D-Day
June 6
According to Wikipedia, Normandy landings were begun on June 6, 1944 as part of pivotal invasion to recapture France during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front. Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, code-named Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and followed be the landing of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Some historians estimate more than 10,000 Allied troops lost their life in the assault.
National Yo-Yo Day
June 6
A Filipino-American, Pedro Flores, opened a toy factory in California in the 1920s and became the first person to make modern yo-yos. They became so popular that businessman Donald Duncan bought Pedro’s company and promoted them nationwide. By 1962, the yo-yo was a craze and Duncan sold a record 45 million yo-yos in a country with only 40 million kids, and still could not keep up with the demand.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Paul Giamatti – Actor – born in the New Haven, Connecticut
Nathan Hale – Revolutionary War Hero – born in Coventry, Connecticut
