"Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"It's the beginning of the end of McCarthy's political influence. Months later, the senator takes the rare step of condemning him over his methods.

1870Charles Dickens, author of novels such as Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities  dies in Gad's Hill, England at age 58.

1980"Please, this is emergency, can I talk to God? I'll have to put you on hold."Comedian Richard Pryor suffers almost fatal burns when a mixture of free-base cocaine explodes at his home in San Fernando Valley, California.

1973Secretariat wins the Belmont Stakes in New York, becoming the first to clinch horse racing's Triple Crown in 25 years.

And 1915Les Paul, the electric guitar pioneer is born in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Today in History, June 9th, Tim Maguire, the Associated Press.