Today’s Highlights

Today in history:

On June 15, 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat PS General Slocum in New York’s East River; it remained the deadliest individual event in the New York area until 9/11.

Also on this date:

1895: A tsunami triggered by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck the coast of northeastern Japan with waves reaching a height of 125 feet (38.1 meters), killing more than 22,000 people.

1934: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act making the National Guard part of the U.S. Army in the event of war or national emergency.

1934: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the United States, was established by Congress.

1938: Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds became the only baseball pitcher to toss two consecutive no-hitters, leading the Reds to a 6-0 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first night game at Ebbets Field, four days after no-hitting the Boston Bees by a score of 3-0.

1991: Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing more than 800 people.

Today’s birthdays

Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Williams is 87. Former MLB player and manager Dusty Baker is 76. Actor Simon Callow is 76. Chinese President Xi Jinping is 72. Actor-comedian Jim Belushi is 71. Actor Julie Hagerty is 70. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 67. Actor Helen Hunt is 62. Actor Courteney Cox is 61. Rapper-actor Ice Cube is 56.