Today is Tuesday, June 20, the 171st day of 2017. There are 194 days left in the year. Summer begins at 9:24 p.m. Pacific time/10:24 p.m. Mountain time/11:24 p.m. Central time (12:24 a.m. Eastern time June 21).
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 20, 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).
On this date:
In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1791, King Louis XVI of France and his family attempted to flee in the so-called “Flight to Varennes,” but were caught.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.
In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.
In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives.
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act, which was designed to restrict the power of labor unions, but had his veto overridden by Congress. Gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates.
In 1966, the Beatles album “Yesterday and Today” was released by Capitol Records, initially with its notorious “butcher” cover photo which ended up being replaced.
In 1977, the first oil began flowing through the recently completed Trans-Alaska Pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez (val-DEEZ’).
In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld a New York City law making it illegal for private clubs with more than 400 members to exclude women and minorities.
In 1990, South African black nationalist Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, arrived in New York City for a ticker-tape parade in their honor as they began an eight-city U.S. tour.
In 2001, Houston resident Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub, then called police. (Yates was later found guilty of murder, but had her conviction overturned; she was acquitted by reason of insanity in a retrial.)
Ten years ago: For the second time, President George W. Bush vetoed an embryonic stem cell bill as he urged scientists toward what he termed “ethically responsible” research. Sammy Sosa, playing for the Texas Rangers after a year out of baseball, hit his 600th home run, making him the fifth player to reach the milestone; the round-tripper came in the fifth inning of Texas’ 7-3 victory over Sosa’s former team, the Chicago Cubs.
Five years ago: A Republican-controlled House committee voted along party lines, 23-17, to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over Justice Department documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. (The full House voted in favor of the contempt citation eight days later.) Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Painter and sketch artist LeRoy Neiman, best known for evoking the kinetic energy of the world’s biggest sporting and leisure events with bright quick strokes, died in New York at age 91. Movie critic Andrew Sarris, 83, died in New York.
One year ago: Donald Trump abruptly fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in a dramatic shake-up designed to calm panicked Republican leaders and end an internal power struggle plaguing the billionaire businessman’s White House bid. A divided U.S. Supreme Court bolstered police powers, ruling 5-3 that evidence of a crime in some cases may be used against a defendant even if the police did something wrong or illegal in obtaining it.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Martin Landau is 89. Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 88. Actress Olympia Dukakis is 86. Actor James Tolkan is 86. Actor Danny Aiello is 84. Blues musician Lazy Lester is 84. Actor John Mahoney is 77. Movie director Stephen Frears is 76. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 75. Actor John McCook is 73. Singer Anne Murray is 72. TV personality Bob Vila is 71. Musician Andre Watts is 71. Actress Candy Clark is 70. Producer Tina Sinatra is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lionel Richie is 68. Actor John Goodman is 65. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 63. Pop musician John Taylor is 57. Rock musician Mark degli Antoni (de-GLI’-an-toh-nee) is 55. Christian rock musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is 50. Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 50. Actress Nicole Kidman is 50. Country/bluegrass singer-musician Dan Tyminski is 50. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 49. Actor Peter Paige is 48. Actor Josh Lucas is 46. Rock musician Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy Ramirez) is 46. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 44. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 40. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 38. Actress Tika Sumpter is 37. Country musician Chris Thompson (The Eli Young Band) is 37. Actress-singer Alisan Porter is 36. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 34. Rock singer Grace Potter (Grace Potter & the Nocturnals) is 34. Actor Mark Saul is 32. Actress Dreama Walker is 31. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse (plahs) is 28. Actress Maria Lark is 20.
Thought for Today: “Know how to ask. There is nothing more difficult for some people, nor for others, easier.” — Baltasar Gracian, Spanish philosopher (1601-1658).
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