Today in History

Today is Saturday, June 2, the 154th day of 2012. There are 212 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI; it was the first such ceremony to be televised.

On this date:

In 1886, President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, 21, in the Blue Room of the White House. (To date, Cleveland is the only president to marry in the executive mansion.)

In 1897, Mark Twain, 61, was quoted by the New York Journal as saying from London that "the report of my death was an exaggeration."

In 1924, Congress passed a measure that was then signed by President Calvin Coolidge guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within U.S. territorial limits.

In 1941, baseball's "Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, died in New York of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he was 37. The chief justice of the United States, Charles Evans Hughes, announced his retirement effective July 1, 1941.

In 1961, during a state visit to France, President John F. Kennedy, noting the warm reception his wife was receiving, jocularly described himself as "the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it." Playwright and director George S. Kaufman, 71, died in New York.

In 1962, Soviet forces opened fire on workers in the Russian city of Novocherkassk who had gone on strike over food shortages; accounts of the death toll vary, although a retired general who said he opposed the action put the figure at 22 to 24 during a 1989 interview.

In 1966, the U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.

In 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.

In 1986, for the first time, the public could watch the proceedings of the U.S. Senate on television as a six-week experiment began.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the Oklahoma City bombing. (He was executed in June 2001.)

In 2004, the syndicated TV game show "Jeopardy!" began airing contestant Ken Jennings' 74-game winning streak.

Ten years ago: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat offered Cabinet posts to militant groups as part of a government reshuffle. A fire broke out at Buckingham Palace, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people and marring the four-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 50 years on the throne. "Thoroughly Modern Millie" won six Tony Awards, including best musical. American journalist and columnist Flora Lewis died in Paris.

Five years ago: U.S. authorities said four Muslim men had been prevented from carrying out a plot to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery running through populous New York residential neighborhoods. (Three of the men were later sentenced to life in prison; the fourth was sentenced to 15 years behind bars.)

One year ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination during an appearance in New Hampshire. A 73-year-old man opened fire in southern Arizona, killing five people and wounding one other before fatally shooting himself. A judge in Placerville, Calif., sentenced serial sex offender Phillip Garrido to life in prison for kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard; Garrido's wife, Nancy, received a decades-long sentence. Eighth grader Sukanya Roy of South Abington Township, Pa., won the 84th Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Milo O'Shea is 87. Actress-singer Sally Kellerman is 75. Actor Ron Ely is 74. Actor Stacy Keach is 71. Rock musician Charlie Watts is 71. Singer William Guest (Gladys Knight & The Pips) is 71. Actor Charles Haid is 69. Composer Marvin Hamlisch is 68. Movie director Lasse Hallstrom is 66. Actor Jerry Mathers is 64. Actress Joanna Gleason is 62. Actor Dennis Haysbert is 58. Comedian Dana Carvey is 57. Actor Gary Grimes is 57. Pop musician Michael Steele is 57. Rock singer Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) is 52. Singer Merril Bainbridge is 44. Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill) is 42. Actress Paula Cale is 42. Actor Anthony Montgomery is 41. Actor-comedian Wayne Brady is 40. Actor Wentworth Miller is 40. Rock musician Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane) is 36. Actor Zachary Quinto is 35. Actor Dominic Cooper is 34. Actress Nikki Cox is 34. Actor Justin Long is 34. Actor Deon Richmond is 34. Actress Morena Baccarin is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Irish Grinstead (702) is 32. Rock musician Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) is 32. Country singer Dan Cahoon (Marshall Dyllon) is 29. Actress Brittany Curran is 22.

Thought for Today: "We are minor in everything but our passions." -- Elizabeth Bowen, Irish author (1899-1973).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.