Today in History

Today is Friday, June 13, the 164th day of 2014. There are 201 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 13, 1944, Germany began launching flying-bomb attacks against Britain during World War II.

On this date:

In 1842, Queen Victoria became the first British monarch to ride on a train, traveling from Slough Railway Station to Paddington in 25 minutes.

In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned in Lake Starnberg.

In 1927, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Long Island City, New York.

In 1942, the first of two four-man Nazi sabotage teams arrived in the United States during World War II. (The eight were arrested after one of them went to U.S. authorities; six of the saboteurs were executed.)

In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a nearly two-month journey from England.

In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent.

In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America's involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.

In 1981, a scare occurred during a parade in London when a teenager fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1983, the U.S. space probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune.

In 1993, Canada's Progressive Conservative Party chose Defense Minister Kim Campbell to succeed Brian Mulroney as prime minister; she was the first woman to hold the post. Astronaut Donald K. "Deke" Slayton died in League City, Texas, at age 69.

In 1996, the 81-day-old Freemen standoff ended as 16 remaining members of the anti-government group surrendered to the FBI and left their Montana ranch.

Ten years ago: In Iraq, gunmen assassinated a senior Education Ministry official (Kamal al-Jarah). Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated his 80th birthday (a day late) with a 13,000-foot parachute jump over his presidential library in College Station, Texas. Annika Sorenstam won the LPGA Championship for the second straight year.

Five years ago: Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clashed with police in the heart of Tehran after the Iranian president claimed a re-election victory. Hundreds gathered at a sprawling hillside cemetery in Los Angeles to attend a funeral for David Carradine, more than a week after the 72-year-old actor was found hanging in a Bangkok hotel room.

One year ago: The White House said it had conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime had used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously threw out attempts to patent human genes, siding with advocates who said the multibillion-dollar biotechnology industry should not have exclusive control over genetic information found in the human body.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 82. Artist Christo is 79. Magician Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) is 75. Singer Bobby Freeman is 74. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 71. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is 70. Singer Dennis Locorriere is 65. Actor Richard Thomas is 63. Actor Jonathan Hogan is 63. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is 63. Comedian Tim Allen is 61. Actress Ally Sheedy is 52. TV anchor Hannah Storm is 52. Rock musician Paul deLisle (Smash Mouth) is 51. Actress Lisa Vidal is 49. Singer David Gray is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Deniece Pearson (Five Star) is 46. Rock musician Soren Rasted (Aqua) is 45. Actor Jamie Walters is 45. Singer-musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 44. Country singer Susan Haynes is 42. Actor Steve-O is 40. Country singer Jason Michael Carroll is 36. Actor Ethan Embry is 36. Actor Chris Evans is 33. Actress Sarah Schaub is 31. Singer Raz B is 29. Actress Kat Dennings is 28. Actress Ashley Olsen is 28. Actress Mary-Kate Olsen is 28.

Thought for Today: "What intellectual snobs we have become! Virtue is now in the number of degrees you have -- not in the kind of person you are or what you can accomplish in real-life situations." -- Eda J. LeShan, American educator (1922-2002).

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