Today's
highlight in history:On June 25, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Engel v. Vitale, ruled 6-1 that recitation of a state-sponsored prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional.
On this date:
In 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution.
In 1876, Lt. Col. Colonel 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 1912, the Democratic National Convention, which nominated Woodrow Wilson for president, opened in Baltimore.
In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was enacted.
In 1942, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was designated Commanding General of the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Some 1,000 British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany.
In 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South.
In 1967, The Beatles performed their new song "All You Need Is Love" during the "Our World" live international telecast.
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: President George W. Bush surveyed a huge wildfire in Arizona by air and declared the region a disaster area. A federal judge in Alexandria, Va., refused to accept a no-contest plea from Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE'-uhs moo-SOW'-ee), accused of conspiracy in the Sept. 11 attacks, and instead entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
