Today in History: June 16, Valentina Tereshkova becomes first woman in space
In 1903, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, Mich.
In 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.
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 President Trump launched his successful campaign for the presidency of the United States with a speech at Trump Tower in Manhattan, N.Y.
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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 President 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.
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