NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who was born in 1928; “Coming Home” star Bruce Dern, who was born in 1936; former Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman, who was born in 1937; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas), who was born in 1944; former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, who was born in 1953; “Greenleaf” star Keith David, who was born in 1956; “Nite and Day” singer Al B. Sure!, who was born in 1968; “Party of Five” star Scott Wolf, who was born in 1968; “Saturday Night Live” star Horatio Sanz, who was born in 1969; “ER” star Noah Wyle, who was born in 1971; Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie, who was born in 1975; “Gotham” star Robin Lord Taylor, who was born in 1978; model and actress Bar Refaeli, who was born in 1985; and Paramore drummer Zac Farro, who was born in 1990.
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DIRECT HIT: The Battle of Midway began on this day in 1942. A Japanese task force attempted to capture Midway Island in the Central Pacific, but American bombers from the island and from two nearby aircraft carriers sent the Japanese into retreat. The Japanese lost four carriers, two large cruisers and three destroyers. Midway was one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Japan never regained its margin in carrier strength, and the Central Pacific was made safe for American troops.
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ROME FREE: Rome was liberated on this day in 1944. The U.S. 9th Army, commanded by General Mark Clark, entered the southern suburbs of Rome as the last of the German rear guard retreated from Mussolini’s former capital. Fearful of a last-ditch effort by the Germans to hold the city, the populace remained behind closed doors as Clark’s forces entered the Eternal City.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.”
— Basketball Hall of Famer John Wooden, who died on this day in 2010
