Today in History.....June 9

On this day in …

* 1772, in an incident that some regard as the first naval engagement of the American Revolution, colonists board the Gaspee, a British vessel that ran aground off the coast of Rhode Island, and set it aflame

* 1856, in an extraordinary demonstration of resolve and fortitude, nearly 500 Mormons leave Iowa City and head west for Salt Lake City carrying all their goods and supplies in two-wheeled handcarts. Of all the thousands of pioneer journeys to the West in the 19th century, few were more arduous than those undertaken by the so-called Handcart Companies from 1856 to 1860

* 1934, Donald Duck makes his first film appearance, in The Wise Little Hen, a short by Walt Disney. Donald, along with Mickey Mouse (who debuted in 1928), would become one of Disney's most beloved characters. Donald's popularity also led to other characters in the Duck family, including Daisy Duck, Uncle Scrooge, and nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louey

* 1940, Norway surrendered to the Nazis during World War II

* 1943, "Pay As You Go" tax established

* 1954, during the Senate-Army Hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch asked Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

* 1973, "Secretariat" became horse racing's first Triple Crown winner in 25 years by winning the Belmont Stakes

* 1985, American educator Thomas Sutherland was kidnapped in Lebanon by practitioners of that "religion of peace"; he was released in November 1991 along with fellow hostage Terry Waite

* 1986, the Rogers Commission released its report on the Challenger disaster, criticizing NASA and rocket-builder Morton Thiokol for management problems leading to the explosion that claimed the lives of seven astronauts

* 1990, Charles Freeman, the owner of E-C Records store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is charged with illegally selling the rap album As Nasty As They Wanna Be to an undercover officer. Immediately after the sale, six deputies rushed in to the store, handcuffed Freeman, and charged him with distributing obscene material.
Freeman's arrest came two days after U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled that 2 Live Crew's recording was legally obscene

* 2001, China and the United States announced an agreement on farm subsidies and other remaining issues blocking Beijing's bid to join the World Trade Organization

* 2005, President Bush defended the USA Patriot Act, saying it had made America safer and should be made permanent. ALSO: Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was freed after having been held hostage by practitioners of that "religion of peace" for more than three weeks in Afghanistan