June 13 Birthday
On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court decided Miranda v. Arizona, requiring that suspects be informed of their right to remain silent and their right to an attorney before being interrogated. Ernesto Miranda had been arrested for kidnapping and rape and confessed after two hours of questioning without being told he could have a lawyer. The Court's decision was 5-4. Chief Justice Warren wrote: "Where the individual answers a question without being told he may remain silent, his answer is not the product of a free intellect." Miranda was retried without the confession, convicted again, and served eleven years. He was stabbed to death in 1976 in a bar fight. The Pentagon Papers were published by the New York Times on June 13, 1971. Daniel Ellsberg, a former Pentagon analyst, had photocopied 7,000 pages of a classified study that showed the government had systematically lied about the Vietnam War. The Nixon administration obtained a court order to stop publication — the first time the government had ever tried to prevent a newspaper from publishing. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 for the Times. Nixon's response to the leak — forming the Plumbers unit — led to Watergate. People born on June 13 fall under the zodiac sign of Gemini. The birthstone is Pearl and the birth flower is Rose. Historical events on June 13 include 1966: Supreme Court decides Miranda v. Arizona (you must be read your rights), 1971: New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers, 1983: Pioneer 10 becomes first spacecraft to leave the solar system. Famous people born on June 13 include W.B. Yeats (1865), Tim Allen (1953), Chris Evans (1981).