Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 29, the 180th day of 2021. There are 185 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 29, 1927, the first trans-Pacific airplane flight was completed as U.S. Army Air Corps 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.

On this date:

In 1520, Montezuma II, the ninth and last emperor of the Aztecs, died in Tenochtitlan under unclear circumstances (some say he was killed by his own subjects; others, by the Spanish).

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 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.)

In 1776, the Virginia state constitution was adopted, and Patrick Henry was made governor.

In 1946, authorities in British-ruled Palestine arrested more than 2,700 Jews in an attempt to stamp out extremists.

In 1956, film star Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller in a civil ceremony in White Plains, New York. (The couple also wed in a Jewish ceremony on July 1; the marriage lasted 4 1/2 years).

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

In 1970, the United States ended a two-month military offensive into Cambodia.

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 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, South Korea, collapsed, killing at least 500 people. Actor Lana Turner died in Century City, California, at age 74.

In 2006, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-3, that President George W. Bush's plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. and international law.

In 2009, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff received a 150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud. (Madoff died in prison in April 2021.)

Ten years ago: In the first ruling by a federal appeals court on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a panel in Cincinnati handed the administration a victory by agreeing that the government could require a minimum amount of insurance for Americans. Greece fended off bankruptcy as lawmakers backed austerity measures in the face of riots that left more than 100 injured.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama and the leaders of Mexico and Canada, meeting in Ottawa, pushed back forcefully against the isolationist and anti-immigrant sentiments roiling Britain and championed by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

One year ago: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he had a plan to cut the city police department budget by $1 billion; the announcement came a week after a "defund the police" protest became a full-blown occupation outside City Hall. (The City Council would approve a plan to shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year.) Two published studies revealed that at least 285 U.S. children had developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell became the highest-ranking Republican in Congress to encourage Americans to wear a mask as protection against the coronavirus. A divided Supreme Court reasserted a commitment to abortion rights, striking down a Louisiana law requiring that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer who terrorized Northern California in the 1970s, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder in exchange for a life sentence instead of a possible death penalty. Comedy writer, actor and director Carl Reiner died at his California home at 98.

Today's Birthdays: Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 81. Singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys is 78. Actor Gary Busey is 77. Comedian Richard Lewis is 74. Actor-turned-politican-turned-radio personality Fred Grandy is 73. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 73. Singer Don Dokken (Dokken) is 68. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 68. Actor Maria Conchita Alonso is 66. Actor Kimberlin Brown (TV: "The Bold and the Beautiful") is 60. Actor Sharon Lawrence is 60. Actor Amanda Donohoe is 59. Actor Judith Hoag is 58. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is 58. R&B singer Stedman Pearson (Five Star) is 57. Actor Kathleen Wilhoite is 57. Producer-writer Matthew Weiner is 56. Actor Melora Hardin is 54. Actor Brian D'Arcy James is 53. Actor Christina Chang is 50. Rap DJ and record producer DJ Shadow is 49. Actor Lance Barber is 48. Actor-dancer Will Kemp is 44. Actor Zuleikha Robinson is 44. Rock musician Sam Farrar is 43. Actor Luke Kirby is 43. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 43. Comedian-writer Colin Jost is 39. Actor Lily Rabe is 39. R&B singer Aundrea Fimbres is 38. NBA forward Kawhi Leonard is 30. Actor Camila Mendes (TV: "Riverdale") is 27.