It happened today
Jane Byrne had just been elected, surprisingly: the first mayor of Chicago and the first woman to lead a major US city. It was 1979 and she received two guests “on a mission from God” in her office: John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. She listened to them in silence, with a stern look (a bit like Sister Mary Stigmata). They were asking to shoot a movie in Chicago. Not a normal movie, but a major Hollywood production. And they asked for permission to drive their car into the entrance to Daley Plaza, in the city centre, promising that “the next morning it would be as good as new”. And finally, they were demanding a big premiere for the film, in exchange for a large donation to local orphanages. The mayor, who knew how much all this would irritate her opponents, only said: “Sit down!”. So, on June 16, 1980, the Blues Brothers had their big premiere in Chicago. And it was an instant cult. (by Luigi Gaetani)
Born of the day
GeronimoJune 16, 1829, Native American leader
Achille Lauro, 16 June 1887, shipowner, politician and publisher
Stan Laurel, 16 June 1890, British actor, comedian, director and film producer
William SharpeJune 16, 1934, American economist
Giacomo Agostini, 16 June 1942, motorcycle racer
Simonetta Matone, 16 June 1953, magistrate and politician
Jürgen Klopp, 16 June 1967, German football manager and former footballer
Tupac, June 16, 1971, American rapper, activist and actor
Patrick Zaki, 16 June 1991, Egyptian student
Mattia Zaccagni, 16 June 1995, footballer
Deaths of the day
Wernher von Braun, 16 June 1977, German engineer and researcher, naturalized American
Andrea Pazienza, 16 June 1988, cartoonist, illustrator and painter
Mario Rigoni Stern, 16 June 2008, soldier and writer
Helmut Kohl, 16 June 2017, German politician and historian
Daniel Ellsberg, June 16, 2023, American economist, activist and military man, known for publishing the Pentagon Papers
Saint of the day
Saints Quirico and Giulitta, son and mother who died as martyrs around 304. There are around forty versions that tell of their killing. Bishop Theodore of Iconium investigated the two and, on the basis of direct testimonies, reconstructed the story of mother and son. According to Theodore, Julitta was a widow from a wealthy family, raised in Turkey under Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. For fear of being threatened and tortured, Giulitta left the city with her three-year-old son. However, she was discovered and captured: Giulitta and Quirico died under the eyes of the governor Alessandro.
