Today In History: June 15, Washington appointed to lead Continental Army

Today in History

Today is Thursday, June 15, the 166th day of 2023. There are 199 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.

On this date:

In 1215, England’s King John put his seal to Magna Carta (“the Great Charter”) at Runnymede.

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

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

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act making the National Guard part of the U.S. Army in the event of war or national emergency.

In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer pitched his second consecutive no-hitter, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-0 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first night game at Ebbets Field, four days after leaving the Boston Bees hitless by a score of 3-0.

In 1944, American forces began their successful invasion of Saipan (sy-PAN’) during World War II. B-29 Superfortresses carried out their first raids on Japan.

In 1960, the Billy Wilder movie “The Apartment,” starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, premiered in New York.

In 1985, the Shiite Muslim hijackers of a TWA Boeing 727 beat and shot one of their hostages, U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem (STEE’-them), 23, throwing him out of the plane to die on the tarmac at Beirut airport.

In 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing about 800 people.

In 1996, Ella Fitzgerald, the “first lady of song,” died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 79.

In 2002, an asteroid with a diameter of between 50 and 120 yards narrowly missed the Earth by 75,000 miles — less than a third of the distance to the moon.

In 2020, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

Ten years ago: Wild celebrations broke out in Tehran and other cities as reformist-backed Hassan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran’s presidency. Paul Soros, 87, a successful innovator in shipping, philanthropist and older brother of billionaire financier George Soros, died in New York.

Five years ago: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was jailed to await two criminal trials; a federal judge revoked his house arrest over allegations of witness tampering in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. (Manafort would be sentenced to more than seven years in prison on federal charges.) President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on up to $50 billion in Chinese imports, to take effect July 6. Rene Boucher, a neighbor of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, was sentenced to 30 days in prison for tackling Paul while he was out doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

One year ago: The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by three-quarters of a point — its largest hike in nearly three decades in an effort to curb inflation. The U.S. said it would send an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, as America and its allies worked to provide longer-range weapons they said could make a difference in a fight where Ukrainian forces were outnumbered and outgunned by Russian invaders. John Hinckley Jr., who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was freed from court oversight, officially concluding decades of supervision by legal and mental health professionals.

Today’s Birthdays: R&B singer Ruby Nash Garnett (Ruby and the Romantics) is 89. Funk musician Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) is 77. Actor Simon Callow is 74. Singer Russell Hitchcock (Air Supply) is 74. Rock singer Steve Walsh is 72. Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) is 70. Actor-comedian Jim Belushi is 69. Country singer Terri Gibbs is 69. Actor Julie Hagerty is 68. Actor Polly Draper is 68. Rock musician Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) is 66. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 65. Actor Eileen Davidson is 64. Actor Helen Hunt is 60. Rock musician Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche) is 60. Actor Courteney Cox is 59. Country musician Michael Britt (Lonestar) is 57. Actor-rapper Ice Cube is 54. Actor Leah Remini is 53. Actor Jake Busey is 52. Actor Neil Patrick Harris is 50. Actor Greg Vaughan is 50. Actor Elizabeth Reaser is 48. Rock singer Dryden Mitchell (Alien Ant Farm) is 47. Former child actor Christopher Castile is 43. Rock musician Billy Martin (Good Charlotte) is 42. Actor Jordi Vilasuso is 42. Rock musician Wayne Sermon (Imagine Dragons) is 39. Actor Denzel Whitaker is 33. Olympic gold medal gymnast Madison Kocian is 26. Actor Sterling Jerins is 19.