Today in History

Today is Wednesday, June 24, the 175th day of 2009. There are 190 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

Five hundred years ago, on June 24, 1509, Henry VIII was crowned king of England; his wife, Catherine of Aragon, was crowned queen consort.

On this date:

In 1314, the forces of Scotland's King Robert I defeated the English in the Battle of Bannockburn.

In 1497, the first recorded sighting of North America by a European took place as explorer John Cabot spotted land, probably in present-day Canada.

In 1793, the first republican constitution in France was adopted.

In 1807, a grand jury in Richmond, Va., indicted former Vice President Aaron Burr on charges of treason and high misdemeanor. (He was later acquitted).

In 1908, the 22nd and 24th presidents of the United States, Grover Cleveland, died in Princeton, N.J., at age 71.

In 1940, France signed an armistice with Italy during World War II.

In 1948, Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the western allies to organize the Berlin Airlift. The Republican National Convention, meeting in Philadelphia, nominated New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey for president.

In 1968, "Resurrection City," a shantytown constructed as part of the Poor People's March on Washington, D.C., was closed down by authorities.

In 1975, 113 people were killed when an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashed while attempting to land during a thunderstorm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger - carrying America's first woman in space, Sally K. Ride - coasted to a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Ten years ago: Union organizers claimed victory after workers at six Fieldcrest Cannon mills in North Carolina voted to be represented by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. (Fieldcrest Cannon's parent company, Pillowtex, went bankrupt in 2003.) Testimony wound to an end after 76 days in the landmark Microsoft antitrust trial.

Five years ago: Federal investigators questioned President George W. Bush for more than an hour in connection with the news leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. A federal appeals court struck down an FCC effort to make sweeping changes in media ownership rules. In a bizarre conclusion to a huge upset, the chair umpire called the wrong score in the second tiebreaker, and Venus Williams fell 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to Karolina Sprem in the second round at Wimbledon.

One year ago: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe refused to give into pressure from Africa and the West, saying the world can "shout as loud as they like" but he would not cancel an upcoming runoff election even though his opponent had quit the race. Leonid Hurwicz, who shared the Nobel Prize in economics in 2007, died in Minneapolis at age 90.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Al Molinaro is 90. Comedian Jack Carter is 86. Movie director Claude Chabrol is 79. Actress Michele Lee is 67. Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown is 66. Rock musician Jeff Beck is 65. Singer Arthur Brown is 65. Rock singer Colin Blunstone (The Zombies) is 64. Musician Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) is 62. Actor Peter Weller is 62. Rock musician John Illsley (Dire Straits) is 60. Actress Nancy Allen is 59. Reggae singer Derrick Simpson (Black Uhuru) is 59. Actor Joe Penny is 53. Reggae singer Astro (UB40) is 52. Singer-musician Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark) is 50. Rock singer Curt Smith is 48. Actress Danielle Spencer is 44. Actress Sherry Stringfield is 42. Singer Glenn Medeiros is 39. Actress-producer Mindy Kaling is 30. Actress Minka Kelly (TV's "Friday Night Lights") is 29. Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick is 25. Singer Solange Knowles is 23.

Thought for Today: "There is a way to look at the past. Don't hide from it. It will not catch you if you don't repeat it." - Pearl Bailey, American singer and actress (1918-1990).