This day in history

[June 22, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Monday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2009. There are 192 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 22, 1945, the World War II battle for Okinawa ended with an Allied victory; some 13,000 Americans and 90,000 Japanese soldiers, plus 130,000 civilians, were killed in the nearly three-month campaign.

On this date:

In 1807, a British frigate, the HMS Leopard, attacked and boarded the American ship USS Chesapeake off the Virginia coast in search of Royal Navy deserters.

In 1870, the U.S. Department of Justice was created.

In 1937, Joe Louis began his reign as world heavyweight boxing champion by knocking out Jim Braddock in the eighth round of their fight in Chicago.

In 1938, Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch at Yankee Stadium.

In 1940, during World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the "GI Bill of Rights."

In 1959, the Swedish film "Wild Strawberries," written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, opened in New York.

In 1969, singer-actress Judy Garland died in London at age 47.

In 1977, John N. Mitchell became the first former U.S. attorney general to go to prison as he began serving a sentence for his role in the Watergate cover-up. (He was released 19 months later.)

In 1993, former first lady Pat Nixon died in Park Ridge, N.J., at age 81.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton visited ethnic Albanian refugees at a refugee camp in Macedonia. The Supreme Court ruled the Americans with Disabilities Act does not extend to people with poor eyesight or other correctable conditions.

Five years ago: Islamic militants beheaded Kim Sun-il, a South Korean hostage who'd pleaded for his life in a heart-wrenching videotape; he was the third foreign hostage decapitated in the Middle East in little over a month. Mexican newspaper editor Francisco Ortiz Franco was shot to death in Tijuana. Former President Bill Clinton's memoir, "My Life," was officially released. Child poet Mattie Stepanek, a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers, died in Washington, D.C., at age 13.

One year ago: Anthony Bologna and his sons, Michael and Matthew, were shot to death in a San Francisco intersection. (Police say the suspected gunman, Edwin Ramos, mistook the Bolognas for rival gang members; Ramos has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.) Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew from a presidential runoff against Robert Mugabe. Acerbic standup comedian and satirist George Carlin died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 71. Comedian Dody Goodman died in Englewood, N.J., at age 93.

Today's birthdays: Actor Ralph Waite is 81. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 73. Actor Michael Lerner is 68. Fox News correspondent Brit Hume is 66. Singer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 65. Actor Andrew Rubin is 63. Actor David L. Lander is 62. Singer Howard "Eddie" Kaylan is 62. Singer-musician Todd Rundgren is 61. Actress Meryl Streep is 60. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 60. Singer Alan Osmond is 60. Actor Murphy Cross is 59. Actor Graham Greene is 57. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper is 56. Actor Chris Lemmon is 55. Rock musician Derek Forbes is 53. Actor Tim Russ is 53. Rock musician Garry Beers (INXS) is 52. Actor-producer-writer Bruce Campbell is 51. Rock musician Alan Anton (Cowboy Junkies) is 50. Actress Tracy Pollan is 49. Rock singer-musician Jimmy Somerville is 48. Author Dan Brown is 45. Rock singer-musician Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) is 45. Actress Amy Brenneman is 45. Rock singer Steven Page is 39. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is 38. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is 38. TV personality Carson Daly is 36. Rock musician Chris Traynor is 36. Country musician Jimmy Wallace is 36. Actor Donald Faison is 35. Actress Alicia Goranson is 35. Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey is 31. TV personality/actor Jai Rodriguez is 30. Actress Lindsay Ridgeway is 24.

Thought for today: "To understand is hard. Once one understands, action is easy." -- Sun Yat-sen, Chinese statesman (1866-1925)

[Associated Press]

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