Today in history:
On June 16, 1963, the world’s first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union aboard Vostok 6. Tereshkova spent 71 hours in flight, circling the Earth 48 times before returning safely.
Also on this date:
In 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said the issue of slavery in the United States had to be resolved, declaring, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
In 1903, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1976, thousands of Black students in Johannesburg’s Soweto township demonstrated against the imposition of the Dutch-based Afrikaans language in schools; police opened fire on the students, killing at least 176 and as many as 700.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed the instruments of ratification for the Panama Canal treaties during a ceremony in Panama City.
In 2015, real estate mogul Donald Trump launched his successful campaign for the presidency of the United States with a speech at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
In 2016, Walt Disney Co. opened Shanghai Disneyland, its first theme park in mainland China.
The Associated Press contributed to this article