Reuters historical calendar - June 21

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) Following are some of the major events to have occurred on June 21 since 1900: 1908 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer died; best known for his orchestral piece ''Scheherazade''.

1919 - The captured German fleet interned at Scapa Flow in Scotland's Orkney Islands was scuttled, to the surprise of the British who were guarding it. Over 70 vessels were sunk on the orders of Admiral von Reuter.

1942 - Tobruk in Libya fell to the German army under Field Marshal Rommel during World War Two.

1963 - Cardinal Giovanni Montini was elected Pope after the death of John XXIII. He became Pope Paul VI.

1982 - John Hinckley was found not guilty of the attempted murder of U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981 by reason of insanity.

1990 - Hungary officially relaunched its stock exchange 42 years after the Communist Party closed it. The Budapest exchange was the first Western-style securities exchange in any Warsaw Pact country.

2001 - John Lee Hooker, veteran American blues guitarist, died.

His spare, hypnotic style born in the heart of the Mississippi Delta influenced generations of rock and folk stars. He was 83.

2002 - Abu Sabaya, the best-known leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, a key man in the kidnapping in 2001 of a US missionary couple, was shot and killed.

2003 - George Axelrod, US playwright and Hollywood screenwriter best known for ''The Seven Year Itch'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'', died. He was 81.

2005 - Cardinal Jaime Sin, a driving force behind two Philippine ''People Power'' revolts that drove presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada from office in 1986 and 2001, respectively, died aged 76.

2005 - Guillermo Suarez Mason, a leading army general accused of kidnapping babies born in captivity during Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship, died aged 81.

2006 - The US Episcopal Church, trying to appease an angry and alienated worldwide Anglican community, reversed an earlier decision and agreed to try to avoid the consecration of more openly gay bishops.

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