Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 6, the 157th day of 2006. There are 208 days left in the year. On this date in 1944, the "D-Day" invasion of Europe takes place during World War II as Allied forces storm the beaches of Normandy, France.
In 1606, French dramatist Pierre Corneille is born in Rouen. In 1844, the Young Men's Christian Association is founded in London. In 1918, the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood, which results in a U.S. victory over the Germans, begins in France. In 1925, Walter Percy Chrysler founds the Chrysler Corp. In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission is established. In 1942, Japanese forces retreat in the World War II Battle of Midway. In 1966, black activist James Meredith is shot and wounded as he walks along a Mississippi highway to encourage black voter registration. In 1978, California voters overwhelmingly approve Proposition 13, a primary ballot initiative calling for major cuts in property taxes. In 1985, authorities in Brazil exhume a body later identified as the remains of Dr. Josef Mengele, the notorious "Angel of Death" of the Nazi Holocaust.
June 6, 1981: Acting Youngstown Police Chief Clayton P. Geise issues a memo to city police officers reminding them to fill out traffic tickets carefully and completely after charges of driving while under the influence against city Councilman Pete Starks are dismissed by Municipal Judge Frank X. Kryzan because the ticket did not specify whether Starks was accused of being under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating substance.
Mahoning County Sheriff James A. Traficant announces plans to lay off 27 deputies by June 20 because of a cutback in the sheriff's budget.
A vacant East Side service station becomes a "Peoples Market," attracting farmers with 40,000 pounds of produce at bargain prices and more than 600 customers. The Youngstown Area Community Action Council l sponsored the farmer-to-buyer event.
June 6, 1966: Thirty-three teenagers are cited for disturbing the peace after they broke into Craig Beach Amusement Park at Lake Milton and went on a rampage until police were able to round them up.
George W., Robinson of Norwick Drive, Youngstown, is elected executive vice president of the Sharon Steel Corp.
The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard did not get a fair trial when he was convicted of murdering his wife, Marilyn, in their Bay Village, Ohio, home in 1954. The court ruled that the trial was tainted by publicity before and during the trial.
June 6, 1956: Youngstown Superintendent of Schools Paul C. Bunn is retiring and will be succeeded by Dr. Fred J. Essig, his assistant for 12 years.
The Ohio Supreme Court rules that pinball machines that reward players with free games are gambling devices under state law.
Edwin W. Gott, former superintendent of the Youngstown District of U.S. Steel Corp., is named vice president-steel for the corporation.
June 6, 1931: Youngstown Mayor Joseph Heffernan bans public meetings on Central Square in the interest of public safety and health after a demonstration by Communists jams the square with people, disrupting the flow of traffic.
The life of Virginia Polena, 30, of 1335 Wick Ave. was probably saved after she was given a blood transfusion from the driver of an auto that struck her car on Belmont Ave. The driver was Frank Resy of Belleview Ave.
Figures compiled by the U.S. Commerce Department show independent merchants do more business than chain stores, supplying slightly more than half the needs of people in cities of a million or more and 72 percent in cities of 10,000 to 30,000.