June 10 Birthday
On June 10, 1942, Nazi SS units destroyed the Czech village of Lidice. All 173 men over sixteen were shot. The women were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where forty-nine died. The children were assessed for "Aryanization" — nine were sent to German families; the rest were gassed at Chelmno. The village was burned, the buildings demolished, the cemetery desecrated, and the name erased from maps. This was retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the architect of the Holocaust, by Czech parachutists. Lidice became an international symbol — towns in the US, Mexico, and Brazil were renamed Lidice in solidarity. The village was never rebuilt on its original site. Judy Garland, born this day in 1922, was signed by MGM at thirteen and given amphetamines to control her weight. She made The Wizard of Oz at sixteen. Her version of "Over the Rainbow" was voted the greatest movie song of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America. She died of an accidental overdose at forty-seven. People born on June 10 fall under the zodiac sign of Gemini. The birthstone is Pearl and the birth flower is Rose. Historical events on June 10 include 1940: Italy declares war on Britain and France, 1942: Nazis annihilate Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for Heydrich assassination, 1967: Six-Day War ends — Israel controls East Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza, Sinai, Golan. Famous people born on June 10 include Judy Garland (1922), Prince Philip (1921), Hattie McDaniel (1893).