Civil War - Juneteenth - Slaves in Texas are Freed June 19, 1865 News of the end of the Civil War reaches Galveston, Texas with Union army general Gordon Granger's reading of federal orders. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered two months earlier. Along with the Emancipation Proclamation, this freed the sl...

First Successful Long-Playing Microgroove Record June 18, 1948 Columbia Records introduces its 33⅓ rpm Long Play 10-inch and 12-inch records. One side played for 23 minutes as compared to about 3-5 minutes for the current 78 records. The 10-inch version was soon phased out. They were developed by Peter Goldmark. RCA ...

O.J. Simpson Slow Speed Chase June 17, 1994 Football Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman. Blood stains had been found in his home and in his car. Simpson had promised to turn himself in, but instead led police on a "slow-speed chase" ...

Subway Vigilante June 16, 1987 Bernhard Goetz is convicted of carrying an unlicensed concealed weapon. He had been acquitted of murder charges. He shot four black youths in a N.Y. subway car, claiming he was frightened when they asked for $5. He was seen as a hero to many New Yorkers, who were tired of the crime in the...

If It Doesn't Fit, You Must Acquit June 15, 1995 The prosecution in the Simpson murders asks O.J. Simpson to try on one of the gloves found at the murder scene and his home. Simpson appeared to have difficulty putting the glove on over the latex gloves he was wearing. The defense would then use the famous statement, &q...