Today in History: June 14, Continental Army is created

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, June 14, the 165th day of 2023. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 14, 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created.

On this date:

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the original American flag.

In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the Republic of California.

In 1911, the British ocean liner RMS Olympic set out on its maiden voyage for New York, arriving one week later. (The ship’s captain was Edward John Smith, who went on to command the ill-fated RMS Titanic the following year.)

In 1919, John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown embarked on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis began transporting prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, ruled 6-3 that public school students could not be forced to salute the flag of the United States.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure adding the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance.

In 1967, California Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a bill liberalizing his state’s abortion law.

In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year’s end.

In 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2005, Michelle Wie, 15, became the first female player to qualify for an adult male U.S. Golf Association championship, tying for first place in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament.

Ten years ago: The Associated Press reported Minnesota resident Michael Karkoc (KAHR’-kahts) had been a top commander of a Nazi SS-led unit accused of burning villages filled with women and children, then lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States after World War II. Karkoc died Dec. 14, 2019, according to cemetery and public records. He was 100. Major League Baseball came down hard on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, handing out eight suspensions and a dozen fines as punishment for a bench-clearing brawl on June 11.

Five years ago: A Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation. AT&T and Time Warner completed their merger, one of the biggest media deals ever, two days after a federal judge approved the combination. Betting on professional sports became legal in New Jersey; the state had fought for eight years against a federal law that limited sports betting to Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon. Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible in defending the border policy that was separating children from parents; he said the Apostle Paul had commanded that the laws of government should be obeyed because “God has ordained them for the purpose of order.”

One year ago: Ukrainian officials said Russian troops controlled about 80% of the fiercely contested eastern city of Sievierodonetsk and destroyed all three bridges leading out of it but authorities were still trying to evacuate the wounded. Raging floodwaters that pulled houses into rivers and forced rescues by air and boat across the Yellowstone region began to recede, but tourists and others were still stranded after roads and bridges were knocked out by torrential rains. New York’s top court rejected an effort to free Happy the elephant from the Bronx Zoo. The court decided she did not meet the definition of a “person” who was being illegally confined.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Marla Gibbs is 92. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is 84. Country-rock musician Spooner Oldham is 80. Rock singer Rod Argent (The Zombies; Argent) is 78. Former President Donald Trump is 77. Singer Janet Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 77. Rock musician Barry Melton is 76. Actor Will Patton is 69. Olympic gold medal speed skater Eric Heiden (HY’-dun) is 65. Jazz musician Marcus Miller is 64. Singer Boy George is 62. Rock musician Chris DeGarmo is 60. Actor Traylor Howard is 57. Actor Yasmine Bleeth is 55. Actor Faizon Love is 55. Actor Stephen Wallem is 55. International Tennis Hall of Famer Steffi Graf is 54. Actor Sullivan Stapleton is 46. Screenwriter Diablo Cody is 45. Classical pianist Lang Lang is 41. Actor Lawrence Saint-Victor is 41. Actor Torrance Coombs is 40. Actor J.R. Martinez is 40. Actor-singer Kevin McHale is 35. Actor Lucy Hale is 34. Pop singer Jesy Nelson (Little Mix) is 32. Country singer Joel Crouse is 31. Actor Daryl Sabara is 31.