Today in History...  The OJ Bronco Chase

Good morning!  Thought we would take a look at a few notable events that happened this week in history…

In 1884…  The first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway that traveled six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride.  Today, the world’s fastest coaster is at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey and it travels at 128 mph.

In 1885…  The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, arrived in New York City's harbor.  It was to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution.

In 1903…  Henry Ford and 12 stockholders in the Ford Motor Company met in Detroit to sign the official paperwork to create a new corporation.  Ford started seven years earlier in 1896, when he built his first gasoline-powered vehicle--which he called the Quadricycle.

In 1963…  Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to travel into space. After 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.  The first US woman was astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, who served as mission specialist on a flight of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.

In 1972… the first group of Watergate burglars were arrested.  Five men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate, an office-hotel-apartment complex in Washington, D.C.

And finally, where were you today in 1994?  Maybe you recall the dramatic nine hour chase of the now infamous white Ford Bronco witnessed by millions on live television in LA.  That's right, it was former football star and actor O.J. Simpson being pursued by the LA police as he took them on a tour of the LA freeway system.  OJ finally gave it up that evening when police arrested and charged him with the June 12 double-murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald L. Goldman.  18 months later a jury decided that he was NOT guilty! 

And there you have it, notable events today in history as our Bottom of our News on this June 17^th, 2011!  ###