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KIU Trivia: June 17 in the Present and the Past

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What’s Happening Today?

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This is a United Nations observance each June 17. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. Each year's global celebration has a unique, novel emphasis that had not been developed previously.

Icelandic National Day. This is an annual holiday in Iceland which commemorates the foundation of The Republic of Iceland on 17 June 1944. This date also marks the end of Iceland's centuries’ old ties with Denmark. The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, a major figure of Icelandic culture and the leader of the 19th-century Icelandic independence movement.

What Happened Today?

1. In 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

2. In 1994, following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson, a former American footballer, actor and broadcaster, was arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. O.J Simpson was later acquitted for the murders.

3. In 2017, a series of four initial deadly wildfires erupted across central Portugal within minutes of each other, resulting in at least 66 deaths and 204 injured people.

The majority of deaths took place in the Pedrógão Grande municipality when a fire swept across a road filled with evacuees escaping in their cars.

Source: Wikipedia

Picture credit: Unsplash