Today's highlight in history:
On June 15, 1215, England's King John put his seal to Magna Carta ("the Great Charter") at Runnymede.
On this date:
In 1520, Pope Leo X threatened to excommunicate Martin Luther if he did not recant his religious beliefs.
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.
In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state.
In 1844, Charles Goodyear received a patent for his process to vulcanize rubber.
In 1849, James Polk, the 11th president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.
In 1864, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton signed an order establishing a military burial ground, which became Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York's East River.
In 1944, American forces began their successful invasion of Saipan during World War II. Meanwhile, B-29 Superfortresses made their first raids on Japan.
In 1967, California Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a bill liberalizing his state's abortion law.
In 1978, King Hussein of Jordan married 26-year-old American Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor.
