Today In History...

In 1687 Isaac Newton's "Principia" is published in England.

In 1811 Venezuela becomes the first South American country to declare its independence from Spain.

In 1830 The French occupy the North African city of Algiers.

In 1859 Captain N.C. Brooks discovers the Midway Islands.

In 1865 William Booth establishes the Salvation Army in London.

In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the National Labor Relations Act, authorizing labor to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining.

In 1937 Joe DiMaggio hits the first grand slam homerun.

In 1940 During World War II, diplomatic relations are broken between Britain and the Vichy government in France.

In 1944 The first rocket airplane is flown.

In 1946 The bikini swimsuit, designed by Louis Reard, debuts at a fashion show in Paris, France.

In 1947 Larry Doby signs a contract with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in baseball's American League.

In 1948 Britain's National Health Service Act, which provides free government-financed medical and dental care, goes into effect.

In 1950 Private Kenneth Shadrick of Skin Fork, West Virginia, becomes the first U.S. fatality in the Korean War.

In 1971 The voting age is lowered to age 18 in federal elections by the 26th amendment.

In 1975 Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title as he defeated Jimmy Connors.

In 1975 The Cape Verde Islands officially become independent after 500 years of Portuguese rule.

In 1977 Pakistan's army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seizes power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In 1978 Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 30 touches down safely in Soviet Kazakhstan with its 2-member crew, including the first Polish space traveler, Major Miroslaw Hermaszewski.

In 1981 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin's Likud Party edges ahead of the Labor Party in elections held June 30th.

In 1984 The U.S. Supreme Court weakened the 70-year-old "exclusionary rule," deciding that evidence seized with defective court warrants could be used against defendants in criminal trials.

In 1985 The New York Mets defeat the Atlanta Braves, 16-13, in a 19-inning game that had begun the night before and lasted six hours and 10 minutes before ending just before 4am ET.

In 1986 First Lady Nancy Reagan cuts the ribbon re-opening the Statue of Liberty after a 3-year restoration project.

In 1987 Australian Pat Cash wins Wimbledon-upseting Ivan Lendle.

In 1988 U.S. Attorney General Ed Meece announces his resignation.

In 1989 Former National Security Council aide Oliver North receives a $150,000 fine and a suspended prison term as a judge sentenced him for his Iran-Contra convictions.

In 1990 NATO leaders meet in London to revise the alliance's strategy in light of easing East-West tensions in Europe.

In 1991 A worldwide financial scandal erupts as regulators in eight countries shut down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

In 1992 Leaders of the world's seven richest nations gather in Munich, Germany, for their 18th annual economic summit.

In 1992 Andre Agassi wins his first Grand Slam title, defeating Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon.

In 1993 President Clinton leaves Washington for a Group of Seven summit in Japan.

In 1994 In an attempt to halt a surge of Haitian refugees, the Clinton administration announces that it was refusing entry to new Haitian boat people.

In 1996 The U.S. government reports the unemployment rate had fallen to a 6-year low. The news sent the Dow industrials down 114 points.

In 1997 NASA scientists brainstorm to fix problems that left Mars Pathfinder's robot rover stuck aboard the lander.

In 1997 Cambodia's second Prime Minister, Hun Sen, launches a bloody coup that toppled first Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh.

In 1997 16-year-old Martina Hingis becomes the youngest Wimbledon singles champion this century when she beat Jana Novotna.

In 1998 British security forces in Northern Ireland block a group of Protestants from parading through the main Catholic neighborhood of Portadown.

In 1998 Pete Sampras wins Wimbledon for the fifth time in six years with a triumph over Goran Ivanisevic.

In 1999 President Clinton begins a 4-day cross-country tour to promote a plan for drawing jobs and investment to areas that had not shared inthe prosperity of the 1990s.

In 2000 At the United Nations, President Clinton signs an international agreement to ban the forcible recruitment of youths as soldiers in armed conflict.

In 2002 Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams dies at age 83.

In 2003 Serena Williams beats sister Venus (4-6, 6-4, 6-2) for her second straight Wimbledon title.

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