Today in History

Today is Sunday, June 18, the 169th day of 2023. There are 196 days left in the year. This is Father's Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 18, 1983, astronaut Sally K. Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission.

On this date:

In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War.

In 1812, the War of 1812 began as the United States Congress approved, and President James Madison signed, a declaration of war against Britain.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte met defeat at Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French in Belgium.

In 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, "This was their finest hour."

In 1971, Southwest Airlines began operations, with flights between Dallas and San Antonio, and Dallas and Houston.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna.

In 1986, 25 people were killed when a twin-engine plane and helicopter carrying sightseers collided over the Grand Canyon.

In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Georgia v. McCollum, ruled that criminal defendants could not use race as a basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials.

In 2003, baseball Hall-of-Famer Larry Doby, who broke the American League's color barrier in 1947, died in Montclair, New Jersey, at age 79.

In 2010, death row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner died in a barrage of bullets as Utah carried out its first firing squad execution in 14 years. (Gardner had been sentenced to death for fatally shooting attorney Michael Burdell during a failed escape attempt from a Salt Lake City courthouse.)

In 2011, Clarence Clemons, the saxophone player for the E Street Band who was one of the key influences in Bruce Springsteen's life and music, died in Florida at age 69.

In 2020, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, rejected President Donald Trump's effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants.

Ten years ago: The Taliban and the U.S. said they would hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police. Declaring "the days of Rambo are over," Maj. Gen. Bennet Sacolick, director of force management for U.S. Special Operations Command, said that cultural, social and behavioral concerns might be bigger hurdles than tough physical fitness requirements for women looking to join the military's special operations units.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump announced that he was directing the Pentagon to create the "Space Force" as an independent service branch. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described as a "moral and humanitarian crisis" the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that had separated children from their parents at the southern U.S. border. Trump defended his administration's border policies, saying the country "will not be a migrant camp" on his watch. The Supreme Court allowed electoral maps that were challenged as excessively partisan to remain in place for now, declining to rule on the bigger issue of whether to limit redistricting for political gain. Troubled rapper-singer XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Florida in what police called an apparent robbery attempt.

One year ago: The price of bitcoin fell below $20,000 for the first time since late 2020, in a fresh sign that the selloff in cryptocurrencies was deepening. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the Group of Seven leading democracies will make clear at their upcoming summit that Ukraine can expect to receive the support it needs amid the Russian invasion "for as long as necessary." An anonymous bidder shelled out a record $19 million for a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffet at a steakhouse in New York City. Columnist and political commentator Mark Shields, who shared his insight into American politics and wit on "PBS NewsHour" for decades, died at age 85.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is 86. Sir Paul McCartney is 81. Actor Constance McCashin is 76. Actor Linda Thorson is 76. Former Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., is 73. Actor Isabella Rossellini is 71. Actor Carol Kane is 71. Actor Brian Benben is 67. Actor Andrea Evans is 66. Rock singer Alison Moyet is 62. Rock musician Dizzy Reed (Guns N' Roses) is 60. Figure skater Kurt Browning is 57. R&B singer Nathan Morris (Boyz II Men) is 52. Actor Mara Hobel is 52. Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne is 50. Rapper Silkk the Shocker is 48. Actor Alana de la Garza is 47. Country singer Blake Shelton is 47. Rock musician Steven Chen (Airborne Toxic Event) is 45. Actor David Giuntoli is 43. Drummer Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots) is 35. Actor Renee Olstead is 34. Actor Jacob Anderson is 33. Actor Willa Holland is 32.