Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 28, the 180th day of 2016. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On June 28, 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey; from this battle arose the legend of "Molly Pitcher," a woman who was said to have carried water to colonial soldiers, then taken over firing her husband's cannon when he became injured.

On this date:

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 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot to death in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip -- an act which sparked World War I.

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

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted. Corporate lawyer Wendell Willkie received the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Philadelphia (U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles McNary of Oregon was nominated for vice president).

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 (sohl), 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 1975, screenwriter, producer and actor Rod Serling, 50, creator of "The Twilight Zone," died in Rochester, New York.

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

In 1996, the Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school. (The unanimous decision by the school's governing board came two days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the all-male admissions policy at Virginia Military Institute.)

Ten years ago: Israeli warplanes buzzed the seaside home of Syria's president and bombed Hamas targets in Gaza to pressure Palestinian militants into freeing a kidnapped Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit. "Miracle on Ice" coach Herb Brooks and Patrick Roy, the NHL's winningest goaltender, were among four honorees elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Star Jones Reynolds was booted from "The View," one day after surprising ABC and Barbara Walters by saying on the air that she wouldn't be returning to the daytime talk show in the fall.

Five years ago: Taliban fighters raided an international hotel in Kabul and killed 10 people on the eve of a conference to discuss plans for Afghan forces to take over security when international troops left by the end of 2014. French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was chosen to lead the International Monetary Organization. Former All-Star goalie Ed Belfour was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk as inductees.

One year ago: Authorities in upstate New York captured David Sweat, one of two convicted murderers who'd escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6; Sweat was apprehended two days after his fellow escapee, Richard Matt, was shot and killed in a confrontation with law enforcement. After 18 straight successful launches, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke apart minutes after soaring away from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while carrying supplies for the International Space Station. Comedian Jack Carter, 93, died in Beverly Hills, California.

Today's Birthdays: Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 90. Former Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., is 82. Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 79. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is 78. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 71. Actor Bruce Davison is 70. Actress Kathy Bates is 68. Actress Alice Krige is 62. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 56. Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 54. Actress Jessica Hecht is 51. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 51. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 50. Actor John Cusack is 50. Actor Gil Bellows is 49. Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 47. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 47. Actress Tichina Arnold is 47. Actor Steve Burton is 46. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 44. Actress Camille Guaty is 40. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 40. Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 39. Country singer Big Vinny Hickerson (Trailer Choir) is 33. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 30.

Thought for Today: "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they." -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-born philosopher (born this date in 1712, died in 1778).