This day in history

[June 28, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, June 28, the 179th day of 2010. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today's highlights in history:

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo (sah-ruh-YAY'-voh) by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip -- the event which sparked World War I.

On this date:

In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth (MAHN'-muth) took place in New Jersey; it was from this battle that the legend of "Molly Pitcher" arose.

In 1836, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died in Montpelier, Va.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY') was signed in France, ending the First World War. In Independence, Mo., future president Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace.

In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles (mahr-SAY'), France.

In 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul (sohl), the capital of South Korea.

In 1951, a TV version of the radio comedy program "Amos 'N' Andy" premiered on CBS. (While criticized for racial stereotyping, it was the first network TV series to feature an all-black cast.)

In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke (BAHK'-ee), a white man who argued he'd been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

In 1981, Terry Fox, who embarked on a cross-Canada run to promote cancer awareness despite the loss of his right leg to the disease, died in New Westminster, British Columbia, one month before his 23rd birthday.

In 1991, Joanne Was, a white woman, was attacked by a group of black women at a Detroit fireworks display in an incident captured on amateur video. (Five women later pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the incident.)

In 2000, seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.

Ten years ago: A unanimous federal appeals court reversed the court-ordered breakup of Microsoft, but ruled that the software giant had violated antitrust laws, and appointed another judge to determine a new punishment. Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic (sloh-BOH'-dahn mee-LOH'-shuh-vich) was handed over by Serbia to the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

Five years ago: Israeli warplanes buzzed the seaside home of Syria's president and bombed Hamas targets in Gaza to pressure Palestinian militants into freeing a kidnapped Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit. "Miracle on Ice" coach Herb Brooks and Patrick Roy, the NHL's winningest goaltender, were among four honorees elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Star Jones Reynolds was booted from "The View," one day after surprising ABC and Barbara Walters by saying on the air that she wouldn't be returning to the daytime talk show in the fall.

One year ago: Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the longest-serving senator in the nation's history, died in Fairfax, Va., at 92. The Senate Judiciary Committee opened its confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. The Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live. The FBI announced the arrests of 10 suspected deep-cover agents, including Anna Chapman, the chic 28-year-old daughter of a Russian diplomat.

Today's birthdays: Blues singer-musician David "Honeyboy" Edwards is 96. Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 85. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., is 77. Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 74. CIA Director Leon Panetta is 73. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 66. Actor Bruce Davison is 65. Actress Kathy Bates is 63. Actress Alice Krige is 57. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 51. Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 49. Actress Jessica Hecht is 46. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 46. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 45. Actor John Cusack is 45. Actor Gil Bellows is 44. Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 42. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 42. Actress Tichina Arnold is 42. Actor Alessandro Nivola (nih-VOH'-luh) is 39. Actress Camille Guaty is 35. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 35. Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 34. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 25.

Thought for today: "The glory of each generation is to make its own precedents." -- Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood, American social reformer (1830-1917)

[Associated Press]

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