Ten years ago: Rupert Murdoch accepted the resignation of The Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Les Hinton, and the chief of his British operations, Rebekah Brooks, as the once-defiant media mogul struggled to control an escalating phone hacking scandal. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced they were breaking up after seven years of marriage.
Five years ago: Donald Trump chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, an experienced politician with deep Washington connections, as his running mate.
One year ago: George Floyd’s family filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd’s rights when they restrained him and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force. (The city would agree to pay $27 million to settle the lawsuit in March 2021.) As coronavirus cases surged to record levels in the Los Angeles area, organizers canceled the 2021 New Year’s Day Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in 75 years. Walmart became the largest retailer to require customers to wear face coverings at all of its stores. Thousands of auto racing fans gathered at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for a NASCAR All-Star race, the nation’s largest sporting event since the pandemic began; it was won by Chase Elliott.