1988 (age 37); actor/musician Anna Sawai in 1992 (age 33); musician Kodak Black in 1997 (age 27).
On this date in history:
In 1776, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman -- the so-called Committee of Five -- were appointed by the Continental Congress to write a declaration of independence for the American colonies from England.
In 1919, Sir Barton became the first horse to win thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
In 1927, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge welcomed Charles Lindbergh home after the pilot made history's first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, New York to Paris.
In 1955, French auto racer Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed into a crowd of spectators at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, killing 84 people, including the driver. It was the deadliest auto racing crash in history.
In 1963, for a brief moment, Gov. George Wallace blocked the enrollment of two Black students to the University of Alabama. His acts of defiance would be short-lived as President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard, instructing them to end Wallace's blockade of the school.
In 1967, protests and violence erupted in Tampa, Fla., after a police officer fatally shot 19-year-old Martin Chambers on suspicion of burglary. The race riots lasted three days, during which multiple businesses burned to the ground and a sheriff's deputy -- Sgt. Don Williams -- died of a heart attack.
In 1967, the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The Israeli forces achieved a swift and decisive victory.
In 1985, Karen Ann Quinlan died at age 31 in a New Jersey nursing home, nearly 10 years after she lapsed into an irreversible coma. Her condition had sparked a nationwide controversy over her "right to die."
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime minister in 160 years to win three consecutive terms.
In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an anti-flag-burning law passed by Congress the year before.
In 1993, Jurassic Park opened and broke the record for the biggest three-day opening weekend with an estimated $48 million. That record has since been surpassed hundreds of times.
In 1994, after 49 years, the Russian military occupation of what had been East Germany ended with the departure of the Red Army from Berlin.
In, 2001, Timothy McVeigh was executed in Terre Haute, Ind., for the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people and injured hundreds.
In 2004, Ronald Reagan reached his final resting place at his library in Southern California, closing a week of ceremony and tribute to the late president.
In 2011, the leader of al-Qaida in East Africa, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, was killed in a shootout with Somali soldiers at a checkpoint in Mogadishu.
In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission allowed net neutrality rules enacted under the Obama administration to expire. The rules had required Internet service providers to enable access of all content and applications regardless of the source and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.
In 2024, a jury found Hunter Biden, the son of then-President Joe Biden, guilty on charges related to purchasing a firearm while using and being addicted to illegal drugs. Before leaving office, the president pardoned his son.
A thought for the day: "I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war." -- Jeannette Rankin, first woman elected to U.S. Congress
