Daily Chat 19/06/09

On this day in 1269, Louis IX of France ordered that any Jew not wearing a yellow badge in public would be fined 10 livres of silver. In 1865, slaves in Galveston, Texas finally learned of the Emancipation Proclamation a full two years late. The day is celebrated as Juneteenth in Texas and 13 other states to this day. The first Fathers' Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, in 1910 and in 1982, the body of Roberto Calvi was found hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge. Celebrating birthdays today: Louis Jourdan, Niels Bohr, Aung San Suu Kyi, Salman Rushdie, Ann Wilson, Kathleen Turner and Boris Johnson. In addition to being Juneteenth in parts of the US, it is Labour Day in Trinidad and Tobago.