This day in history

[June 19, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, June 19, the 170th day of 2010. There are 195 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 19, 1910, the first-ever Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Wash. (The idea for the observance is credited to Sonora Louise Smart Dodd.)

On this date:

In 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

In 1865, Union troops commanded by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free.

In 1917, during World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames; the family took the name "Windsor."

In 1934, the Federal Communications Commission was created; it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

In 1938, four dozen people were killed when a railroad bridge in Montana collapsed, sending a train known as the Olympian hurtling into Custer Creek.

In 1953, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.

In 1977, Pope Paul VI proclaimed a 19th-century Philadelphia bishop, John Neumann (NOY'-muhn), the first male U.S. saint.

In 1986, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias, the first draft pick of the Boston Celtics, suffered a fatal cocaine-induced seizure.

In 1999, author Stephen King was seriously injured when he was struck by a van driven by Bryan Smith on a two-lane highway in North Lovell, Maine. Britain's Prince Edward married commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones (rees johnz) in Windsor, England.

Ten years ago: The Supreme Court reaffirmed, 6-3, that praying in public schools had to be private, barring officials from letting students lead stadium crowds in prayer before football games. The Los Angeles Lakers won their first championship in 12 years, defeating the Indiana Pacers 116-111 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals (the post-game celebration, however, was marred by violent fans). Former Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita died in Tokyo at age 76.

Five years ago: Fighting raged across southern Afghanistan as the U.S. military pounded suspected Taliban positions with airstrikes. Michael Campbell answered every challenge Tiger Woods threw his way for a two-shot victory in the U.S. Open. Fourteen Formula One drivers refused to participate in the United States Grand Prix because of unresolved concerns over the safety of their Michelin tires. (The race was won by Michael Schumacher, one of six drivers who raced using Bridgestone tires.)

One year ago: New York Times reporter David S. Rohde (rohd) and Afghan reporter Tahir Ludin escaped from militant captors after more than seven months in captivity in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Today's birthdays: Actress Gena Rowlands is 80. Singer Spanky McFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang) is 68. Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (soo chee) is 65. Actress Phylicia Rashad is 62. Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 60. Musician Larry Dunn is 57. Actress Kathleen Turner is 56. Country singer Doug Stone is 54. Singer Mark DeBarge is 51. Singer-dancer-former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul is 48. Actor Andy Lauer is 47. Rock singer-musician Brian Vander Ark (Verve Pipe) is 46. Rock musician Brian "Head" Welch is 40. Actress Robin Tunney is 38. Actor Bumper Robinson is 36. Actress Poppy Montgomery is 35. Alt-country singer-musician Scott Avett (AY'-veht) (The Avett Brothers) is 34. Actress Zoe Saldana is 32. Actress Lauren Lee Smith is 30. Actor Paul Dano is 26.

Thought for today: "To seek fulfillment is to invite frustration." -- Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian author and philosopher (1895-1986)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.