Today in History

Today is Saturday, June 28, the 179th day of 2014. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip -- the event which sparked World War I.

On this date:

In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey; it was from this battle that the legend of "Molly Pitcher" arose.

In 1836, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died in Montpelier, Virginia.

In 1838, Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending the First World War. In Independence, Missouri, future president Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Housing Act, which established the Federal Housing Administration.

In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles, France.

In 1944, the Republican national convention in Chicago nominated New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey for president and Ohio Gov. John W. Bricker for vice president.

In 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

In 1964, civil rights activist Malcolm X declared, "We want equality by any means necessary" during the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in New York.

In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he'd been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

In 1989, about 1 million Serbs gathered to mark the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton became the first chief executive in U.S. history to set up a personal legal defense fund and ask Americans to contribute to it.

Ten years ago: The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government two days ahead of schedule. The Supreme Court ruled that the war on terrorism did not give the government a "blank check" to hold a U.S. citizen and foreign-born terror suspects in legal limbo. The United States resumed direct diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break.

Five years ago: Soldiers ousted Manuel Zelaya, the democratically elected president of Honduras; congressional leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in to serve until Zelaya's term ended in January 2010. Michael Jackson was honored at the BET Awards, which had been completely revamped to recognize the legacy of The King of Pop, who died three days earlier at age 50. Death claimed TV pitchman Billy Mays, 50, at his Florida home and Las Vegas impressionist Fred Travalena, 66.

One year ago: Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi rallied in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in Egypt's second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people -- including an American -- were killed and scores injured. The four plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned California's same-sex marriage ban tied the knot, just hours after a federal appeals court freed gay couples to obtain marriage licenses in the state for the first time in 4 1/2 years.

Today's Birthdays: Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 88. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., is 80. Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 77. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is 76. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 69. Actor Bruce Davison is 68. Actress Kathy Bates is 66. Actress Alice Krige is 60. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 54. Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 52. Actress Jessica Hecht is 49. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 49. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 48. Actor John Cusack is 48. Actor Gil Bellows is 47. Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 45. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 45. Actress Tichina Arnold is 45. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 42. Actress Camille Guaty is 38. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 38. Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 37. Country singer Big Vinny Hickerson (Trailer Choir) is 31. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 28.

Thought for Today: "One of the sources of pride in being a human being is the ability to bear present frustrations in the interests of longer purposes." -- Helen Merrell Lynd, American sociologist and educator (1896-1982).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.