Today in History

Today is Sunday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2014. There are 192 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the "GI Bill of Rights."

On this date:

In 1611, English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay by mutineers aboard the Discovery; their fate remains unknown.

In 1870, the United States Department of Justice was created.

In 1911, Britain's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

In 1937, Joe Louis began his reign as world heavyweight boxing champion by knocking out Jim Braddock in the eighth round of their fight in Chicago.

In 1938, Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch at Yankee Stadium.

In 1940, during World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.

In 1959, the Swedish film "Wild Strawberries," written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, opened in New York.

In 1964, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Henry Miller novel "Tropic of Cancer" and the French film "The Lovers" were not obscene.

In 1974, French composer Darius Milhaud, 81, died in Geneva.

In 1977, John N. Mitchell became the first former U.S. Attorney General to go to prison as he began serving a sentence for his role in the Watergate cover-up. (He was released 19 months later.)

In 1984, the British airline Virgin Atlantic began operations.

In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, unanimously ruled that "hate crime" laws that banned cross burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights.

Ten years ago: Islamic militants beheaded Kim Sun-il, a South Korean hostage who'd pleaded for his life in a heart-wrenching videotape; he was the third foreign hostage decapitated in the Middle East in little over a month. Mexican newspaper editor Francisco Ortiz Franco was shot to death by masked gunmen in Tijuana. Former President Bill Clinton's memoir, "My Life," was officially released. Child poet Mattie Stepanek, a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers, died in Washington, D.C., at age 13.

Five years ago: Nine people were killed when a Washington, D.C., commuter train crashed into the rear of another during afternoon rush hour. President Barack Obama signed the nation's toughest anti-smoking law, aiming to keep thousands of teens from getting hooked. Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of ex-girlfriend Rihanna (he was later sentenced to probation and community labor). Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black with a 3-over 73 for a two-shot victory.

One year ago: Islamic militants disguised as policemen killed 10 foreign climbers and a Pakistani guide in a brazen overnight raid at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, saying it was to avenge the death of their deputy leader in a U.S. drone strike. A plane carrying a wing walker crashed at an air show near Dayton, Ohio, killing both the pilot, Charlie Schwenker, and the stunt performer, Jane Wicker.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Prunella Scales is 82. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is 81. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 78. Movie director John Korty is 78. Actor Michael Lerner is 73. Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer is 71. Fox News analyst Brit Hume is 71. Singer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 70. Actor Andrew Rubin is 68. Actor David L. Lander is 67. Singer Howard "Eddie" Kaylan is 67. Singer-musician Todd Rundgren is 66. Actress Meryl Streep is 65. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 65. Singer Alan Osmond is 65. Actor Murphy Cross is 64. Actor Graham Greene is 62. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper is 61. Actor Chris Lemmon is 60. Rock musician Derek Forbes is 58. Actor Tim Russ is 58. Rock musician Garry Beers (INXS) is 57. Actor-producer-writer Bruce Campbell is 56. Rock musician Alan Anton (Cowboy Junkies) is 55. Actress Tracy Pollan is 54. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is 54. Rock singer-musician Jimmy Somerville is 53. Basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler is 52. Author Dan Brown is 50. Rock singer-musician Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) is 50. Rock singer Steven Page is 44. Actor Michael Trucco is 44. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (RYS'-kub) is 43. TV personality Carson Daly is 41. Rock musician Chris Traynor is 41. Country musician Jimmy Wallace is 41. Actor Donald Faison is 40. Actress Alicia Goranson is 40. Actor-comedian Mike O'Brien (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 38. TV personality/actor Jai Rodriguez is 35. Actress Lindsay Ridgeway is 29.

Thought for Today: "Study men, not historians." -- President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.