Today in History

Today is Wednesday, June 13, the 164th day of 2018. There are 201 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 13, 1978, the movie musical "Grease," starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, had its world premiere in New York.

On this date:

In 1525, German theologian Martin Luther married former nun Katharina von Bora.

In 1789, during the French Revolution, the National Assembly convened.

In 1842, Queen Victoria became the first British monarch to ride on a train, traveling from Slough Railway Station to Paddington in 25 minutes.

In 1911, the ballet "Petrushka," with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Michel Fokine, was first performed in Paris by the Ballets Russes, with Vaslav Nijinsky in the title role.

In 1927, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Queens, New York. "Becky Sharp," the first movie photographed in "three-strip" Technicolor, opened in New York.

In 1942, a four-man Nazi sabotage team arrived on Long Island, New York, three days before a second four-man team landed in Florida. (All eight men were arrested after two members of the first group defected.) President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of Strategic Services and the Office of War Information.

In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a nearly two-month journey from England.

In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent.

In 1977, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was recaptured following his escape three days earlier from a Tennessee prison.

In 1983, the U.S. space probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune.

In 1993, Canada's Progressive Conservative Party chose Defense Minister Kim Campbell to succeed Brian Mulroney as prime minister; she was the first woman to hold the post. Astronaut Donald K. "Deke" Slayton died in League City, Texas, at age 69.

Ten years ago: Tim Russert, moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," died suddenly while preparing for his weekly broadcast; he was 58. Pope Benedict XVI took President George W. Bush on a rare stroll through the lush grounds of the Vatican Gardens during the leaders' third visit together. R. Kelly was acquitted of all charges in his child pornography trial in Chicago, ending a six-year ordeal for the R&B superstar.

Five years ago: The White House said it had conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime had used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously threw out attempts to patent human genes, siding with advocates who said the multibillion-dollar biotechnology industry should not have exclusive control over genetic information found in the human body.

One year ago: A comatose Otto Warmbier, released by North Korea after more than 17 months in captivity, arrived in Cincinnati aboard a medevac flight; the 22-year-old college student, who had suffered severe brain damage, died six days later. Two inmates got through a gate inside a Georgia prison bus, shot and killed two guards and fled in a carjacked vehicle; the inmates were captured two days later in Tennessee. Rolling Stone magazine agreed to pay $1.65 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by a University of Virginia fraternity over a debunked story about a rape on campus. Anita Pallenberg, a model and actress who had children with Keith Richards and served as a muse for the Rolling Stones, died in Chichester, West Sussex, England.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 86. Artist Christo is 83. Magician Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) is 79. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 75. Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is 74. Singer Dennis Locorriere is 69. Actor Richard Thomas is 67. Actor Jonathan Hogan is 67. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is 67. Comedian Tim Allen is 65. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is 61. Actress Ally Sheedy is 56. TV anchor Hannah Storm is 56. Rock musician Paul deLisle (Smash Mouth) is 55. Actress Lisa Vidal is 53. Singer David Gray is 50. Rhythm and blues singer Deniece Pearson (Five Star) is 50. Rock musician Soren Rasted (Aqua) is 49. Actor Jamie Walters is 49. Singer-musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 48. Country singer Susan Haynes is 46. Actor Steve-O is 44. Country singer Jason Michael Carroll is 40. Actor Ethan Embry is 40. Actor Chris Evans is 37. Actress Sarah Schaub is 35. Singer Raz B is 33. Actress Kat Dennings is 32. Actress Ashley Olsen is 32. Actress Mary-Kate Olsen is 32. DJ/producer Gesaffelstein is 31. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is 28.

Thought for Today: "What intellectual snobs we have become! Virtue is now in the number of degrees you have -- not in the kind of person you are or what you can accomplish in real-life situations." -- Eda J. LeShan, American educator (1922-2002).