What Happened On
Death of Michael Jackson
June 25, 2009
Singer Michael Jackson dies of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, found Jackson in his room, not breathing and with a weak pulse. He administered CPR, but to no avail. Jackson was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Murray didn't follow standard CPR procedure, as he performed the CPR on a bed as opposed to hard surface. The Coroner would conclude that Jackson died from the anesthetic propofol and ruled the death a homicide. Propofol, which can be used for general anesthesia and sedation for medical procedures, was administered by Murray to help Jackson sleep. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served two years in prison.
Jackson was scheduled to begin his sold-out This is It tour three weeks later.
Prayer Banned in Public Schools
June 25, 1962
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. The prayer in question was:
"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen"
The case was brought on by five plaintiffs composed of three Jews and two self-proclaimed "spiritual" people who did not belong to any one organized religion. The Court ruled that government-written prayers were not to be recited in public schools and were a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Establishment Clause of the first amendment.
Color TV
June 25, 1951
First regularly scheduled commercial color TV program: CBS airs a variety show featuring Ed Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, and Faye Emerson.
The show was broadcast using CBS's color system. The CBS color system had been selected by the FCC to be used in the U.S. However, its incompatibility with existing black and white sets spelled its doom. When the quest for color began in 1948, there were fewer than a million U.S. TV sets. By 1951, however, there were over 10 million. The incompatibility with existing sets and the high costs of color sets doomed the CBS color system. They discontinued it in October of 1951, claiming it was at the request of the National Production Authority due to the Korean War. CBS bought back the color sets it had sold to prevent lawsuits by disappointed customers. The FCC also dropped the CBS system and went on to adopt a color system that was compatible with existing black and white sets.
Korean War Begins
June 25, 1950
60,000 North Korean troops invade South Korea in an attempt to bring the entire country under Communist rule. China and the Soviet Union would support North Korea, with the United Nations and the U.S. supporting South Korea. Although, never officially declared a war by the U.S., the fighting would continue until 1953. This war was the first time Jet Fighters fought in air-to-air combat.
Marie Curie in the laboratory with her husband Pierre
Marie Curie in the laboratory with her husband Pierre
Custer's Last Stand
June 25, 1876
General George Armstrong Custer and 268 of his men (including his two brothers, a nephew, and a brother-in-law) are killed in the Battle of the Little Big Horn against Sioux Indians led by Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse during the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Man Struck By Lightning For the 7th Time
June 25, 1977
Roy C. Sullivan is struck by lightning for the 7th time. This is the current world record. Source: Guinness Book of World Records
Watergate
June 25, 1973
John Dean announces on national television that U.S. President Richard Nixon, his staff, and the Justice Dept. conspired to cover up Watergate. Dean was White House counsel for Nixon from 1970-73.
Virginia
June 25, 1788
Virginia becomes the 10th state.
Birthdays
June Lockhart
Born June 25, 1925
American Tony-winning actress. TV: Lassie (1958-64, Little Timmy's mother) and Lost in Space (1965-68, Maureen Robinson the mother).
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)
Born June 25, 1903 d. 1950
English author. Writings: Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1949).
Mary Agnes, by Robert Henri (1924)
Mary Agnes, by Robert Henri (1924)
Robert Henri (Robert Henry Cozad)
Born June 25, 1865 d. 1929
American painter, teacher. He was an organizer of "The Eight," a group of artists who protested the restrictive exhibition practices of the National Academy of Design. He was one of the leaders of the Ashcan School that are known for works portraying daily life in New York, often in the city's poorer neighborhoods. Works: The Laughing Boy (1907) and Portrait of Mrs. Robert Henri (1911).
George Michael (Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou)
Born June 25, 1963 d. 2016
British singer, with Wham!. He was named the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984-2004. Music: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (1984 #1) and I Want Your Sex (1987).
Phyllis George
Born June 25, 1949 d. 2020
American TV personality, sportscaster. Miss Texas (1970), Miss America (1971), and First Lady of Kentucky (1979-83). In 1975, she became co-host of the CBS Sports pre-show The NFL Today, making her one of the first women to hold an on-air position in national televised sports broadcasting.
Jimmie Walker
Born June 25, 1947
American standup comedian, actor. TV: Good Times (1974-79, J.J. the Kid of Dy-no-mite!).
Carly Simon
Born June 25, 1945
American singer. Music: You're So Vain (1972, #1) and Nobody Does It Better (1977).
James Howard Meredith
Born June 25, 1933
American civil rights figure. He was the first African-American to graduate from the 115-year-old University of Mississippi (1963). 3,000 troops were used to put down the riots which ensued when he entered. The riots left two dead and dozens injured. In 1966 he was shot and wounded while leading a march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi.
Pierre "Peyo" Culliford
Born June 25, 1928 d. 1992
Belgian cartoonist. Creator of the Smurfs (1958).
Hermann Julius Oberth
Born June 25, 1894 d. 1989
German rocket inventor, founder of modern astronautics. He pioneered the development of liquid-fueled rockets in the 1930s. His work led to the development of Germany's V-2 rocket during World War II.
George Abbott
Born June 25, 1887 d. 1995
American Pulitzer and Tony-winning directory, screenwriter. Stage: Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game.
Arnold at the controls of a Wright Type B two-seater at the Wright Flying School
Arnold at the controls of a Wright Type B two-seater at the Wright Flying School
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold
Born June 25, 1886 d. 1950
American 5-star general. General of the U.S. Army during World War II (later as General of the Air Force). He became the first movie stunt pilot (1911) when hired as a stand-in for The Military Air-Scout.
Created Kewpie Dolls
Rose Cecil O'Neill
Born June 25, 1874 d. 1944
American illustrator, cartoonist. She created the Kewpie doll in her comic strip, Kewpies (1909). They were made into dolls in 1912. She was the first published female cartoonist in the U.S. "Kewpie" comes from the naked babies known as cupids.
Deaths
Michael Jackson
Died June 25, 2009 b. 1958
American Grammy-winning singer, "King of Pop." One of the Jackson Five. His Thriller album sold 38,000,000 copies in 1984 and is the best-selling solo album of all time. Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Los Angeles. The drugs had been administered by his personal physician to help him sleep.
Farrah Fawcett
Died June 25, 2009 b. 1947
American actress. Her famous poster is the best-selling pinup poster of all time. TV: Charlie's Angels (1976-80, Jill Munroe) and The Burning Bed (1984). Film: Logan's Run (1976).
First to Split an Atom with a Particle Accelerator
Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton
Died June 25, 1995 b. 1903
Irish nuclear physicist. He and John Cockcroft became the first to split an atom with a particle accelerator (1932); for this they were awarded the 1951 Nobel Prize.
Natural Born Killers
Charles Starkweather (Charles Raymond "Charlie" Starkweather)
Died June 25, 1959 b. 1938
America spree killer. In 1958, 19-year-old Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate went on a killing spree after Starkweather killed Fugate's mother and stepfather and their two-year-old daughter.
On January 21, 1958, Fugate's parents had expressed disapproval of her relationship with Starkweather and told him to stay away from her. Starkweather then fatally shot them and strangled their two-year-old daughter. Starkweather later claimed Fugate was present for the murders, but she claimed she arrived later and Starkweather told her he was holding them hostage and she believed they were still alive. They stayed at the home until January 27, leaving shortly before the police arrived after having been alerted by Fugate's suspicious grandmother. They then began a killing spree, killing seven other people before they were apprehended on January 29th. Starkweather had also killed a gas station attendant the previous November.
Starkweather claimed Fugate participated in the murders, while she claimed she was a hostage and didn't kill anyone. Starkweather was executed in 1959 and Fugate was sentenced to life in prison, but released in 1976 after serving 17½ years.
Their murder spree inspired the film Natural Born Killers (1994).
George Armstrong Custer
Died June 25, 1876 b. 1839
American Civil War Union general. He was killed in the "Battle of Little Bighorn" (AKA Custer's Last Stand) along with his entire regiment, including two of his brothers. He graduated last in his West Point class (1861).
The Man Who Ate an Airplane
Michel Lotito
Died June 25, 2007 b. 1950
French omnivore. Monsieur Mangetout ("Mr Eat-All"). He has eaten, among other things, a Cessna light aircraft (which he ate over the period of 1978 to 1980), 10 bicycles, 7 TVs, 6 chandeliers, a shopping cart, and a coffin. Although, he claims bananas and hard-boiled eggs would make him sick.
He was awarded a plaque by Guinness Book of Records for the having the "strangest diet", which he then ate.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Died June 25, 1997 b. 1910
French marine explorer. His 1953 book The Silent World predicted the echolocation abilities of porpoises and contained the first printed use of the word "aqualung," which he helped develop.
Axis Sally (Mildred Elizabeth Gillars)
Died June 25, 1988 b. 1900
American Nazi sympathizer. She broadcast Nazi propaganda to U.S. troops in Europe during World War II. After the war she was convicted of treason and served 12 years in prison.
Dave Fleischer
Died June 25, 1979 b. 1894
American cartoonist. He and his brother Max Fleischer created Betty Boop and animated Popeye the Sailor.
Betty Boop was based on real-life squeaky-voiced singers Helen Kane and Clara Bow. Kane began mimicking the style black singer Baby Esther after seeing her perform at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1928. Baby Esther was about nine years old at the time.
Colin Clive (Colin Glenn Clive-Greig)
Died June 25, 1937 b. 1900
British actor. Colin Clive is best remembered for his role as Dr. Frankenstein ("It's Alive! It's Alive!") in the classic films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Clive died at the age of 37 from complications of tuberculosis that were furthered along by his alcoholism.
Film: Journey's End (1930).
Stanford White
Died June 25, 1906 b. 1853
American architect, designed the old Madison Square Garden and the Washington Arch.
Ephraim McDowell
Died June 25, 1830 b. 1771
American surgeon. He was the first to perform the removal of an ovarian tumor (1809).