Today in History

Today is Friday, June 8, the 160th day of 2012. There are 206 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 8, 1972, during the Vietnam War, a South Vietnamese Air Force jet dropped a napalm bomb onto the village of Trang Bang. Associated Press photographer Nick Ut captured the image of a screaming 9-year-old girl, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, as she ran naked and severely burned from the scene of the explosion along with other victims.

On this date:

In A.D. 632, the prophet Muhammad died in Medina.

In 1845, Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.

In 1861, voters in Tennessee approved an Ordinance of Secession passed the previous month by the state legislature.

In 1912, the ballet "Daphnis et Chloe," with music by Maurice Ravel, choreography by Michel Fokine and Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina in the title roles, was premiered by the Ballets Russes in Paris.

In 1915, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned in a disagreement with President Woodrow Wilson over U.S. handling of the sinking of the Lusitania.

In 1942, Bing Crosby recorded "Adeste Fideles" and "Silent Night" in Los Angeles for Decca Records.

In 1953, the Supreme Court ruled that restaurants in the District of Columbia could not refuse to serve blacks.

In 1962, 20th Century Fox fired actress Marilyn Monroe from its production "Something's Got to Give," saying she was unreliable. (Fox later changed its mind, but Monroe died before filming could resume, and the movie was abandoned.)

In 1967, 34 U.S. servicemen were killed when Israel attacked the USS Liberty, a Navy intelligence-gathering ship in the Mediterranean. (Israel later said the Liberty had been mistaken for an Egyptian vessel.)

In 1978, a jury in Clark County, Nev., ruled the so-called "Mormon will," purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was a forgery.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan became the first American chief executive to address a joint session of the British Parliament.

In 1987, Fawn Hall began testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings, describing how, as secretary to National Security aide Oliver L. North, she helped to shred some documents and spirit away others.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush ended talks at Camp David with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; Bush sidestepped Arab pleas to impose a deadline for Palestinian statehood while Mubarak defended Yasser Arafat and urged, "Give this man a chance." Serena Williams won the French Open, defeating her older sister, Venus, 7-5, 6-3. Sarava, a 70-1 shot, captured the Belmont Stakes; Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem finished eighth. Lennox Lewis kept his heavyweight titles by stopping Mike Tyson in the eighth round of their fight in Memphis, Tenn.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the Bush administration was replacing Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and recommending Adm. Mike Mullen for the job. Mary Winkler, who'd killed her preacher husband with a shotgun blast to the back as he lay in bed, was sentenced in Selmer, Tenn., to three years in prison (she ended up serving 67 days in custody, 12 in jail and the rest in a mental health facility). Paris Hilton was sent screaming and crying back to jail after a judge in Los Angeles ruled she had to serve out her sentence for a probation violation behind bars rather than under house arrest. The space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a mission to the international space station.

One year ago: Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania became the first Democratic House colleague to call for Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York to resign after he admitted sending a lewd photo of himself to a woman via Twitter and lying about it. OPEC unexpectedly left its production levels unchanged, causing oil prices to jump as senior officials reported their meeting in Vienna had ended in disarray. Meredith Vieira ended her five-year run as co-anchor of NBC's "Today" show, telling viewers her decision to go was "right, but it's hard."

Today's Birthdays: Former first lady Barbara Bush is 87. Actor-comedian Jerry Stiller is 85. Comedian Joan Rivers is 79. Actress Millicent Martin is 78. Actor James Darren is 76. Actor Bernie Casey is 73. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 72. Singer Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night) is 70. Musician Boz Scaggs is 68. Actor Don Grady is 68. Rock musician Mick Box (Uriah Heep) is 65. Author Sara Paretsky is 65. Actress Sonia Braga is 62. Actress Kathy Baker is 62. Country musician Tony Rice is 61. Actor Griffin Dunne is 57. "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams is 55. Actor-director Keenen Ivory Wayans is 54. Singer Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) is 52. Musician Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Doris Pearson (Five Star) is 46. Actress Julianna Margulies is 45. Actor Dan Futterman is 45. Actor David Sutcliffe is 43. Actor Kent Faulcon is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nicci Gilbert is 42. Actress Kelli Williams is 42. Actor Mark Feuerstein is 41. Contemporary Christian musician Mike Scheuchzer (MercyMe) is 37. Actor Eion Bailey is 36. Rapper Kanye West is 35. Blues-rock musician Derek Trucks (The Derek Trucks Band) is 33. Folk-bluegrass singer-musician Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) is 31. Actress Torrey DeVitto is 28.

Thought for Today: "Love hath no physic for a grief too deep." -- Robert Nathan, American author and poet (1894-1985).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.