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1953 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were United States citizens who were executed at Sing Sing, in New York on June 19, 1953, after being convicted of committing espionage for the Soviet Union. They were accused of selling the United States' top secret plans for building a nuclear bomb to the Soviet Union; at that time the United States was the sole country in the world with the knowledge and resources to build nuclear weapons. The Rosenbergs also were accused of providing top-secret radar, sonar, and jet propulsion engines to the Soviet Union.
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1949 – The first ever NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of African-American slaves throughout the Confederate South. Celebrated on June 19, the word is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth". Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states. The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and readings by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellisonand Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.
Famous Birthdays:
- 1940 – Shirley Muldowney, American race car driver
- 1941 – Václav Klaus, Czech economist and politician, 2nd President of the Czech Republic
- 1945 – Radovan Karadžić, Serbian-Bosnian politician and convicted war criminal, 1st President of Republika Srpska
- 1945 – Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1945 – Tobias Wolff, American short story writer, memoirist, and novelist
- 1947 – Salman Rushdie, Indian-English novelist and essayist
- 1948 – Phylicia Rashad, American actress
- 1950 – Ann Wilson, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
- 1951 – Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian terrorist
- 1954 – Kathleen Turner, American actress
- 1962 – Paula Abdul, American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and presenter
- 1963 – Laura Ingraham, American radio host and author
- 1978 – Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
- 1978 – Zoe Saldana, American actress
- 1983 – Macklemore, American rapper
Famous Deaths:
- 1953 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (b. 1915)
- 1953 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (b. 1918)
- 1986 – Len Bias, American basketball player (b. 1963)
- 2010 – Manute Bol, Sudanese-American basketball player and activist (b. 1962)
- 2013 – James Gandolfini, American actor and producer (b. 1961)
- 2013 – Dave Jennings, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Slim Whitman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2016 – Anton Yelchin, American actor (b. 1989)
-- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer