This day in history

[March 19, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, June 23, the 174th day of 2009. There are 191 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On June 23, 1969, Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice of the United States by the man he was succeeding, Earl Warren.

On this date:

In 1757, forces of the East India Company led by Robert Clive won the Battle of Plassey, which effectively marked the beginning of British colonial rule in India.

In 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his "Type-Writer."

In 1931, aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on a round-the-world flight that lasted eight days and 15 hours.

In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Authority was established.

In 1947, the Senate joined the House in overriding President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, designed to limit the power of organized labor.

In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin held the first of two meetings at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation. (Revelation of the tape recording of this conversation sparked Nixon's resignation in 1974.)

In 1985, all 329 people aboard an Air India Boeing 747 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, after a bomb widely believed to have been planted by Sikh separatists exploded.

In 1989, the Supreme Court refused to shut down the "dial-a-porn" industry, ruling Congress had gone too far in passing a law banning all sexually oriented phone message services.

Ten years ago: A divided Supreme Court dramatically enhanced states' rights in a trio of decisions that eroded Congress' power. U.S. Marines in Kosovo killed one person and wounded two others after coming under fire; no Marines were injured. Two months after his retirement, Wayne Gretzky was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame along with former referee Andy Van Hellemond and Ian (Scotty) Morrison in the builder category.

Five years ago: In a major retreat, the United States abandoned an attempt to win a new exemption for American troops from international prosecution for war crimes -- an effort that had faced strong opposition because of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.

One year ago: Outraged at the turmoil in Zimbabwe, the U.N. Security Council declared that a fair presidential vote was impossible because of a "campaign of violence" waged by President Robert Mugabe's government. Seattle's Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, then departed with a sprained ankle before he could qualify for a win in the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the New York Mets.

Today's birthdays: Singer Diana Trask is 69. Musical conductor James Levine is 66. R&B singer Rosetta Hightower (The Orlons) is 65. Actor Ted Shackelford is 63. Actor Bryan Brown is 62. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is 61. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is 53. Actress Frances McDormand is 52. Rock musician Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) is 47. Actor Paul La Greca is 47. R&B singer Chico DeBarge is 39. Actress Selma Blair is 37. Rock singer KT Tunstall is 34. R&B singer Virgo Williams (Ghostowns DJs) is 34. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 32. New England Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light is 31. San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson is 30. Rock singer Duffy is 25. Country singer Katie Armiger is 18.

Thought for today: "Suffering without understanding in this life is a heap worse than suffering when you have at least the grain of an idea what it's all for." -- Mary Ellen Chase, American author (1887-1973)

[Associated Press]

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