HISTORY FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 19

Saturday June 19, 2010

Today is Saturday, June 19, the 170th day of 2010 with 195 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Neptune, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. The evening stars are Venus and Mars.

This Day in History, June 19
On June 19th, 1870, the Confederate States of America were dissolved.

Other Notable Events, June 19
In A.D. 325, the early Christian church opened the general council of Nicaea, which settled on rules for computing the date of Easter.

In 1787, the U.S. Constitutional Convention voted to strike down the Articles of Confederation and form a new government.

In 1846, two amateur baseball teams played under new rules at Hoboken, N.J., planting the first seeds of organized baseball. The New York Nine beat the Knickerbockers, 23-1.

In 1856, the first Republican national convention ended in Philadelphia with the nomination of explorer John Charles Fremont of California for president. James Buchanan, a Federalist nominated by the Democrats, was elected.

In 1867, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, installed as emperor of Mexico by French Emperor Napoleon III in 1864, was executed on the orders of Benito Juarez, the president of the Mexican Republic.

Also in 1867, the first running of the Belmont Stakes took place at Jerome Park, N.Y.

In 1905, Pittsburgh showman Harry Davis opened the world's first nickelodeon, showing the silent Western film "The Great Train Robbery." The storefront theater boasted 96 seats and charged 5 cents and prompted the advent of movie houses across the United States.

In 1910, Spokane, Wash., marked the first Father's Day.

In 1943, World War II's Battle of the Philippine Sea began, as Japan tried unsuccessfully to prevent further Allied advancement in the South Pacific.

In 1953, convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed.

In 1977, Elvis Presley made his final live concert recordings at a series of appearances in Nebraska. He died two months later.

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the 1981 Louisiana law that required schools to teach the creationist theory of human origin espoused by fundamentalist Christians.

In 1991, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a plan to prohibit the export of military supplies to Iraq.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prayers led by students at public high school football games aren't permitted under the constitutional separation of church and state.

In 2005, a suicide bomber killed at least 23 people, including some Iraqi police officers, in a crowded Baghdad restaurant. The next day saw suicide car bombers kill a reported 26 policemen and security forces in Baghdad and Irbil.

Also in 2005, opponents of Syrian domination won a majority of seats in the final round of Lebanon's parliamentary elections.

In 2007, 10,000 U.S. and 3,000 Iraqi troops launched a major offensive targeting the Sunni jihadist terrorist group known as al-Qaida in Iraq in Iraq's Baquba area.

In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, became the first at that level to bypass public financing since the program was established. Obama said he believed the move would provide better resources to defend his campaign from attacks by Republicans.

In 2009, Hawaii was placed under heightened missile and other defense fortification, including mobile and ground-based interceptors, to deter any possible North Korean attacks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Also in 2009, two U.S. service members, an Army major and an Air Force master sergeant, pleaded guilty to bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges involving defense contracts in Afghanistan.

And, British World War I veteran, Henry Allingham, who turned 114 on June 6, 2009, was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest man. He died about six weeks later.

Notable Birthdays for June 19
Those born on this date include:
- James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, in 1566
- French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1623
- The Duchess of Windsor, born Bessie Wallis Warfield, in 1896
- Moe Howard, leader of the Three Stooges, in 1897
- Bandleader Guy Lombardo in 1902
- Baseball legend Lou Gehrig in 1903
- Former U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif. in 1914
- Musician Lester Flatt in 1914
- Film critic Pauline Kael in 1919
- Actress Nancy Marchand in 1928
- Actress Gena Rowlands in 1930 (age 80)
- Myanmarese Nobal Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 1945 (age 65)
- Author Salman Rushdie in 1947 (age 63)
- Actor Phylicia Rashad in 1948 (age 62)
- Musician Nick Drake in 1948
- Musician Ann Wilson of Heart in 1950 (age 60)
- Actress Kathleen Turner in 1954 (age 56)
- Singer Paula Abdul in 1962 (age 48)
- Political commentator Laura Ingraham in 1964 (age 46)
- Actress Mia Sara in 1967 (age 43)
- Actress Robin Tunney in 1972 (age 38)
- Actor Paul Dano in 1984 (age 26)


Copyright 2010 by United Press International




Copyright 2010 by United Press International