Today in History

Today is Saturday, June 8, the 159th day of 2019. There are 206 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 8, 1968, authorities announced the capture in London of James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this date:

In A.D. 632, the prophet Muhammad died in Medina.

In 1845, Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1920, the Republican National Convention opened in Chicago; its delegates ended up nominating Warren G. Harding for president.

In 1939, Britain's King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Washington, D.C., where they were received at the White House by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1948, the "Texaco Star Theater" made its debut on NBC-TV with Milton Berle guest-hosting the first program. (Berle was later named the show's permanent host.)

In 1966, a merger was announced between the National and American Football Leagues, to take effect in 1970.

In 1967, during the six-day Middle East war, 34 American servicemen were killed when Israel attacked the USS Liberty, a Navy intelligence-gathering ship in the Mediterranean Sea. (Israel later said the Liberty had been mistaken for an Egyptian vessel.)

In 1978, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, ruled the so-called "Mormon will," purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was a forgery.

In 1995, U.S. Marines rescued Capt. Scott O'Grady, whose F-16C fighter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs on June 2. Mickey Mantle received a liver transplant at a Dallas hospital; however, the baseball great died two months later.

In 1998, the National Rifle Association elected actor Charlton Heston to be its president.

In 2003, frustrated and angry over delays, a coalition of the nation's mayors meeting in Denver asked federal officials to bypass state governments and give them the money they needed to beef up homeland security.

In 2017, former FBI Director James Comey, testifying before Congress, asserted that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign.

Ten years ago: North Korea's highest court sentenced American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years' hard labor for trespassing and "hostile acts." (The women were pardoned in early August 2009 after a trip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton.) Omar Bongo, 73, the world's longest-serving president who'd ruled Gabon for 42 years, died at a Spanish hospital.

Five years ago: Gunmen stormed an airport terminal in Karachi, Pakistan, in an attack that left at least 29 people dead, including the assailants (the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility). A married couple shot and killed two Las Vegas police officers and an armed bystander who attempted to intervene; the couple then took their own lives. Pope Francis welcomed the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the Vatican for a remarkable evening of peace prayers. Rafael Nadal won the French Open title for the ninth time, and the fifth time in a row, by beating Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.

One year ago: President Donald Trump joined longtime U.S. allies at the Group of Seven summit in Canada after insisting that the other countries "have been taking advantage of the United States on trade;" Trump also said Russia should be brought back into the group. Special counsel Robert Mueller brought new obstruction charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a longtime associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, who prosecutors said had ties to Russian intelligence. Celebrity chef, author and CNN host Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room in eastern France in what authorities determined was a suicide. Two months after they were criticized for arresting two black men waiting for a colleague at a Starbucks, Philadelphia police announced a new policy on how to confront people accused of trespassing on private property. The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-85, in Game 4 of the NBA finals to complete a sweep; it was their second straight title and third in four years.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian Jerry Stiller is 92. Actress Millicent Martin is 85. Actor James Darren is 83. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 79. Singer Chuck Negron is 77. Musician Boz Scaggs is 75. Author Sara Paretsky is 72. Actress Sonia Braga is 69. Actress Kathy Baker is 69. Country musician Tony Rice is 68. Rock singer Bonnie Tyler is 68. Actor Griffin Dunne is 64. "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams is 62. Actor-director Keenen Ivory Wayans is 61. Singer Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) is 59. Musician Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) is 57. Rhythm-and-blues singer Doris Pearson (Five Star) is 53. Actress Julianna Margulies is 52. Actor Dan Futterman is 52. Actor David Sutcliffe is 50. Actor Kent Faulcon is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nicci Gilbert is 49. Actress Kelli Williams is 49. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., is 49. Actor Mark Feuerstein is 48. Contemporary Christian musician Mike Scheuchzer (MercyMe) is 44. Actor Eion Bailey is 43. Former tennis player Lindsay Davenport is 43. Rapper Kanye West is 42. TV personality-actress Maria Menounos is 41. Country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson is 41. Blues-rock musician Derek Trucks (The Derek Trucks Band) is 40. Rock singer Alex Band (The Calling) is 38. Folk-bluegrass singer-musician Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) is 38. Former tennis player Kim Clijsters is 36. Actress Torrey DeVitto is 35. Tennis player Jelena Ostapenko is 22.

Thought for Today: "Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going to do." -- President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).