Today in History: June 22, Operation Barbarossa begins

Today in History

Today is Thursday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2023. There are 192 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 22, 1940, during World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.

On this date:

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated for a second time as Emperor of the French.

In 1870, the United States Department of Justice was created.

In 1937, Joe Louis began his reign as world heavyweight boxing champion by knocking out Jim Braddock in the eighth round of their fight in Chicago.

In 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive invasion of the Soviet Union.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the “GI Bill of Rights.”

In 1945, the World War II battle for Okinawa ended with an Allied victory.

In 1965, movie producer David O. Selznick (“Gone with the Wind”) died in Los Angeles at age 63.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that lowered the minimum voting age to 18.

In 1977, John N. Mitchell became the first former U.S. Attorney General to go to prison as he began serving a sentence for his role in the Watergate cover-up.

In 1981, Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty to killing rock star John Lennon. Abolhassan Bani-Sadr was deposed as president of Iran.

In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, unanimously ruled that “hate crime” laws that banned cross burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights.

In 1999, in a major upset at Wimbledon, top-ranked Martina Hingis lost in the opening round to Jelena Dokic, a 16-year-old qualifier ranked 129th.

Ten years ago: Islamic militants disguised as policemen killed 10 foreign climbers and a Pakistani guide in a brazen overnight raid at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, saying it was to avenge the death of their deputy leader in a U.S. drone strike. A plane carrying a wing walker crashed at an air show near Dayton, Ohio, killing both the pilot, Charlie Schwenker, and the stunt performer, Jane Wicker.

Five years ago: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant; the co-owner said the move came at the request of gay employees who objected to Sanders’ defense of President Donald Trump’s effort to bar transgender people from the military. Trump accused Democrats of telling “phony stories of sadness and grief” about children separated from their parents while crossing the border; he met with parents of children who’d been killed by immigrants in the country illegally. The European Union began enforcing tariffs on American imports including bourbon, peanut butter and orange juice, in retaliation for duties the Trump administration imposed on European steel and aluminum.

One year ago: A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes and killing at least 1,000 people. A bloodhound named Trumpet won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, marking the first time the breed has ever snared U.S. dogdom’s most coveted best in show prize. Tony Siragusa, the charismatic defensive tackle who helped lead a stout Baltimore defense to a Super Bowl title, died at age 55.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Prunella Scales (TV: “Fawlty Towers”) is 91. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is 90. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 87. Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer is 80. Fox News analyst Brit Hume is 80. Singer/producer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 79. Singer Howard “Eddie” Kaylan is 76. Singer-musician Todd Rundgren is 75. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is 74. Actor Meryl Streep is 74. Actor Lindsay Wagner is 74. Singer Alan Osmond is 74. Actor Graham Greene is 71. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper is 70. Actor Chris Lemmon is 69. Rock musician Derek Forbes is 67. Actor Tim Russ is 67. Rock musician Garry Beers (INXS) is 66. Actor-producer-writer Bruce Campbell is 65. Rock musician Alan Anton (Cowboy Junkies) is 64. Actor Tracy Pollan is 63. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is 63. Rock singer-musician Jimmy Somerville is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler is 61. Actor Amy Brenneman is 59. Author Dan Brown is 59. Rock singer-musician Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) is 59. Rock singer Steven Page is 53. Actor Michael Trucco is 53. Actor Mary Lynn Rajskub (RYS’-kub) is 52. TV personality Carson Daly is 50. Rock musician Chris Traynor is 50. Actor Donald Faison (FAY’-zahn) is 49. Actor Alicia Goranson is 49. Actor-comedian Mike O’Brien (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 47. TV personality/actor Jai Rodriguez is 44. Americana singer-songwriter John Moreland is 38. Pop singer Dinah Jane (Fifth Harmony) (TV: “The X Factor”) is 26.