Saturday, June 25, 2011

This day in history

Send a link to a friend

[June 25, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, June 25, the 176th day of 2011. There are 189 days left in the year.

HardwareToday's highlight in history:

On June 25, 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South.

On this date:

In 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution.

In 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana.

In 1910, President William Howard Taft signed the White-Slave Traffic Act, more popularly known as the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes. The ballet "The Firebird" with music by Igor Stravinsky was premiered in Paris by the Ballets Russes.

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was enacted.

In 1951, CBS transmitted the first commercial color telecast from New York to four other cities using its field sequential system that was incompatible with existing black and white TVs.

In 1962, the Supreme Court, in Engel v. Vitale, ruled that recital of a state-sponsored prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional.

In 1973, former White House Counsel John W. Dean began testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1981, the Supreme Court ruled that male-only draft registration was constitutional.

In 1991, the western Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence.

In 2009, death claimed Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop," in Los Angeles at age 50 and actress Farrah Fawcett in Santa Monica, Calif. at age 62.

Ten years ago: The United Nations opened its first global gathering on HIV/AIDS with emotional pleas for help from African leaders. Pope John Paul II, on a visit to Ukraine, offered a prayer for Holocaust victims at Babi Yar.

[to top of second column]

Five years ago: Palestinian militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, after tunneling under the border and attacking a military post, killing two other soldiers. An al-Qaida-linked group posted a Web video showing the killings of three Russian Embassy workers who'd been abducted in Iraq; a statement from the group said a fourth worker had also been slain. Actress Nicole Kidman married country singer Keith Urban in Sydney, Australia.

One year ago: Group of Eight leaders, including President Barack Obama, began meeting in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. BP said its effort to drill a relief well through 2 1/2 miles of rock to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was on target for completion by mid-August. Edwin Jackson settled down after a wild start to throw the fourth no-hitter of the season of the pitcher, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 1-0 victory over his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Today's birthdays: Actress June Lockhart is 86. Rhythm-and-blues singer Eddie Floyd is 74. Actress Barbara Montgomery is 72. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed is 69. Writer-producer-director Gary David Goldberg is 67. Singer Carly Simon is 66. Rock musician Allen Lanier (Blue Oyster Cult) is 65. Rock musician Ian McDonald (Foreigner; King Crimson) is 65. Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 64. Actor-director Michael Lembeck is 63. TV personality Phyllis George is 62. Rock singer Tim Finn is 59. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is 57. Rock musician David Paich (Toto) is 57. Actor Michael Sabatino is 56. Actor-writer-director Ricky Gervais (jer-VAYZ') is 50. Actor John Benjamin Hickey is 48. Rock singer George Michael is 48. Actress Erica Gimpel is 47. Former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo (dih-KEHM'-bay moo-TAHM'-boh) is 45. Rapper-producer Richie Rich is 44. Rapper Candyman is 43. Contemporary Christian musician Sean Kelly (Sixpence None the Richer) is 40. Actress Angela Kinsey (TV: "The Office") is 40. Rock musician Mike Kroeger (Nickelback) is 39. Rock musician Mario Calire is 37. Actress Linda Cardellini is 36. Actress Busy Philipps is 32.

Thought for today: "A straight line is the shortest in morals as in mathematics." -- Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish novelist (1767-1849)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor