Today in History: June 20, Victoria takes the throne

Today in History

Today is Monday, June 20, the 171st day of 2022. There are 194 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 20, 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.

On this date:

In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.

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 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.

In 1944, during World War II, Japanese naval forces retreated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea after suffering heavy losses to the victorious American fleet.

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 overriden 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 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).

In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meeting ended up with the notorious 18 1/2-minute gap.

In 1974, the film noir “Chinatown,” starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was released by Paramount Pictures.

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 2014, the Obama administration granted an array of new benefits to same-sex couples, including those living in states where gay marriage was against the law; the new measures ranged from Social Security and veterans benefits to work leave for caring for sick spouses.

In 2016, 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.

Ten 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.

Five years ago: A runoff election between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff was held in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District; Handel was declared the winner with 52 percent of the vote to Ossoff’s 48. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned under pressure from investors and Uber’s board. Rapper Prodigy, a member of the hardcore New York hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, died in Las Vegas at age 42.

One year ago: A tornado packing 140 mph winds swept through communities in heavily populated suburban Chicago, damaging more than 100 homes and causing multiple injuries. Jon Rahm birdied the last two holes to win the U.S. Open by one shot over Louis Oosthuizen at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bonnie Bartlett is 93. Actor James Tolkan is 91. Movie director Stephen Frears is 81. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 80. Actor John McCook is 78. Singer Anne Murray is 77. TV personality Bob Vila is 76. Musician Andre Watts is 76. Actor Candy Clark is 75. Producer Tina Sinatra is 74. R&B singer Lionel Richie is 73. Actor John Goodman is 70. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 68. Pop musician John Taylor is 62. Rock musician Mark degli Antoni (de-glee-an-toh-nee) is 60. Christian rock musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is 55. Actor Nicole Kidman is 55. Country/bluegrass singer-musician Dan Tyminski is 55. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 54. Actor Peter Paige is 53. Actor Josh Lucas is 51. Rock musician Jeordie White (AKA Twiggy Ramirez) is 51. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 49. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 45. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 43. Actor Tika Sumpter is 42. Country musician Chris Thompson (The Eli Young Band) is 42. Actor-singer Alisan Porter is 41. U.S. Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross is 40. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 39. Rock singer Grace Potter (Grace Potter & the Nocturnals) is 39. Actor Mark Saul is 37. Actor Dreama Walker is 36. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse (plahs) is 33. Actor Maria Lark is 25.

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