29 years years ago today, Greenpeace activists bolstered by international pressure forced Shell Oil of the UK into a dramatic reversal of its decision to dispose of a massive oil rig by submerging it beneath the sea. READ what happened then… (1995)

Photo by eric_aa, CC license

After changing its mind, Shell moored the rig and began dismantling the structure at a cost of £43m, compared to a cost of £4.5m to dump the structure under the sea. The scrap was eventually used to build the foundations of a new ferry terminal. The public outcry led to a change of management and a revamp of Shell's ethical standards. On top of that, all the governments of the northeast Atlantic region agreed afterward to ban future dumping of steel-built oil installations.

MORE Good News on this Day:

Alexander Graham Bell installed the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (1877)

The so-called red telephone was established between the White House and the Kremlin to link the two superpowers, after lessons were learned during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1963)

David Bowie recorded ‘Space Oddity’ at Trident Studios in London (1969)

The Steven Spielberg movie Jaws was released, about a giant man-eating shark whose presence was signaled by a terrifying 2-note soundtrack hook (1975)

The U.S. Supreme Court declared that executing mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel (2002)

The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation was set up to operate the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, among other global collaboration projects, by co-founder Jimmy Wales (2003)

84 years ago, Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp. Piechowski engineered his escape after getting access to schedules that showed a friend of his was slated for execution. On the morning of 20 June exactly two years after his arrival, Piechowski escaped from Auschwitz 1. He fled with his friends Eugeniusz Bendera, an auto mechanic from Czortków (now Chortkiv, Ukraine), Józef Lempert, a priest from Wadowice, and Stanisław Gustaw Jaster, a first lieutenant and veteran of the Invasion of Poland from Warsaw.

Auschwitz main gate Tulio Bertorini CC 2.0. SA

They left through the main Auschwitz camp through the Arbeit Macht Frei gate. They had taken a cart and passed themselves off as a Rollwagenkommando, a work group that consisted of between four and twelve inmates pulling a freight cart instead of horses

Bendera went to the motor pool while Piechowski, Lempert, and Jaster went to the warehouse where uniforms and weapons were stored. They entered via a coal bunker that Piechowski had helped to fill. He removed a bolt from the lid so it wouldn't self-latch when closed. Once in the building, they broke into the room containing the uniforms and weapons, arming themselves with four machine guns and eight grenades.

Bendera arrived in a Steyr 220 Sedan. As a mechanic, he was often allowed to test drive cars around the camp. He entered the building and changed into an SS uniform like the others. They then all entered the car, with Bendera driving, Piechowski in the front passenger seat, Lempert and Jaster in the back. Bendera drove toward the main gate.

Jaster carried a report on activities during The Holocaust prepared by a Polish spy who had been deliberately imprisoned in Auschwitz. As they approached the main gate, Piechowski saw the guard was of a low rank, and shouted at him in German to open the gate. He did, and the four drove off.

In 1989, Piechowski declined to be awarded the highest order of merit in the Polish Republic, sold land he owned near Gdańsk, and traveled with his wife to various parts of the world, visiting over 60 countries. (1942)

Happy 72nd Birthday to actor and voice actor John Goodman! Making a name for himself as the right-hand man of the Coen Brothers director team, Goodman eventually appeared in five of their films, including Raising Arizona (1987), Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). As successful on television as film, Goodman was nominated for Best Male Lead in a Comedy at the Primetime Emmys 5 years in a row for his work as Dan Conner in Rosanne.

John Goodman in 2000 – cc3.0. John Mathew Smith

Goodman has also had a successful streak as a voice actor, kicking it off by providing the iconic voice of the big blue monster “Sully” in Monsters Inc, and protagonist Pacha in The Emperor's New Grove. WATCH Jeff Bridges deliver a speech as Mr. Lebowski as Goodman gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame… (1952)

 

On this day 104 years ago, the ACLU was founded to focus on freedom of speech, primarily for anti-war protesters in response to controversial raids that saw thousands arrested in matters which violated their constitutional protection.

ACLU

It soon expanded its scope to include protecting the free speech rights of artists and striking workers, and partner with the NAACP to decrease racism and discrimination. Many of the ACLU's cases involved the defense of Jehovah's Witnesses, and also focused on Native American rights. The group defended Japanese-American citizens relocated to internment camps—and during the Cold War, defended members of the Communist Party.

Officially nonpartisan, the organization has been both supported and criticized by liberal and conservative organizations alike. With its annual budget of $100 million and local affiliates in all 50 states, the ACLU provides additional legal support to oppose the death penalty and torture; support same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people and minorities; support birth control and abortion rights and the rights of prisoners; and it advocates for the separation of church and state.

The ACLU was involved in the Miranda case, which addressed conduct by police during interrogations, and in the New York Times case, which established new protections for newspapers reporting on government activities.

In the 21st century, the ACLU has fought the teaching of creationism in public schools and challenged some provisions of anti-terrorism laws that infringed on privacy. Membership spiked after the 2016 election, rising to more than 1.2 million. (1920)

Also, Happy Birthday to Brian Wilson, who turns 82 today.

As the multi-talented leader of the Beach Boys, he co-wrote over 25 top forty hits and by 1967 had become an influence on The Beatles and others, particularly with the album, Pet Sounds. His unique approaches to song composition, arrangement, and recording are why that album is ranked #2 on the Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, according to industry leaders who created the list for Rolling Stone.

Wilson was one of the most famous examples of an outsider musician. The first to use a studio as his own instrument, at 21 years old he received the freedom to produce his own records with total creative autonomy. With his technical genius, he ignited an explosion of like-minded producers who created the “California Sound”, and supplanted New York as the center of record production.

In 2016, he penned an autobiography called I am Brian Wilson, which reveals how he felt about psychedelic drugs, which he believes led to a mental breakdown, and the woman who saved him—now his wife of over 20 years. The story was also dramatized in the 2015 film, Love and Mercy, starring John Cusack. (1942)

And, Happy 75th Birthday to singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer Lionel Richie. After deciding on a music career instead of the priesthood, Richie sang and played saxophone for The Commodores in the 1980s, on blockbuster hits like Brick House, Easy, and Three Times a Lady. His 1982 debut solo album, Lionel Richie, contained the Grammy-winning No.1 song Truly, and the top 5 hits You Are and My Love. He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single We Are the World with Michael Jackson. Say You, Say Me, featured in the film White Nights, won Ritchie the Academy Award for Best Original Song—and with over 90 million records sold worldwide, he’s one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.

The R&B Legend, who is currently on a 33-date North America tour, played an amphitheater near Chicago this week and his high school class from the city’s south side showed up to celebrate his big birthday. Also in the audience was the Worldwide Lionel Richie Fan Club who joined him to “party, fiesta, forever—All Night Long.” (1949)

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