Today In History

Today is Thursday, June 28, the 179th day of 2007. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist — the event that triggered World War I.

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, although her actual existence is a matter of historical debate.

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 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I.

In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service.

In 1944, the Republican national convention in Chicago nominated New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey for president and Ohio Gov. John W. Bricker for vice president.

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.

In 1996, the Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

Ten years ago: President Clinton, unable to meet his own July 4 deadline for campaign finance reform, blamed the inaction on Congress in his weekly radio address. In a wild rematch, Evander Holyfield retained the WBA heavyweight boxing championship after his opponent, Mike Tyson, was disqualified for biting Holyfield's ear during the third round of their fight in Las Vegas.

Five years ago: WorldCom Inc. began laying off 17,000 employees worldwide after disclosing accounting irregularities that later forced it into bankruptcy protection. Xerox Corp. announced it had improperly reported $1.9 billion in revenue over the previous five years and would restate those financial results.

One year ago: Thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks penetrated the Gaza Strip to pressure Islamic militants into releasing a kidnapped soldier. "Miracle on Ice" coach Herb Brooks and Patrick Roy, the NHL's winningest goaltender, were among four honorees elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Star Jones Reynolds was booted from "The View," one day after surprising ABC and Barbara Walters by saying on the air that she wouldn't be returning to the daytime talk show in the fall.

Thought for Today: "The glory of each generation is to make its own precedents." — Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood, American social reformer (1830-1917).