Today in History

Today is Friday, June 20, the 171st day of 2014. There are 194 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 20, 1944, during World War II, Japanese naval forces retreated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea after suffering heavy losses to the victorious American fleet.

On this date:

In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.

In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.

In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.

In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.

In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives.

In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.

In 1947, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates.

In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. (Ali's conviction was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court.)

In 1974, the film noir "Chinatown," starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was released by Paramount Pictures.

In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed National Bald Eagle Day.

In 1994, O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Former airman Dean Allen Mellberg went on a shooting rampage at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four people and wounding 22 others before being killed by a military police sharpshooter.

Ten years ago: The Arab satellite TV network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape from al-Qaida-linked militants showing a South Korean hostage begging for his life and pleading with his government to withdraw troops from Iraq. (The hostage, Kim Sun-il, was beheaded two days later.) Retief Goosen captured his second U.S. Open in four years at Shinnecock Hills.

Five years ago: Iranian music student Neda Agha Soltan, 27, was gunned down during election protests in Tehran; her dying moments were caught on video and circulated widely on the Internet, making her name a rallying cry for the opposition and sparking international outrage.

One year ago: In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, the Taliban proposed a deal in which they would free U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held since 2009, in exchange for five of their most senior operatives at Guantanamo Bay. (Bergdahl was handed over on May 31, 2014.) The Food and Drug Administration approved unrestricted sales of the morning-after pill, lifting all age limits on the emergency contraceptive. The Miami Heat repeated as champions with a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Martin Landau is 86. Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 85. Actress Olympia Dukakis is 83. Actor James Tolkan is 83. Actor Danny Aiello is 81. Blues musician Lazy Lester is 81. Actor John Mahoney is 74. Movie director Stephen Frears is 73. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 72. Actor John McCook is 70. Singer Anne Murray is 69. TV personality Bob Vila is 68. Musician Andre Watts is 68. Actress Candy Clark is 67. Producer Tina Sinatra is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lionel Richie is 65. Actor John Goodman is 62. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 60. Pop musician John Taylor is 54. Rock musician Mark degli Antoni is 52. Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 47. Actress Nicole Kidman is 47. Country/bluegrass singer-musician Dan Tyminski is 47. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 46. Actor Peter Paige is 45. Actor Josh Lucas is 43. Rock musician Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy Ramirez) is 43. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 41. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 37. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 35. Country musician Chris Thompson (The Eli Young Band) is 34. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 31. Rock singer Grace Potter (Grace Potter & the Nocturnals) is 31. Actor Mark Saul is 29. Actress Dreama Walker is 28. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse is 25. Actress Maria Lark is 17.

Thought for Today: "A man's errors are his portals of discovery." -- James Joyce, Irish poet (1882-1941).

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