Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 20, the 171st day of 2023. There are 194 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 20, 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.

On this date:

In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.

In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.

In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.

In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.

In 1944, during World War II, Japanese naval forces retreated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea after suffering heavy losses to the victorious American fleet.

In 1947, Gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates.

In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali's conviction was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).

In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meeting ended up with the notorious 18 1/2-minute gap.

In 1974, the film noir "Chinatown," starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was released by Paramount Pictures.

In 1990, South African Black nationalist Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, arrived in New York City for a ticker-tape parade in their honor as they began an eight-city U.S. tour.

In 2014, the Obama administration granted an array of new benefits to same-sex couples, including those living in states where gay marriage was against the law; the new measures ranged from Social Security and veterans benefits to work leave for caring for sick spouses.

In 2016, a divided U.S. Supreme Court bolstered police powers, ruling 5-3 that evidence of a crime in some cases may be used against a defendant even if the police did something wrong or illegal in obtaining it.

Ten years ago: Lightning began sparking more than 2,000 fires across northern and central California, eventually burning more than a million acres. Model Naomi Campbell was sentenced in London to 200 hours of community service and fined 2,300 pounds ($4,600) after she pleaded guilty to kicking, spitting and swearing at two police officers during an argument over lost luggage while aboard a plane at Heathrow Airport.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump abruptly reversed himself and signed an executive order halting his administration's policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the border; Trump had been insisting wrongly that there was no alternative to the policy because of federal law and a court decision. The Vatican announced that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., had been removed from public ministry and would face further punishment over "credible" allegations that he sexually abused a teenager more than 40 years earlier. (Pope Francis accepted McCarrick's resignation as a cardinal on July 28.) A suspect was arrested and charged with murder in the killing of rising Florida rap star XXXTentacion.

One year ago: The nation's youngest children got their first chance at vaccines for COVID-19. Roughly 18 million kids under 5 became eligible, and shots began at a few locations. Two Florida deputies were suspended for leaking news about actor and comedian Bob Saget's death before his family was alerted. Clela Rorex, a former Colorado county clerk considered a pioneer in the gay rights movement for being the first public official to issue a same-sex marriage license in 1975, died at age 78.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Bonnie Bartlett is 94. Actor James Tolkan is 92. Director Stephen Frears is 82. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 81. Actor John McCook is 80. Singer Anne Murray is 78. TV personality Bob Vila is 77. Musician Andre Watts is 77. Actor Candy Clark is 76. Producer Tina Sinatra is 75. R&B singer Lionel Richie is 74. Actor John Goodman is 71. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 69. Rock musician John Taylor is 63. Rock musician Mark degli Antoni is 61. Christian rock musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is 56. Actor Nicole Kidman is 56. Country/bluegrass singer-musician Dan Tyminski is 56. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 55. Actor Peter Paige is 54. Actor Josh Lucas is 52. Rock musician Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy Ramirez) is 52. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 50. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 46. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 44. Actor Tika Sumpter is 43. Actor-singer Alisan Porter is 42. U.S. Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross is 41. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 40. Rock singer Grace Potter (Grace Potter & the Nocturnals) is 40. Actor Mark Saul is 38. Actor Dreama Walker is 37. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse is 34. Actor Maria Lark is 26.