OJ Simpson arrested and charged with murder – Chicago Tribune

Today is Monday, June 17, the 169th day of the year 2024. There are 197 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight of the story:

On June 17, 1994, after leading police on a chase through the highways of Southern California, OJ Simpson was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was later acquitted in a criminal trial but found guilty in a civil trial.)

On this date:

In the Revolutionary War of 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill ended in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses.

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which raised U.S. tariffs to historic highs and drew foreign retaliation.

In 1963, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 1, struck down regulations requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or the reading of Bible verses in public schools.

In 1967, China successfully tested its first thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb.

The final downfall of President Richard Nixon in 1972 began with the arrest of five burglars at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, DC

In 2008, hundreds of same-sex couples married across California on the first day that gay marriage was legalized by a decision of the state's Supreme Court.

In 2009, President Barack Obama extended some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

In 2012, 47-year-old Rodney King died in Rialto, California, apparently from accidental drowning after being caught on video beating by Los Angeles police in 1991, sparking widespread outrage. The man suffered from addiction problems and was repeatedly arrested.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that states may not require voters registering for federal elections to provide proof of citizenship unless they receive authorization from the federal government or a court.

In 2017, the jury in the Bill Cosby sexual assault case declared it was hopelessly deadlocked, leading to a mistrial for the 79-year-old television star who was accused of drugging and groping a woman more than a decade ago. Prosecutors immediately announced they would seek a second trial. (That trial ended with Cosby's conviction, but Pennsylvania's highest court later overturned the verdict.)

In 2019, Iran announced that it was violating the international agreement that prevents it from producing nuclear weapons. The announcement meant that Iran could soon begin enriching uranium, which is just one step away from weapons-grade levels. The Trump administration followed Iran's announcement by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.

In 2021, the Supreme Court left the entire Affordable Care Act in effect in a 7-2 ruling, rejecting the latest major Republican attempt to overturn the national health care law known as “Obamacare.”

Birthdays today: Actor Peter Lupus is 92. Film director Ken Loach is 88. Singer Barry Manilow is 81. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is 81. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 73. Actor Mark Linn-Baker is 70. Actor Jon Gries (gryz) is 67. Rock singer Jello Biafra is 66. Film producer, director and screenwriter Bobby Farrelly is 66. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 64. Actor Greg Kinnear is 61. Actor Kami Cotler is 59. Olympic gold medalist in speed skating Dan Jansen is 59. Actor Jason Patric is 58. Actor and comedian Will Forte is 54. Latin pop singer Paulina Rubio is 53. Tennis player Venus Williams is 44. Actor Arthur Darvill is 42. Actor Jodie Whittaker is 42. Actor Manish Dayal is 41. Country singer Mickey Guyton is 41. Actress Marie Avgeropoulos is 38. Rapper Kendrick Lamar is 37. NHL forward Nikita Kucherov is 31. Actor KJ Apa is 27.