Today in History

Today is Wednesday, June 10, the 161st day of 2015. There are 204 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 10, 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio, by Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson.

On this date:

In 1692, the first official execution resulting from the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts took place as Bridget Bishop was hanged.

In 1864, the Confederate Congress authorized military service for men between the ages of 17 and 70.

In 1915, author Saul Bellow was born in Lachine, Quebec, Canada.

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed into law the Budget and Accounting Act, which created the Bureau of the Budget and the General Accounting Office.

In 1940, Italy declared war on France and Britain; Canada declared war on Italy. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, speaking at the University of Virginia, said the U.S. stance toward the conflict was shifting from one of "neutrality" to "non-belligerency." Jamaican-born Pan-African nationalist Marcus Garvey died in London at 52.

In 1942, during World War II, German forces massacred 173 male residents of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in retaliation for the killing of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich.

In 1944, German forces massacred 642 residents of the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane.

In 1967, the Middle East War ended as Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United Nations-mediated cease-fire.

In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon lifted a two-decades-old trade embargo on China.

In 1985, socialite Claus von Bulow was acquitted by a jury in Providence, Rhode Island, at his retrial on charges he'd tried to murder his heiress wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow.

In 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard of South Lake Tahoe, California, was abducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido; Jaycee was held by the couple for 18 years before she was found by authorities.

In 2004, singer-musician Ray Charles, known for such hits as "What'd I Say," "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 73.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush and visiting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun pressed North Korea to rejoin deadlocked talks on its nuclear weapons program while trying to minimize their own differences over how hard to push the reclusive communist regime. Democrat Jim Exon, a two-term Nebraska governor and three-term senator, died at age 83.

Five years ago: Army Secretary John McHugh announced that an investigation had found that potentially hundreds of remains at Arlington National Cemetery were misidentified or misplaced. Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter, Zenani Mandela, was killed in a car accident while on the way home from a concert in Soweto on the eve of the World Cup. The NCAA sanctioned the University of Southern California with a two-year bowl ban, four years' probation, loss of scholarships and forfeits of an entire year's games for improper benefits given to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

One year ago: In a stunning assault that exposed Iraq's eroding central authority, al-Qaida-inspired militants overran much of Mosul. In a major victory for the tea party, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated by Dave Brat, a little-known economics professor, in Virginia's Republican primary. A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers as unconstitutional, saying such laws harmed students by saddling them with bad teachers who were almost impossible to fire.

Today's Birthdays: Britain's Prince Philip is 94. Columnist Nat Hentoff is 90. Attorney F. Lee Bailey is 82. Actress Alexandra Stewart is 76. Singer Shirley Alston Reeves (The Shirelles) is 74. Actor Jurgen Prochnow is 74. Media commentator Jeff Greenfield is 72. Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts is 64. Country singer-songwriter Thom Schuyler is 63. Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is 62. Actor Andrew Stevens is 60. Singer Barrington Henderson is 59. Former New York Governor-turned-media commentator Eliot Spitzer is 56. Rock musician Kim Deal is 54. Singer Maxi Priest is 54. Actress Gina Gershon is 53. Actress Jeanne Tripplehorn is 52. Rock musician Jimmy Chamberlin is 51. Actress Kate Flannery is 51. Model-actress Elizabeth Hurley is 50. Rock musician Joey Santiago is 50. Actor Doug McKeon is 49. Rock musician Emma Anderson is 48. Country musician Brian Hofeldt (The Derailers) is 48. Rapper The D.O.C. is 47. Rock singer Mike Doughty is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer JoJo is 44. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Faith Evans is 42. Actor Hugh Dancy is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lemisha Grinstead (702) is 37. Actor DJ Qualls is 37. Actor Shane West is 37. Country singer Lee Brice is 36. Singer Hoku is 34. Actress Leelee Sobieski is 33. Olympic gold medal figure skater Tara Lipinski is 33. Model-actress Kate Upton is 23. Sasha Obama is 14.

Thought for Today: "When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice." -- Saul Bellow (1915-2005).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.