Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 5, the 157th day of 2012. There are 209 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 5, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in California's Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested.

On this date:

In 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, which prohibited Americans from taking part in any military action against a country that was at peace with the United States.

In 1884, Civil War hero General William T. Sherman refused the Republican presidential nomination, saying, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected."

In 1912, U.S. Marines landed in Cuba at the order of President William Howard Taft to ensure order and protect U.S. interests.

In 1916, the Arab Revolt against Turkish Ottoman rule began during World War I.

In 1933, the United States went off the gold standard.

In 1940, during the World War II Battle of France, Germany attacked French forces along the Somme line.

In 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University in which he outlined an aid program for Europe that came to be known as The Marshall Plan.

In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Henderson v. United States, struck down racially segregated railroad dining cars.

In 1967, war erupted in the Mideast as Israel raided military aircraft parked on the ground in Egypt; Syria, Jordan and Iraq entered the conflict.

In 1976, 14 people were killed when the Teton Dam in Idaho burst.

In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control reported that five homosexuals in Los Angeles had come down with a rare kind of pneumonia; they were the first recognized cases of what later became known as AIDS.

In 2004, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Ten years ago: Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City home. (Smart was found alive in a Salt Lake suburb in March 2003; her kidnappers, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, are serving prison sentences.) A suicide bomber killed 17 Israelis on a bus. Magic Johnson was introduced as a member of the 2002 class elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Dee Dee Ramone, bass player for the pioneer punk band the Ramones, died in Los Angeles at age 50.

Five years ago: Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was sentenced to 21/2 years in prison for lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation. (President George W. Bush later commuted the prison sentence.) A fourth suspect in an alleged plot to destroy New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport surrendered to police in Trinidad.

One year ago: The departure of Yemen's battle-wounded president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, for treatment in Saudi Arabia set off wild street celebrations in the capital. Israeli troops battled hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters who tried to burst across Syria's frontier with the Golan Heights, killing a reported 20 people. Rafael Nadal won his record-equaling sixth French Open title, beating Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Bill Hayes is 87. Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 78. Author Margaret Drabble is 73. Country singer Don Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 67. Rock musician Fred Stone (AKA Fred Stewart) (Sly and the Family Stone) is 66. Rock singer Laurie Anderson is 65. Country singer Gail Davies is 64. Author Ken Follett is 63. Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is 61. Financial guru Suze Orman is 61. Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 60. Jazz musician Kenny G is 56. Rock singer Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) is 56. Actor Jeff Garlin is 50. Actress Karen Sillas is 49. Actor Ron Livingston is 45. Singer Brian McKnight is 43. Rock musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 42. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 41. Actor Chad Allen is 38. Rock musician P-Nut (311) is 38. Actress Navi Rawat is 35. Actress Liza Weil is 35. Rock musician Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) is 33. Rock musician Seb Lefebvre (Simple Plan) is 31. Actress Amanda Crew is 26.

Thought for Today: "What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." -- Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. senator (1925-1968).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.