Nicosia, Cyprus. A series of notable political, criminal, scientific, sporting and cultural events took place on June 23 in different years. They include elections, court rulings, deaths and major international incidents.
Political and legal developments
In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.
In 1978, Renato Curcio, the leader of the Italian Red Brigade urban guerrillas, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In 2001, fugitive Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos, described as Latin America’s most wanted man, was captured in Venezuela.
In 2005, former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen was sentenced to 60 years in prison for orchestrating the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers who were registering black voters in Mississippi.
Deaths
In 1995, Jonas Salk, the medical pioneer who developed the first vaccine against polio, died.
In 1996, Andreas Papandreou, Greece’s former socialist prime minister, died after a long illness.
In 2006, television producer Aaron Spelling, whose shows such as “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Dynasty” helped shape U.S. prime-time television, died at 83.
Sport and incidents
In 1996, sprinter Michael Johnson celebrated a world record in the men’s 200m.
In 1998, passengers left a hijacked plane at Valencia airport.
