On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, died when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for about 9½ minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn’t breathe; Floyd’s death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to worldwide protests, some of which turned violent, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.

In 1959, the U.S. Supreme Court, in State Athletic Commission v. Dorsey, struck down a Louisiana law prohibiting interracial boxing matches. (The case had been brought by Joseph Dorsey Jr., a Black professional boxer.)

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka desegregation ruling.

In 1977, the first “Star Wars” film (later retitled “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope”) was released by 20th Century Fox.

In 1992, Jay Leno made his debut as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” succeeding Johnny Carson.

In 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site.

In 2018, Harvey Weinstein was charged in New York with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him; the once-powerful movie producer turned himself in to face the charges and was released on $1 million bail after a court appearance. (Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault; he is serving a 23-year prison sentence.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ann Robinson is 92. Country singer Jessi Colter is 78. Movie director and Muppeteer Frank Oz is 77. Actor Patti D’Arbanville is 70. Playwright Eve Ensler is 68. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is 61. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 58. Actor Octavia Spencer is 51. Actor Molly Sims is 48.