TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS TUESDAY, JUNE 20, the 171st day of 2017. There are 194 days left in the year. Summer begins at10:24 p.m. Mountain time.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).
In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne after the death of her uncle, King William IV.
In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.
In 1921, Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over the House of Representatives.
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act, which was designed to restrict the power of labor unions, but had his veto overridden by Congress.
In 1966, the Beatles album “Yesterday and Today” was released by Capitol Records, initially with its notorious “butcher” cover photo, which ended up being replaced.
In 1977, the first oil began flowing through the recently completed Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
In 2001, Houston resident Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub, then called police. (Yates was found guilty of murder, but her conviction was overturned and she was later acquitted by reason of insanity.)
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actor Martin Landau is 89. Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 88. Actress Olympia Dukakis and actor James Tolkan are 86. Actor Danny Aiello and blues musician Lazy Lester are 84. Actor John Mahoney is 77. Movie director Stephen Frears is 76. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 75. Actor John McCook is 73. Singer Anne Murray is 72. TV personality Bob Vila and musician Andre Watts are 71. Actress Candy Clark is 70. Producer Tina Sinatra is 69. Rhythmand-blues singer Lionel Richie is 68. Actor John Goodman is 65. Actress Nicole Kidman is 50. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 49. Actor Peter Paige is 48. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 44. Country-folk singersongwriter Amos Lee is 40. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 38. Actor Mark Saul is 32. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse is 28. Actress Maria Lark is 20.