Today in History

Today is Friday, June 26, the 177th day of 2015. There are 188 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 26, 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.

On this date:

In 1483, Richard III began his reign as King of England (he was crowned the following month at Westminster Abbey).

In 1870, the first section of Atlantic City, New Jersey's Boardwalk was opened to the public.

In 1915, following a whirlwind courtship, poet T.S. Eliot married Vivienne Haigh-Wood in London. (The marriage proved disastrous, but the couple never divorced.) Air conditioning manufacturer Carrier Engineering Corp. was incorporated in New York.

In 1925, Charles Chaplin's classic comedy "The Gold Rush" premiered at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was nominated for a second term of office by delegates to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized the U.S. Air Force and Navy to enter the Korean War.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway. Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson knocked out Floyd Patterson in the third round of their match at New York's Yankee Stadium to win the heavyweight title.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city's residents, declaring: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner).

In 1973, former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" kept by the Nixon White House.

In 1974, the supermarket price scanner made its debut in Troy, Ohio, as a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum costing 67 cents and bearing a Uniform Product Code (UPC) was scanned by a Marsh Supermarket cashier.

In 1988, three people were killed when a new Airbus A320 jetliner carrying more than 130 people crashed into a forest during a demonstration at an air show in Mulhouse, France.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush went back on his "no-new-taxes" campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit-reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.

Ten years ago: Dozens of international leaders met in San Francisco to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' birth. Tens of thousands of festively dressed people marched in parades around the country to celebrate the 35th anniversary of gay pride. South Korea's Birdie Kim holed a 30-yard bunker shot to birdie the 18th hole and win the U.S. Women's Open.

Five years ago: At odds over how to strengthen the global economic recovery, Group of Eight leaders meeting in Canada did find common ground on foreign policy, condemning North Korea for the alleged sinking of a South Korean warship and endorsing a five-year exit timetable for Afghanistan. Ghana sent the U.S. packing from the World Cup in South Africa, eliminating the Americans in the second round.

One year ago: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Barack Obama had exceeded his executive authority in 2012 when he appointed members to the National Labor Relations Board without Senate confirmation. The nation's highest court also unanimously struck down the 35-foot protest-free zone outside abortion clinics in Massachusetts, declaring it an unconstitutional restraint on the free-speech rights of protesters. Former Senate majority leader and White House chief of staff Howard Baker, 88, died at his Tennessee home. Julius Rudel, 93, who was the general director and principal conductor for the New York City Opera for 22 years, died in New York. Mary Rodgers, 83, the daughter of famed Broadway composer Richard Rodgers who found her own fame as composer of "Once Upon a Mattress" and as author of the body-shifting book "Freaky Friday," died in New York.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 81. Actor Josef Sommer is 81. Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 77. Rock singer Georgie Fame is 72. Actor Clive Francis is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Brenda Holloway is 69. Actor Michael Paul Chan is 65. Actor Robert Davi is 64. Singer-musician Mick Jones is 60. Actor Gedde Watanabe is 60. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 59. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 58. Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 54. U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer Greg LeMond is 54. Rock singer Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) is 52. Country musician Eddie Perez (The Mavericks) is 47. Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 46. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 45. Actor Sean Hayes is 45. Actor Matt Letscher is 45. Actor Chris O'Donnell is 45. Actor Nick Offerman is 45. Actress Rebecca Budig is 42. MLB All-Star Derek Jeter is 41. Contemporary Christian musician Jeff Frankenstein (Newsboys) is 41. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 41. Rock musician Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) is 36. Pop-rock singer-musician Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) is 36. Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 35. Actress Aubrey Plaza is 31. Actress-singer Jennette McCurdy is 23. Actress-singer Ariana Grande is 22.

Thought for Today: "The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration then more practice and more concentration." -- Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete and golfing Hall of Famer (born this date in 1911, died in 1956).

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