Today in History

Today is Wednesday, June 27, the 179th day of 2012. There are 187 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 27, 1942, the FBI announced the arrests of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore in Florida and Long Island, N.Y. (All were tried and sentenced to death; six were executed while two were spared for having turned themselves in and cooperating with U.S. authorities.)

On this date:

In 1787, English historian Edward Gibbon completed work on his six-volume work, "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."

In 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Ill.

In 1846, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires.

In 1893, the New York stock market crashed.

In 1922, the first Newberry Medal, recognizing excellence in children's literature, was awarded in Detroit to "The Story of Mankind" by Hendrik Willem van Loon.

In 1944, during World War II, American forces liberated the French port of Cherbourg from the Germans.

In 1950, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North.

In 1957, more than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas.

In 1972, the video game company Atari, Inc., was founded by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in Santa Clara, Calif.

In 1977, the Supreme Court struck down state laws and bar association rules that prohibited lawyers from advertising their fees for routine services.

In 1985, the legendary Route 66, which originally stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., passed into history as officials decertified the road.

In 1991, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black to sit on the nation's highest court, announced his retirement. (His departure led to the contentious nomination of Clarence Thomas to succeed him.)

Ten years ago: In a landmark church-state decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that tuition vouchers were constitutional. The Group of Eight nations concluded a two-day summit in Alberta, Canada, by announcing aid packages for Russia and Africa. John Entwistle, the bass player who'd co-founded The Who, was found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room; he was 57.

Five years ago: Former Treasury chief Gordon Brown became British prime minister, succeeding Tony Blair. In her first televised interview since being released from custody, a demure Paris Hilton told CNN's Larry King she would never again drink and drive and that her time in jail was "a time-out in life."

One year ago: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted by a federal jury in Chicago of a wide range of corruption charges, including the allegation that he'd tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. (Blagojevich was later sentenced to 14 years in prison.) International judges ordered the arrest of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi for murdering civilians. Venus and Serena Williams were eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon, the first time in five years that neither sister advanced to the quarterfinals at the All England Club. Actress Elaine Stewart, 81, died in Beverly Hills, Calif., after a long illness.

Today's Birthdays: Business executive Ross Perot is 82. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is 74. Singer-musician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 70. Fashion designer Vera Wang is 63. Actress Julia Duffy is 61. Actress Isabelle Adjani is 57. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 53. Actor Brian Drillinger is 52. Writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams is 46. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., is 44. Olympic gold and bronze medal figure skater Viktor Petrenko is 43. TV personality Jo Frost (TV: "Supernanny") is 42. Actor Yancey Arias is 41. Actor Christian Kane is 38. Actor Tobey Maguire is 37. Gospel singer Leigh Nash is 36. Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian is 28. Actor Drake Bell is 26. Actor Ed Westwick is 25. Actress Madylin Sweeten is 21. Actor Chandler Riggs (TV: "The Walking Dead") is 13.

Thought for Today: "Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius." -- Edward Gibbon, English historian (1737-1794).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.