Today in History

Today is Monday, June 15, the 166th day of 2009. There are 199 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 15, 1215, England's King John put his seal to Magna Carta ("the Great Charter") at Runnymede.

On this date:

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.

In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state.

In 1844, Charles Goodyear received a patent for his process to vulcanize rubber.

In 1849, James Polk, the 11th president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.

In 1864, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton signed an order establishing a military burial ground, which became Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York's East River.

In 1944, American forces began their successful invasion of Saipan during World War II. B-29 Superfortresses made their first raids on Japan.

In 1969, the variety show "Hee Haw," a fast-paced mixture of country music and comedy skits, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1978, King Hussein of Jordan married 26-year-old American Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor.

In 1994, Israel and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations.

Ten years ago: Thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees flooded back into Kosovo while thousands of Serbs fled. Vessels from North Korea and South Korea clashed on the Yellow Sea; about 30 North Korean sailors are believed to have died. A magnitude 7 earthquake in central Mexico killed at least 17 people.

Five years ago: The Southern Baptist Convention quit a global federation of Baptist denominations as SBC leaders denounced the Baptist World Alliance and other groups for accepting liberal theology. Tim Berners-Lee received the $1.2 million Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki for creating the World Wide Web. The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-87 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals for their first championship in 14 years.

One year ago: President George W. Bush went for a bike ride and attended church in Paris, then he and his wife, Laura, traveled to London for meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as well as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah. The NBC News program "Meet the Press" paid tribute to its host, Tim Russert, who had unexpectedly died two days earlier. "In the Heights" was named best musical, "August: Osage County," best play, at the Tony Awards.

Today's Birthdays: Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo is 77. Actor Aron Kincaid is 69. Rock musician Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly) is 67. Rock singer-actor Johnny Hallyday is 66. Singer Russell Hitchcock (Air Supply) is 60. Rock singer Steve Walsh (Kansas) is 58. Comedian-actor Jim Belushi is 55. Country singer Terri Gibbs is 55. Actress Julie Hagerty is 54. Rock musician Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) is 52. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 51. Actress Eileen Davidson is 50. Bluegrass musician Terry Smith is 49. Actress Helen Hunt is 46. Rock musician Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche) is 46. Actress Courteney Cox is 45. Country musician Tony Ardoin is 45. Country musician Michael Britt (Lonestar) is 43. Contemporary Christian musician Rob Mitchell is 43. Rock musician Jimmy McD is 41. Actor-rapper Ice Cube is 40. Actress Leah Remini is 39. Actor Jake Busey is 38. Bluegrass singer-musician Jamie Johnson is 37. Rock musician T-Bone Willy (Save Ferris) is 37. Actor Neil Patrick Harris is 36. Actor Greg Vaughan is 36. Actress Elizabeth Reaser is 34. Rock singer Dryden Mitchell (Alien Ant Farm) is 33. Rock musician Billy Martin (Good Charlotte) is 28. Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson is 26. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is 25. Actor Denzel Whitaker is 19.

Thought for Today: "Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence." - O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), American author (1862-1910).