Today in History: June 16, Valentina Tereshkova becomes first woman in space

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Today is Monday, June 16, the 167th day of 2025. There are 198 days left in the year.

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.

In 2022, witnesses testified to the Jan. 6 committee that Donald Trump’s closest advisers viewed his last-ditch efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject the tally of state electors and overturn the 2020 election as “nuts,” “crazy” and even likely to incite riots.

Today’s Birthdays: Author Joyce Carol Oates is 87. Country singer Billy “Crash” Craddock is 86. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 83. Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto Durán is 74. Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 73. Actor Laurie Metcalf is 70. Rapper MC Ren is 56. Golfer Phil Mickelson is 55. Actor John Cho is 53. Actor Daniel Brühl is 47. Actor Missy Peregrym is 43. Singer Diana DeGarmo (TV: “American Idol”) is 38. NFL wide receiver Justin Jefferson is 26. Tennis player Bianca Andreescu is 25.