June 28, 2009 - Today In History

Today is Sunday, June 28, the 179th day of 2009. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I. In Independence, Mo., future president Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace.

On this date:

In 1491, England's King Henry VIII was born at Greenwich.

In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth 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 1838, Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist — the event which sparked World War I.

In 1928, New York Gov. Alfred E. Smith was nominated for president at the Democratic national convention in Houston.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Housing Act, which established the Federal Housing Administration.

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

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

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

Ten years ago:

Announcing even bigger projected budget surpluses, President Bill Clinton said the government
could drastically reduce the national debt while still buttressing Social Security and Medicare.

Five years ago:

The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government two days ahead
of schedule.

The Supreme Court ruled that the war on terrorism did not give the government a "blank check"
to hold a U.S. citizen and foreign-born terror suspects in legal limbo.

The United States resumed direct diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break.

One year ago:

Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama vied for the support of Hispanics in separate appearances before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference
in Washington, with each vowing to remake immigration policy.

Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Angels
won 1-0. (The Angels became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in
which they didn't get a hit.)

Today's Birthdays:

Blues singer-musician David "Honeyboy" Edwards is 94.

Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 83.

Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) is 75.

Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 72.

CIA Director Leon Panetta is 71.

Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 64.

Actor Bruce Davison is 63.

Actress Kathy Bates is 61.

Actress Alice Krige is 55.

Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 49.

Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 47.

Actress Jessica Hecht is 44.

Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 44.

Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 43.

Actor John Cusack is 43.

Actor Gil Bellows is 42.

Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 40.

Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 40.

Actress Tichina Arnold is 38.

Actor Alessandro Nivola is 37.

Actress Camille Guaty is 33.

Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 33.

Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 32.

Country singer Kellie Pickler is 23.

Thought for Today:

"Heresy is what the minority believe;
it is the name given by the powerful to the doctrines of the weak."

— Robert G. Ingersoll,
American lawyer and statesman
(1833-1899).