Today in History

Today is Monday, June 29, the 180th day of 2015. There are 185 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 29, 1767, Britain approved the Townshend Revenue Act, which imposed import duties on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper and tea shipped to the American colonies. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament to repeal the duties -- except for tea.)

On this date:

In 1613, London's original Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed, was destroyed by a fire sparked by a cannon shot during a performance of "Henry VIII."

In 1880, France annexed Tahiti, which became a French colony on December 30, 1880.

In 1913, the Second Balkan War broke out as Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece, its former allies from the First Balkan War.

In 1927, the first trans-Pacific airplane flight was completed as Lt. Lester J. Maitland and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger arrived at Wheeler Field in Hawaii aboard the Bird of Paradise, an Atlantic-Fokker C-2, after flying 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, in 25 hours, 50 minutes.

In 1941, Polish statesman, pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski died in New York at age 80.

In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information.

In 1967, Jerusalem was re-unified as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a trio of death sentences, saying the way they had been imposed constituted cruel and unusual punishment. (The ruling prompted states to effectively impose a moratorium on executions until their capital punishment laws could be revised.)

In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Morrison v. Olson, upheld the independent counsel law in a 7-1 decision (the sole dissenter was Justice Antonin Scalia).

In 1992, the remains of Polish statesman Ignace Jan Paderewski, interred for five decades in the United States, were returned to his homeland in keeping with his wish to be buried only in a free Poland.

In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Mir space station linked in orbit, beginning a historic five-day voyage as a single ship. A department store in Seoul (sohl), South Korea, collapsed, killing at least 500 people. Actress Lana Turner died in Century City, California, at age 74.

In 2003, actress Katharine Hepburn died in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, at age 96.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, embracing nearly all the recommendations of a White House commission, said he was creating a national security service at the FBI to specialize in intelligence as part of a shake-up of the disparate U.S. spy agencies. Mexico released a series of postage stamps depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as "Memin Pinguin," prompting protests from U.S. activists (despite the objections, Mexico refused to withdraw the stamps).

Five years ago: China and Taiwan signed a tariff-slashing trade pact that boosted economic ties and further eased political tensions six decades after the rivals split amid civil war. Talk show host Larry King announced he would step down from his CNN show in the autumn after 25 years on the air.

One year ago: The al-Qaida breakaway group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which had seized much of northeast Syria and huge tracts in neighboring Iraq, formally declared the establishment of a new Islamic state and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide. Grammy-winning jazz flutist and New Age music pioneer Paul Horn, 84, died in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Today's Birthdays: Movie producer Robert Evans is 85. Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 75. Singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys is 72. Actor Gary Busey is 71. Comedian Richard Lewis is 68. Actor-turned-politican-turned-radio personality Fred Grandy is 67. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 67. Singer Don Dokken (Dokken) is 62. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 62. Actress Maria Conchita Alonso is 58. Actress Sharon Lawrence is 54. Actress Amanda Donohoe is 53. Actress Judith Hoag is 52. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is 52. Rhythm-and-blues singer Stedman Pearson (Five Star) is 51. Actress Kathleen Wilhoite is 51. Producer-writer Matthew Weiner is 50. Musician Dale Baker is 49. Actress Melora Hardin is 48. Rap DJ Shadow is 43. Actress Zuleikha Robinson is 38. Country musician Todd Sansom (Marshall Dyllon) is 37. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 37. Comedian-writer Colin Jost (johst) is 33. Actress Lily Rabe is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Aundrea Fimbres is 32.

Thought for Today: "Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do." -- James Russell Lowell, American essayist (1819-1891).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.