Monday June 22. Day 173 of 2026
It’s National Kissing Day. Pucker-Up Buttercup !
Happy Onion Ring Day and VW Beetle Day
1870: Congress created the Department of Justice
1941: Under the code name Barbarossa, Germany invaded the Soviet Union
1942: The Pledge of Allegiance is formally adopted by Congress
1945: The Battle of Okinawa ends after 81 days in the Pacific https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa
1969: The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland drawing national attention to water pollution, and spurring the passing of the Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
1981: John McEnroe’s has is famous “You cannot be serious” rant at Wimbledon
1990: Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled in Berlin
2011: After hiding for 16 years, Boston gangster Whitey Bulger is arrested in Santa Monica, California
2025: The United States conducts airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites
News: Head-on collision claims two lives in Lincoln County…Stony Point woman facing long list of felony charges in Iredell County…Hiddenite woman busted for having drugs while in custody again…Taylorsville Police file charges against Alexander County woman…Hickory man gets prison time
Weather: It’s the first Monday of Summer and Storms are likely to develop this afternoon. High around 90
Sports: Tar Heels and Sooners will decide College Baseball title tonight in Omaha…Clark survives and wins his 2nd US Open, Hickory’s JT Poston finishes in tie for fourth…Heim wins Race at Base…Canes celebrate Stanley Cup with parade on Friday
Happy Birthday: Brit Hume, Todd Rundgren, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Warren, Lindsay Wagner, Cyndi Lauper, Erin Brockovich, Clyde Drexler, Amy Brenneman, Kurt Warner, Carson Daly, Dustin Johnson
Come in, come in, can you read me ? https://www.nbcnews.com/science/rcna350710
Word of the Day: borscht [bawrsht] also borsh: Eastern European soups made with beets, cabbage, potatoes, or other vegetables and served hot or chilled, often with sour cream. Very popular in Poland and Russia. “A warm bowl of borscht was just the thing on a cold day.”
Quote of the Day: “Those ‘Idol’ shows are kind of scary to me. They wanted me to be on one of those panels one time, and I said it’s the last thing in the world I’d ever want to do. I would hate to have to discourage somebody.”… Kris Kristofferson (Born this day in 1936)