This Week in American History

Here is what happened this week in American History.

• June 4. On this day in 1939, 973 German Jewish refugees onboard the ocean liner MS St. Louis, are denied permission to land in Florida. Fleeing the rise of the Nazis in Germany, these refugees were also turned away by Canada and Cuba. The ship headed back to Europe where 288 refugees were allowed in Britian. Of the remainder, 254 were murdered during the Holocaust and the rest fled to other European countries and survived the war. This became known as the “Voyage of the Damned” and used in various movies and novels

• June 5. In 1964, the DSV Alvin is commissioned. The Deep-Submergence Vehicle teamed with its support ship, RV Atlantis, is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution but is owned by the US Navy. Alvin is designed to dive as deep as 21,300 feet with three onboard for a period of nine hours. Still in service and upgraded over the years, Alvin has enjoyed an illustrious career in researching deep depths of the oceans. Alvin also found a 1.45 megaton hydrogen bomb lost when two military aircraft collided, explored the wreck of the Titanic, explored the wreck of the submarine USS Scorpion, and the site of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

• June 6. Today in 1925, Walter Chrysler founds Chrysler Corporation from what had been Maxwell Motor Company which had been started in 1904. After World War I and the Great Depression that followed, Maxwell Motor Company fell into deep debt and attempted a merger with Chalmers Automobile Company, which was also in financial trouble. Walter Chrysler took controlling interest in Maxwell then brought the Maxwell-Chalmers automobile line to an end, replacing it with Chrysler Corporation.

• June 7. On this day in 1982, Priscilla Presley opens Graceland to the public as a museum. Graceland had been the final home of Elvis Presley. While the mansion is open to visitors, the bathroom in which Presley died is not open to the public. Graceland receives about 600,000 visitors per year, making it the second-most visited home in the country, second only to the White House.

• June 8. In 1951, Chinese Peoples Volunteer Army and North Korean Peoples Army forces have been using extensive rainfall and very boggy conditions to assist in stalling South Korean, UN and US forces during the Korean War. As incessant rainfall lessens, PVA and KPA forces begin a slow, phased withdrawal. Allied forces reach and occupy P’yonggang. Allied reconnaissance units find PVA soldiers near Kumsong. Meanwhile, the 1st Marine Division captures Yanggu.

• June 9. Today in 1972, a small but severe storm drops 15 inches of rain in a short time over the Black Hills of South Dakota. Clogged with debris, Canyon Lake Dam fails. The resulting flash flood strikes Rapid City and Keystone. The flooding resulted in the deaths of 238 people, with over 3,000 suffering various injuries. Over 2,800 homes were damaged with 1,335 homes beyond repair. About 5,000 cars were demolished and more than 200 businesses were ruined. The tragedy becomes known as The Black Hills Flood of 1972.

• June 10. On this day in 1991, actress and producer Leelee Sobieski is born in New York City. Forty-two years old, Sobieski has been featured in such hits as Deep Impact, Eyes Wide Shut, Joan of Arc, and NYC 22. Though not completely retired, Sobieski is very selective of the roles she accepts. Her complete actual name is Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta “Leelee” Sobieski.