0616 Today in History

June 16th, 1858 in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln launches his US Senate bid with a warning about America's split over slavery, arguing the issue must be resolved. Lincoln says a house divided against itself cannot stand. Three years later, the Civil War breaks out between North and South after Lincoln is sworn in as president. 1963 Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space as the Soviet cosmonaut lifts off aboard Vostok. 6/19/76 In South Africa rioting erupts in the black Township of Soweto. More than 500 youths are killed as the violence spreads across the country, then under white minority rule. The bloody uprising galvanizes the movement against South Africa's apartheid regime. In 1961. Ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union to the West while his dance troupe is in Paris. Today in History, June 16th, Ed Donahue, The Associated Press.