Today in History

Today is Sunday, June 10, the 162nd day of 2012. There are 204 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 10, 1942, during World War II, German forces massacred 173 male residents of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in retaliation for the killing of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich.

On this date:

In 1692, the first official execution resulting from the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts took place as Bridget Bishop was hanged.

In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate troops routed Union soldiers in the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia.

In 1907, eleven men in five cars set out from the French embassy in Beijing on a race to Paris. (Prince Scipione Borghese of Italy was the first to arrive in the French capital two months later.)

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed into law the Budget and Accounting Act, which created the Bureau of the Budget and the General Accounting Office.

In 1922, singer-actress Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minn.

In 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio by Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson.

In 1940, Italy declared war on France and Britain; Canada declared war on Italy.

In 1967, the Middle East War ended as Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United Nations-mediated cease-fire.

In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon lifted a two-decades-old trade embargo on China.

In 1982, the play "Torch Song Trilogy," by Harvey Fierstein, opened on Broadway.

In 1985, socialite Claus von Bulow was acquitted by a jury in Providence, R.I., at his retrial on charges he'd tried to murder his heiress wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow.

In 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. was abducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido; Jaycee was held by the couple for 18 years before she was found by authorities.

Ten years ago: Organized crime figure John Gotti died at a prison hospital in Springfield, Mo., at age 61. A partial solar eclipse cast a shadow over parts of eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean and North America.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush was enthusiastically welcomed to Albania. The crews of Atlantis and the international space station greeted each other after the space shuttle arrived at the orbiting outpost. At the French Open, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Suzann Pettersen shot a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Karrie Webb at the LPGA Championship. "Spring Awakening" was named best musical at the Tony Awards; "The Coast of Utopia," best play. HBO aired the final episode of "The Sopranos," featuring an abrupt blackout ending that left fans intrigued, puzzled -- and in some cases, infuriated.

One year ago: In a stern rebuke, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned in Brussels that the future of the historic NATO military alliance was at risk because of European penny pinching and a distaste for front-line combat. Tony La Russa managed his 5,000th game as his St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0.

Today's Birthdays: Britain's Prince Philip is 91. Columnist Nat Hentoff is 87. Attorney F. Lee Bailey is 79. Actress Alexandra Stewart is 73. Singer Shirley Alston Reeves (The Shirelles) is 71. Actor Jurgen Prochnow is 71. Media commentator Jeff Greenfield is 69. Country singer-songwriter Thom Schuyler is 60. Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is 59. Actor Andrew Stevens is 57. Singer Barrington Henderson is 56. Former New York Governor-turned-media commentator Eliot Spitzer is 53. Rock musician Kim Deal is 51. Singer Maxi Priest is 51. Actress Gina Gershon is 50. Actress Jeanne Tripplehorn is 49. Rock musician Jimmy Chamberlin is 48. Actress Kate Flannery is 48. Model-actress Elizabeth Hurley is 47. Rock musician Joey Santiago is 47. Actor Doug McKeon is 46. Rock musician Emma Anderson is 45. Country musician Brian Hofeldt (The Derailers) is 45. Rapper The D.O.C. is 44. Rock singer Mike Doughty is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer JoJo is 41. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is 41. Rhythm-and-blues singer Faith Evans is 39. Actor Hugh Dancy is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lemisha Grinstead (702) is 34. Actor DJ Qualls is 34. Actor Shane West is 34. Country singer Lee Brice is 33. Singer Hoku is 31. Actress Leelee Sobieski is 30. Olympic gold medal figure skater Tara Lipinski is 30. Presidential daughter Sasha Obama is 11.

Thought for Today: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." -- Judy Garland (1922-1969).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.