The US Supreme Court upheld Miranda’s rights in 1966, Rhode Island banned slavery in 1774, and the first spacecraft left our solar system in 1983. Other events include the first car race in Paris in 1895, the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice to the US Supreme Court in 1967, and the acquittal of Michael Jackson on child molestation charges in 2005. Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, died in 1986, and journalist Tim Russert died in 2008. Irish writer William Butler Yeats was born in 1865.
The US Supreme Court upheld Miranda’s rights. (1966) In Miranda v. Arizona’s Supreme Court ruled that all criminals must be told of their rights before questioning. This has evolved into the standard language provided in a Miranda warning. In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was charged with and convicted of kidnapping and rape due to an apparently coerced confession that he later withdrew. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction, but he was retried and convicted again in 1966. He was released from prison in 1972 and later stabbed to death in a men’s room at a bar where he was playing poker in 1976 .
The first spacecraft has left our solar system. (1983) Pioneer 10 was the first man-made object to be launched outside our solar system. It was also the first spacecraft to fly through the asteroid belt and record observations of Jupiter. The probe is still out there somewhere, but communications with it were lost in 2003.
Rhode Island banned the importation of slaves. (1774) Rhode Island was the first of the British colonies to ban slavery.
The first “official” car race took place in Paris. (1895) It was a 732-mile (1,178-kilometer) run from Paris to Bordeaux and back. The winner, Emile Levassor, finished the course in just 49 hours, at an average speed of 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour).
The first black justice was appointed to the US Supreme Court. (1967) President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall, who was Attorney General at the time. He served in the field from October 2, 1967 to October 1, 1991. Marshall was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton in 1993.
Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges. (2005) Jackson was accused of molesting Gavin Arvizo, a 13-year-old cancer survivor who was visiting Neverland Ranch.
Former President George HW Bush celebrated his 80th birthday by jumping out of an airplane. (80) To celebrate, he parachuted a 2,004-foot (13,000-meter) jump in College Station, Texas.
Turkish assassin Mehmet Ali Agca has been pardoned. (2000) Italy pardons hit man who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II. He served 19 years for the shooting before being pardoned and deported to Turkey. In Turkey he served another sentence for the murder of a journalist, Abdi Ipekci. He was released in January 2010.
The movie Lolita opened. (1962) Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel was no less controversial than the novel. Kubrick faced strong opposition from censors in the film industry and felt he was unable to properly depict the main character’s sexual obsession with 12-year-old Lolita for fear of the film being banned.
A teenager shot blanks at Queen Elizabeth II. (1981) During the Trooping the Color ceremony, Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots at the Queen. Sarjeant applied and was rejected by the fire and police departments and ended up working at a zoo. Then he became unemployed and lived with his mother. When he was caught on the street he said: “I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be someone.” He was sentenced to five years in prison; he served three, mostly in a mental institution. He was released when he was 20, changed his name and started a new life.
American musician Benny Goodman has died. (1986) Benny Goodman, also known as the King of Swing, was one of the most famous jazz musicians, clarinetist and big band leader in history. His band launched the careers of many notable jazz musicians during times of segregation, including jazz guitarist Charlie Christian and drummer Gene Krupa.
American journalist Tim Russert has died. (2008) Russert hosted the popular American news show Meet the Press for more than 16 years – the show’s longest-serving host. In 2008, Time magazine named Russert to its 100 Most Influential People list.
Irish writer William Butler Yeats was born. (1865) Yeats was the first Irishman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded for his poetic work.
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