This day in history

[June 20, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Monday, June 20, the 171st day of 2011. There are 194 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 20, 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives. The milestone was reached during a roll call vote on funding a U.S. delegation to the centenary celebration of Peru's independence.

On this date:

In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States.

In 1791, King Louis XVI of France and his family attempted to flee the country in the so-called "Flight to Varennes," but were caught.

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

In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.

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

In 1910, entertainer Fanny Brice made her official debut with The Ziegfeld Follies.

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

In 1963, the United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a "hot line" between the two superpowers.

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

In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.

Ten years ago: Houston resident Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub, then called police. (Yates was later convicted of murder, but had her conviction overturned; she was acquitted by reason of insanity in a retrial.) American Lori Berenson was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Peruvian court for collaborating with leftist guerrillas. (Berenson was paroled after serving 15 years.) Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, dismissed the country's president and took the post himself. Billy Collins was named the 11th U.S. poet laureate.

Five years ago: The U.S. military recovered the booby-trapped bodies of two missing soldiers in Iraq. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (joon-ee-chee-roh koh-ee-zoo-mee) announced the withdrawal of Japanese ground troops from Iraq. National Guardsmen rolled into New Orleans to reinforce a depleted police department and battle a surge in violence. Dan Rather reached an agreement with CBS News to leave the network after 44 years. The Miami Heat won their first NBA title, beating the Dallas Mavericks 95-92 in Game 6.

One year ago: Juan Manuel Santos, a former defense minister from a politically powerful clan who oversaw a major weakening of leftist rebels, won Colombia's presidency. Edith Shain, who claimed to be the nurse smooched by a sailor in Times Square in a famous Life magazine photograph marking the end of World War II, died in Los Angeles at 91. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland won the U.S. Open.

Today's birthdays: Actress Olympia Dukakis is 80. Actor Martin Landau is 80. Actor James Tolkan is 80. Actor Danny Aiello is 78. Blues musician Lazy Lester is 78. Actor John Mahoney is 71. Movie director Stephen Frears is 70. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 69. Actor John McCook is 67. Singer Anne Murray is 66. TV personality Bob Vila is 65. Musician Andre Watts is 65. Actress Candy Clark is 64. Producer Tina Sinatra is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lionel Richie is 62. Actor John Goodman is 59. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 57. Pop musician John Taylor is 51. Rock musician Mark DeGliantoni (de-GLI'-an-toh-nee) is 49. Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 44. Actress Nicole Kidman is 44. Country/bluegrass singer-musician Dan Tyminski is 44. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 43. Actor Peter Paige is 42. Actor Josh Lucas is 40. Rock musician Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy Ramirez) is 40. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 38. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 34. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 32. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 28. Actor Mark Saul is 26. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse (plahs) is 22. Actress Maria Lark (TV: "Medium") is 14.

Thought for today: "The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order." -- Alfred North Whitehead, English philosopher and mathematician (1861-1947)

[Associated Press]

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