June 17, 2026
History
Today in History
Golden State’s number one draft choice Chris Washburn, left, gets together with two other top choices at the NBA draft in New York, June 17, 1986. Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, center, of Syracuse was chosen first by New Jersey, while Chuck Person of Auburn went to Indiana.
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, June 17, the 168th day of 2026. There are 197 days left in the year.
Today in History
Today is Tuesday, June 16, the 167th day of 2026. There are 198 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 16, 1963, the world’s first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union aboard Vostok 6. Tereshkova spent 71 hours in flight, circling the Earth 48 times before returning safely. Also on this date: In 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said the issue of slavery in the United States had to be resolved, declaring, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” In 1884, designer La Marcus Thompson opened the first commercially successful roller coaster, known as the Switchback Railway, in Coney Island, New York. In 1903, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Glass-Steagall Act into law, creating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to bolster public confidence in the U.S. banking system. In 1961, Soviet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West, seeking asylum in Paris during a tour by the Kirov Ballet. In 1976, thousands of Black students in Johannesburg’s Soweto township demonstrated against the imposition of the Dutchbased Afrikaans language in schools; police opened fire on the students, killing at least 176 and as many as 700. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed the instruments of ratification for the Panama Canal treaties during a ceremony in Panama City. Today’s Birthdays: Author Joyce Carol Oates is 88. Country singer Billy “Crash” Craddock is 87. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 84. Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto Durán is 75. Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 74. Actor Laurie Metcalf is 71. Rapper MC Ren is 57. Golfer Phil Mickelson is 56. Actor John Cho is 54. Actor Daniel Brühl is 48. Actor Missy Peregrym is 44. Singer Diana DeGarmo (TV: “American Idol”) is 39. NFL wide receiver Justin Jefferson is 27. Tennis player Bianca Andreescu is 26. Actor Anna Cathcart is 23. Actor Charlie Bushnell is 22.
David Hockney, iconic British artist known for his colorful landscapes and pool scenes, dies at 88
LONDON (AP) — David Hockney, a treasured British artist whose paintings of shimmering pools and colorful iPad drawings became icons of contemporary art, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 88.
Today in History
Today is Saturday, June 13, the 164th day of 2026. There are 201 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 13, 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a top secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam since 1945 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.
Today in History
Today is Friday, June 12, the 163rd day of 2026. There are 202 days left in the year.
Today in History
Today is Thursday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2026. There are 203 days left in the year.