Today in History: June 17, South Carolina church shooting

Today in History

Today is Saturday, June 17, the 168th day of 2023. There are 197 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 17, 2015, nine people were shot to death in a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina; suspect Dylann Roof was arrested the following morning. (Roof was convicted of federal hate crimes and sentenced to death; he later pleaded guilty to state murder charges and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.)

On this date:

In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses.

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere (ee-SEHR’).

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which boosted U.S. tariffs to historically high levels, prompting foreign retaliation.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, struck down, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer or reading of Biblical verses in public schools.

In 1967, China successfully tested its first thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon’s eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s, Watergate complex.

In 1994, after leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was later acquitted in a criminal trial but held liable in a civil trial.)

In 2008, hundreds of same-sex couples got married across California on the first full day that gay marriage became legal by order of the state’s highest court.

In 2009, President Barack Obama extended some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. Nevada Sen. John Ensign resigned from the GOP leadership a day after admitting an affair with a former campaign staffer.

In 2019, Iran announced that it was breaking compliance with the international accord that kept it from making nuclear weapons; the announcement meant that Iran could soon start to enrich uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels. The Trump administration followed Iran’s announcement by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.

In 2020, prosecutors in Atlanta brought murder charges against white police officer Garrett Rolfe in the fatal shooting of a Black man, Rayshard Brooks, following a struggle; a second officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. (Both officers are awaiting trial.) Q

Ten years ago: A G-8 summit of wealthy nations opened in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, under a cloud, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s regime. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that states can’t demand proof of citizenship from people registering to vote in federal elections unless they get federal or court approval to do so.

Five years ago: Former first lady Laura Bush, writing in the Washington Post, said the policy of separating immigrant parents and children along the nation’s southern border was “cruel” and “immoral.” Conservative Ivan Duque was elected Colombia’s next president, after promising to change parts of a peace accord with leftist rebels. Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) won the U.S. Open for the second straight year, becoming the seventh golfer to win the event back-to-back.

One year ago: The European Union’s executive arm recommended putting Ukraine on a path to membership, a symbolic boost for a country that was fending off a Russian onslaught. SpaceX, the rocket ship company run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, fired several employees involved in an open letter that blasted the billionaire for his behavior. Vince McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE during an investigation into alleged misconduct involving the longtime leader and public face of the pro wrestling organization. (McMahon would return as a board member six months later.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Peter Lupus is 91. Movie director Ken Loach is 87. Singer Barry Manilow is 80. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is 80. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 72. Actor Mark Linn-Baker is 69. Actor Jon Gries (gryz) is 66. Rock singer Jello Biafra is 65. Movie producer-director-writer Bobby Farrelly is 65. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 63. Actor Greg Kinnear is 60. Actor Kami Cotler is 58. Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen is 58. Actor Jason Patric is 57. Actor-comedian Will Forte is 53. Latin pop singer Paulina Rubio is 52. Tennis player Venus Williams is 43. Actor Arthur Darvill is 41. Actor Jodie Whittaker is 41. Actor Manish Dayal is 40. Country singer Mickey Guyton is 40. Actor Marie Avgeropoulos is 37. Rapper Kendrick Lamar is 36. NHL forward Nikita Kucherov is 30. Actor KJ Apa is 26.