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On this Day June 25

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Celebrity Birthdays

1852 – Architect Antoni Gaudi (d. 1926)

1924 – Director-producer Sidney Lumet (“12 Angry Men,” “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Network,” “The Verdict”) (d. 2011)

1925 – Tony-winning actress June Lockhart (“Lassie,” “Lost in Space,” “Petticoat Junction”)

1945 – Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning singer-songwriter Carly Simon (“Anticipation,” “You’re So Vain,” “Mockingbird,” “You Belong To Me,” “Coming Around Again,” “Jesse,” “Nobody Does It Better”)

1947 – Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker, best remembered for his catchphrase “Dy-no-mite” from the CBS sitcom “Good Times”

1956 – Emmy-winning TV chef and bestselling author Anthony Bourdain (d. 2018)

1961 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, director and producer Ricky Gervais

1963 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter George Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, who was half of the 80s pop duo Wham! (d. 2016)

History Highlights

1876 – Native American forces led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer in a bloody battle near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River. The conflict becomes known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

1942 – General Dwight D. Eisenhower (a.k.a. “Ike”), who would later become 34th U.S. president, assumes command of all U.S. troops in the European theater during World War II. In 1943, Ike is appointed supreme Allied commander of all forces in Europe.

1950 – Armed forces from communist North Korea invade South Korea, setting off the Korean War. The United States, acting under the auspices of the United Nations, quickly springs to the defense of South Korea and fights a bloody and frustrating war for the next three years.

1962 – In the case of Engel v. Vitale, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that prayers read aloud in public schools violate the separation of church and state stipulated by the First Amendment.

1968 – Congress passes the Flag Desecration Law, making it a crime to burn or otherwise desecrate the American flag. However, in 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down flag desecration laws in 48 states in its 5-4 Texas v. Johnson ruling, stating that flag desecration is a constitutionally protected form of free speech.

1993 – Kim Campbell is sworn in as Canada’s 19th prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold the country’s highest office.

2009 – Actress Farrah Fawcett — best known for TV and movie roles in “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Cannonball Run” and “The Burning Bed,” and who rocketed to pin-up status when a 1976 poster of her in a red bathing suit sold 12 million copies — dies at 62 following a three-year battle with anal cancer.

Musical Milestones

1966 – The Beatles have the No. 1 single with “Paperback Writer.”

1967 – The Beatles record “All You Need Is Love” with friends Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Marianne Faithfull singing backup before an international audience of more than 350 million viewers. It is part of a live, worldwide satellite TV broadcast called “Our World.”

1969 – The Hollies record “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” with Elton John playing piano.

1973 – Chicago releases “Chicago VI,” which delivers two of the band’s biggest hits: “Just You ‘n’ Me” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day.” It becomes Chicago’s second album to reach the top of the Billboard 200, where it holds for five weeks.

1980 – “Coming Up (Live at Glasgow),” by Paul McCartney & Wings, begins a three-week run at No. 1 on the singles chart.

1984 – Prince releases the “Purple Rain” soundtrack five weeks before the movie opens.

1988 – Debbie Gibson is just 17 when her single, “Foolish Beat,” lands on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and holds there for a week.

1994 – All-4-One is in the middle of an 11-week domination of the singles chart with “I Swear.”

2009 – King of Pop, Michael Jackson, dies of cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home from a lethal combination of drugs administered by his personal doctor. He is just 50 years old and leaves behind a massive musical legacy enjoyed today by millions of fans around the world.

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